Breaking in a new rifle?

[Preacher Man]

I clean a brand new barrel out real good and start shooting. I have not noticed a difference between that method and the long drawn out barrel break in procedure.

[Etxbuckman]

I do a break-in, but it's more about getting acclimated to the gun than anything. I don't think breaking-in hurts anything by any means (other than your wallet for the wasted ammo LOL), but I want to know how the gun feels in the field before I go hunting.

[dirtybay]

I have only bought off the shelf rifles and was taught early on to do a breakin procedure with all copper bullets. Does it mean every barrel needs it? Nope. If you can look in the barrel to see the rifling and if any tooling marks, it will be a good start. I have had good accuracy results doing a breakin to be safe. Should help smooth out and make barrel easier to clean. A good custom barrel probably doesn’t need it.

[Ricochet83]

Wanting to get into pistol hunting this year a little and have a 44 mag Blackhawk with a 7 1/2 inch barrel. What is your go to bullet for a texas size whitetail round. Was looking at the Hornady 200 grain XTP's but looking for any other ideas? Is a 240 grain or above really necessary for these thin skinned texas deer?

[Sackett]

You guys are making me want to get a long barreled revolver. I’ve always wanted to try handgun hunting. As far as rounds go, I tracked a buck a hunter made a poor shot on (shot the front two legs off at the knuckle) I caught up to the deer and put one .40 cal 180 gr self-defense round from hornady through both shoulders and almost exited the other side, under the hide and dropped the deer drt. I was impressed with the round and can only imagine a large revolver cartridge being even more impressive.

[rebelbow]

i've killed 2 does with a 44 mag. first was with 185 gr sp. second 240 gr sp. both dead within 30 yds

[Voodoo]

Regular box 240gr JSP does the job the same or even better than all the wiz-bang stuff. I have used them all to include handloads.

If you use the factory 180gr in a handgun you are getting too much powder waste and flame.

I recommend you do a double lung shot and call it a day.

[Brute Killer]

If it’s important to you, firelap the barrel. They sell ammo that you firelap with. Some say it helps.

Tubb firelapping kit, Midway sells it.

I don't think that that's the intent of those bullets.
Mr Tubb talks about it on the "Believe the Target" interview.
I want to say that they are for reconditioning the throat.
I'd have to go back and re-listen, though.

[Brute Killer]

Not that this means anything, but I read on "Varmint Al's Reloading Page", or "Hunting Page", that he used JBs Bore Paste to lap (sand, basically) the bore and then just shot normally after that.

[friscopaint]

I've never needed to "break in" a gun until my new Beretta A400 Unico shotgun, it was so tight it took a few hundred shots before it performed flawlessly and I'm talking sand and mud, duck and goose hunting. Cousin shoots trap professionally and we were talking about a stiff pump shotgun I had and he said to slather slide, etc. in engine cylinder polishing compound and just work the slide back and forth hundreds of times

[Drycreek3189]

Not that this means anything, but I read on "Varmint Al's Reloading Page", or "Hunting Page", that he used JBs Bore Paste to lap (sand, basically) the bore and then just shot normally after that.

Well, they do go all the way out to the other end you know.

[dbaio1]

By the time you zero a rifle in and shoot it enough to.get familiar with it is all I have ever done and that has always worked for me. Usually about 20 rounds.

[tdwinklr]

If it’s important to you, firelap the barrel. They sell ammo that you firelap with. Some say it helps.

Tubb firelapping kit, Midway sells it.

what the freak ??

[Drycreek3189]

what the freak ??

Never heard of it ? Not my fault !

[PVDT]

The short answer is no it makes zero difference. But you should always clean it and check the torque on the action screws on any new gun. I wouldn’t necessarily call it barrel break in but barrels do get to a point after “X” amount of rounds where the velocity for that particular barrel/round combination stabilizes. Every barrel is different in that respect. Most high end barrel makers will tell you the same thing. Some may even have barrel break in procedures on their websites but they’ll tell you face to face that it’s a waste of time and components. They’ll sometimes list the procedures just to appease those that feel it’s necessary….which is just fine since it’s their time and money.

[tdwinklr]

Never heard of it ? Not my fault !

obviously unnecessary.

[Drycreek3189]

obviously unnecessary.

Maybe obvious to some, not so obvious to others. One thing is OBVIOUS though, they still sell them, and OBVIOUSLY, someone is still buying them. I don’t, and OBVIOUSLY you don’t, but unnecessary things are bought and sold every day. You probably own some.