Barrel Break-Ins and Cleaning Voodoo Rituals Destroy Barrels
BY Herschel Smith
3 years ago
Tim does a convincing job, as least for me. I’ve not seen nor used his recommended product, Bore Tech Eliminator Bore Cleaner.
However, I never liked the idea of putting steel or brass brushes down my barrels.
I think it’s time to order some new supplies. I’ll make sure to stock up on nylon brushes, and I may give this cleaner a try.
I’ve done the barrel break-in procedure once. I thought it was sort of dumb when doing it.
Here is the Sniper’s Hide discussion thread he’s talking about.
Opinions of readers are welcome.
On November 19, 2021 at 12:19 am, Ohio Guy said:
Everything he said makes sense to me. In future barrel cleanings, I think I’ll follow his advice. Good vid.
On November 19, 2021 at 12:28 am, George 1 said:
Mark LaRue makes some pretty good barrels and he says basically the same things that Tim does. Regarding barrel break in I saw a post made by Mark where pretty much said no break in procedure was necessary. He just said that for the first 100 to 150 rounds not to get the barrel too hot.
On November 19, 2021 at 7:23 am, Mountain Rat said:
I started using the Bore Tech products about a year ago. The best I have ever used! I use the bore cleaner and the carbon remover. The carbon remover is incredible and has reduced my cleaning time considerably.
On November 19, 2021 at 2:18 pm, Jimbo said:
I have begun using Bore Tech stuff – the Cu+2 is the best copper remover I have ever tried. It is said to be non-harmful to barrel metal. Use only with nylon brush and cotton patches. Has worked really well for me.
On November 19, 2021 at 3:23 pm, Russell G. said:
Hoppes Elite. That’s it. It really depends on the barrel/platform. I’m doing a “first pass outing” on a BCA LR308 tomorrow, so here we go… The newer barrels for AR LR platforms are basically dipped into the vat to provide the surface finish. That means the finish gets inside the bore (that, my friends, is absurd). They then sometimes fire a test round down it (you can tell on the first pass because the Elite will come out midnight blue within a minute or two. The bore after that factory treatment (and firing) is knarley as hell. If you fire a copper projectile over that crap, guess what? If you’ve ever looked at an electron micrograph of the bore it is very porous on the surface. Stuff will easily pile up on it. So, what you need to do is clean it real well (that’s many many passes with a bore mop and Elite). Then run a real **tight** bronze brush down there multiple times, then go back to the mops and Elite. You have to use the brush to get on the sides of the lands where that crap finish treatment is forming an ugly radius. Now, I have to admit I have a good borescope and I’m looking at all the crap during the cycles (did I mention that raggedy gas port?), so, there you have that. If you need to repeat the process…you do it. When done, patch the Elite out, and then soak the bore for a minimum of 48 hours with ATF. Then, blast away with **lite** loads. Remember, when you spin that projectile up you are going to lay down copper or lead on the edges and surface of the lands; the grooves not so much. None of that BS of bore brushing and patching at the range will change that.
Now, for rifles with good replacement barrels that don’t have a finish inside, and are just buttoned or cut, clean it with Elite and brush it lightly, oil it and go to the range. Depending on whether they air gap (meaning a good barrel) it or not, there is basically nothing that voodoo breaking in procedures does. Old man Krieger would be the first one to tell you that (and he did). He once said in an interview that you’re just cleaning out micro imperfections, at best, when you go through all the weird rituals, and it affects nothing about the performance of the barrel or lifespan. So, do that weird stuff on the bench at home if you need to. The voodoo makes no difference. The old man should know.
On November 22, 2021 at 12:19 pm, Ned said:
I read an article in G&A years ago by Ross Seyfried. He had abandoned break in procedures because he found no difference.
Interestingly, I have a 358 Norma Mag that shoots great. Has an old Douglas barrel that tends to copper fowl, and then accuracy suffers.
When it gets erratic, I remove the powder fowling with #9 and then use an old Outers Cop-Out electro chemical bore cleaner (not sold any more) to remove the copper. No scrubbing with a brush. Always worked great.