Going bonkers over my 98

[Larryjk]

PJgunner, I have one client who doesn't believe in cleaning his barrels. He also doesn't use the barrels I recommend. They cost approximately the same as what I recommend. I use what he wants to rebarrel his rifles. He has them rebarreled quite often and the ones I take off are usually badly fouled. A .257 Weatherby didn't last him a month. He gave the entire rifle to another client, who went through a 2 week process of cleaning all of the fouling from the area ahead of the throat. The rifle shot fine after that.

I am certainly in favor of Gail McMillan having whatever policy he wants on his barrels and can even understand . I do not advocate using course grit in a new barrel or some of the other crazy things people might use. But I will still say a properly broken in barrel, (by cleaning to bare metal between shots), will foul less and give better accuracy. I believe the old practice of firing a few "fouling" shots was more to re-acquaint the shooter with the recoil than of any real benefit to the barrel. If you feel breaking in a new barrel is Bull ****, more power to you on your rifles. I will still recommend the practice.

[Rapier]

Sorry I did not get back to this, as I was out shooting my new 300 Win Mag and breaking in the barrel, with my normal process. Nice results, cutting 1 1/2 inch limbs off at 200 meters when finished.

With all due respect to Gale, richly deserved respect, as a pioneer in many ways, from barrels, stocks to rifles, etc. Years ago I was present at the Shot Show, talking to a premier barrel maker about my barrel order, when that premier barrel maker was acosted by whom I remember to be Gale. Gale was hot for what Gale understood to be a derisive comment made regarding Gale's ability to build quality barrels. I will not get into the sides of the argument that ensued and only bring up the incident to point out that every maker has followers and every maker has detractors and all for various reasons.

I will explain to you why my break-in has no resembelance to what many consider a break-in of a barrel:
a) The break-in is done with a liquid which contains a polymer type material, that fills the pores, rather than filling the pores with guilded metal.
b) I never use any form of abrasive in a barrel, unless the barrel is very rough and I intend to shoot cast in it. The abrasive is applied by fire lapping. The process I use is that used by many cast bullet bench rest shooters and rimfire bench rest shooters. The cast bullet allows me to adjust the diameter after the bore has been altered to a mirror finish.
c) During the normal break-in period I do several things at the same time. I develop loads, fireform brass (using standard loads) and zero the scope plus get precise sight settings. Thus the break-in is not an abnormal wear on the barrel at any point.

When I finish with the break in, I have a bore that will clean with just a few patches and 99% of the time shoots the first round into the same group as the 3rd, 4th or 5th round. Cold barrel or hot, this is very important to me.

Here is why and how it makes a difference: When you hunt you shoot the first round from a cold barrel and many times that barrel is clean. If you shoot in competition in a hot climate, like Arizona or FL, you start with a cold barrel but after the 3rd or so shot, the barrel is hot to very hot. In match competition, consistancy is everything. I do not care where the bullet hits as long as it will hit at the same point every time, I can adjust sights.

I shoot silhouettes, rifle and handgun. A 40 round match is a local match and an 80 round match is the standard for national or international matches. I do not really hunt that mutch, but find that what works on the range works in the field with a few minor adjustments, like haveing a safety or an ejector and changing the trigger pull weight for field use.

It has long been established by and within, every orginized competition I know of, that precise accuracy and consistancy is only established when the bore is clean and cleaned as often as possible, even being cleaned during a match. Read carefully what Gale had to say about cleaning a bore and then consider this; A bore can not be cleaned during or after shooting, if it is not clean to start with, without stripping the bore back to bare metal.

What Larry has found is exactly what I found decades ago. I can take a "shot out" barrel and turn it into a shooter by stripping the copper out of it. Just one story, I bought an XP-100 in 7x08 from a shooter very cheep. I stripped the bore, it went back to shooting 1/2 inch groups and I refinished the gun, metal and stock. Then sold it back to the original owner after he saw how wonderful it shot at a match. After he paid me, I told him it was his old gun! That is a true story.
Best,
Ed

PS: I am not trying to change your mind, you have done what you do for decades as have I, but to make very sure the readers have an alternate point of view and proper explination for that view.

[PJgunner]

Breaking in a barrel is nothing more than controlled wear on the barrel to basically get the rough spots out. I don't see the need to do a barrel break in because when my gunsmith does a barrel for me, he laps it so it's already smooth and shiny. But, as the late great Elmer Keith once said, "I believe every man should scratch his own fleas in whatever manner he chooses.
Paul B.