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HANDGUNNER
10-27-2005, 09:41 PM
I just purchased a Win. 94. I've heard about breaking in the barrel. Winchester has a spot on there web site about how to do it. One round, fill the barrel with copper fouling stuff, repeat ten times to seal the barrel and prevent fouling in the future. The copper cleaner I bought recommends 15 minutes to let it sit. This would be a long and boring day at the range repeating this ten times. Anyone done this before? Is it worth it?

Evan03
10-27-2005, 10:33 PM
ive broke barrels in the propper way. just take brabd new barrel unfired other than test fired at the factory and shoot atleast 50rds through it without cleaneing. load a bunch of ammo test loads and fire more rounds then when you get closer to 100rds clean it out good. nothing specail just bore cleaner a brush

ore possibly just use a bore snake its just brush on rope drop alittle bore cleaner on the brush section and drag it through a few times and your good to go.

i preffer this method.

but i have also broke bores in by cleaneing between ever rd fired for about 20rds, then clean every 5ds then every 10 and so on till you feel comfortable that its broke in.
ive used this method oin rimfires and center fires.

my old 22/250 got broke in by cleaning between rds, my 2506 probably had a few hundred rds through it before it saw a brush. the 27wsm was cleaned between rds when new. and my new 220 has been getn negleted to fullest. i rarely clean this bore.

all in all i can see no difrence at all.

i also think cleaning bores is way over rated. if your putn rds through your rifle on consistent basis id say clean every 100 maybe more.

i do believe if the rifle is going to be sitn for a period of time the bore should be scrubbed and oiled. only to prevent rust and nothing more.

denton
10-27-2005, 11:41 PM
The difference will be in how long your rifle can go between cleanings. Breakin makes a difference. Booger to do in cold weather, because the chemicals work more slowly when it's cold.

Yes, it is boring. Take something else to shoot while the ammonia is doing its thing.

bulletpusher
10-28-2005, 09:15 AM
Handgunner,

The last centerfire rifle that I bought, I fired 200 rounds thru it before cleaning it for the first time. That does not include what the factory fired.

After all of that shooting, I gave it a good cleaning and then shot it a bunch more. I now clean it about every 50 to 60 rounds or if for some reason it acts like its not shooting straight even when I'm sure that I've been holding my tounge right.

I know that I've shot upwards of 1,500 rounds through it at this point. The best group to date is about o.118" for 3 rounds at 100 yrds. It will always shoot below 3/8" of an inch if I'm doing my part.

I've seen people spend a day doing the shoot 1 and clean then shioot 2 and clean, etc., etc. and then spend another day doing the same thing when they don't get it done the first day.

Personnally I would rather have a good time shooting for groups and trying to improve my own ability at 100, 200 and further than trying to keep count of how many times that I can run a bore brush through a new barrel.

I once read that a barrel maker said that he came up with this very rigerous barrel breakin procedure, because he figured that it would make a barrel wear faster and he could sell more barrels.

I don't know if the story is true or not, but I've seen all kinds of different ideals tried to break in a barrel and I've yet to see one that works better than anyother.

JMHO

Bulletpusher

Rocky Raab
10-28-2005, 09:39 AM
Like so many other things, rigorous barrel break-in procedures were copied from competitive shooters - and have little or no usage in field guns.

A Winchester M-94 doesn't need barrel break-in. The ONLY benefit that MIGHT come out of it would be marginally less fouling and easier cleaning. Repeat "marginally."

A 94 isn't inherently accurate enough to demonstarte any improvement that break-in might show. Nor does it operate at high enough pressure or velocity to foul badly.

So it'd be as pointless as downdraft wings on a moped.

Evan03
10-28-2005, 02:34 PM
some rifles like being fouled alittle to improve groups printed on paper. atleast thats what they say.

i realy dont like cleaning that often or dureing break in so i pretty much do it as little as posible.


i do however each time im testing new loads ill scrub out the bore. even though i do this it doesnt makes since to me. im usualy pushn the same bullets just difrent powder combos.

when im ready to start dropn new loads ill prop the rifle up muzzle into rag and pump it full of foaming bore cleaner and leave it for 20-30minutes. by then ive turned out the loads i want to test then i scrub out the bore and go test them.

the more i think about this doesnt make since. shouldnt i want to test loads through barrel they way i shoot it. maybe ill not clean it for the next batch of loads and see what i see if anything.

Ken14
10-29-2005, 10:55 AM
Lots of interesting points made here....I own some rifles that the accuracy does not degrade after 20 rounds or so.But..I do have some that after 15 or so the accuracy does go away. Rifles to me cost too much not to keep them clean inside and out...not to offend anyone...just my meager .02