new gun, proper barrel break-in ?

[cshooter]

Hey guys, I've got on order, a New Savage Preditor in 204, coming in this week. And I need to know how to properly break-in the barrel. I've read the advise from Savage and Winchester on the steps to proper barrel break-in, so I have an idea how and why it's needed. But I'd like to hear from some experience also. The cleaning solvants I have are Hopps #9, Hopps bench rest copper solvant in the black bottle, Outers nitro solvant, CR-10 and then this Outers foaming bore cleaner. Which ones should I use with each other, or can't use with each other ? Or should I just use the foaming bore cleaner between each shot for 10 rounds or so ? It seems like the foaming stuff cleans up the bore of my other rifles pretty good ? CR-10 really works well on copper, but is it too harsh for a new barrel ? Opinions ? In the past I,ve not really had much of a barrel break-in tecnique, but I want to do this one right.......

[skipper]

cshooter
The following is advice from benchrest legend, Speedy Gonzales. My custom 204 is a SG&Y Precision built rifle and this came with the rifle. This is great advice.
Mike Lucas is a member here. Get a bore guide from him and a good Dewey rod to go with it.

Order from:
Mike Lucas
phone: (803) 356-0282 (7 days a week, 8am to 8pm EST)
225 Browns River Road
Lexington, SC 29072
email: lucasmjb@windstream.net


Many of our customers upon taking delivery of their new gun or barrel are in a quandary as how to go about breaking-in that new barrel for maximum life and accuracy. With so much written in magazines these days stating use this, don’t use that, brush, don’t brush...what’s a person to do??
At S.G.&Y. Precision, we have a unique opportunity to inspect many barrels on a daily basis with our video borescope. Consequently, we see the results of a variety of break-in as well as cleaning procedures, and most of them leave the rifle owners with their mouth agape when they see the fruits of their misinformed labor on our color monitor. We have seen practically new barrels ruined with less than a hundred rounds shot through them by some of the crazy and sometimes humorous break-in methods. Anyway here goes for what it’s worth.

A. Bore guides- If you don’t have one, get one! Without a good bore guide you are just wasting your time trying to break-in a barrel or cleaning it for that matter. More barrels are destroyed by cleaning without a bore guide than by shooting. There are many types and brands of bore guides available on the market and range in price from $5.00 to $50.00. The only one we recommend is the Lucas two-piece bore guide. They are the best insurance you can buy for that new barrel. All other bore guides in my opinion are only good for keeping the solvents out of the trigger and action.

B. Solvents- We recommend Sweets 7.62 for copper and a *solvent mix of our own(Actually Pat McMillan gave me this formula) for powder fouling and for cleaning/storing your gun for the next match or season. This Speedy Formula is made as follows:

Mix 2/3 rds. Hoppes No. 9 Plus Black Powder solvent with 1/3rd. Regular Hoppes No. 9 Nitro solvent. Let this mixture set overnight and it will form a sort of gel that adheres very well to the brush and cuts powder fouling to a minimum.

* Note: Butches Boreshine may be substituted for this Speedy formula.

C. Procedure for “Break-in”- Before firing that first shot, clean the barrel as if it had been shot by following these simple steps.
Step 1. Insert Lucas bore guide into receiver and chamber. If you don’t have one stop here and get one, if not, just shoot your gun and forget trying to take any care of your barrel at all. If you do have one, proceed, and give yourself one “At-A-Boy” for being astute enough to have purchased the proper tools for the job.
Note: One “Aw-Shit” wipes out all “At-A-Boys”.
Step 2. Run one wet patch of Sweets through the bore and let soak for approximately 30 seconds. Do not patch this out.
Step 3. Next, run the brush through the barrel only enough to expose the entire brush. Yes, I know that you still have 12 more inches of cleaning rod you could push out the end of your barrel but we want to protect that new crown. Also, if that rod hangs out that far, you will eventually start wearing down the rifling at the crown from about 4 to 7 o’clock. This is very bad “JU-JU” for accuracy. OK, back to our next step. Once the brush is exposed, saturate it well with our Speedy Formula or Butch’s Boreshine and SLOWLY run the brush through the bore 10 complete back and forth passes while keeping the rod as straight as possible. This is when the Lucas bore guide really pays for itself! Remember, the key word is slowly. We are not trying to break any land speed records today. Let this sit a minute or two and proceed to the next step.
Step 4. After you have let the barrel soak for a few moments, saturate a patch with the Speedy Formula or Butch’s Boreshine and pass it through the bore. Follow this with 2 dry patches and then dry the chamber with Brake Kleen or lighter fluid. Next, gently wipe the crown off with a soft cloth and lube your bolt (lets not gall the lugs just yet). Now, your ready to shoot your first shot. Then follow the schedule below to complete your barrel break-in.
1. Clean barrel / lube bolt / 1 shot.
2. Clean barrel / lube bolt / 5 shots.
3. Clean barrel / lube bolt / 10 shots.
4. Clean barrel / lube bolt / 10 to 15 shots and clean again.

D. Additional Cleaning Tips-
1. Each time you clean you may also follow the last dry patch with a patch soaked with LOCK-EEZ. This is a graphite powder suspended in a quick evaporating carrier that coats the bore slightly before passing that first round through a completely dry bore.
2. We are always asked about powder fouling and how to remove it. The only product that we have seen that really does a good job on powder fouling, especially on the carbon ring that forms just ahead of where the neck ends in the chamber, is IOSSO Bore Paste. This is used with a Pro-Shot nylon bristle brush and worked slowly in the neck and throat areas, then slowly down the entire bore. Follow this up with a few wet patches, then dry the bore as usual, and your ready to shoot.

E. Follow the outline above for your regular cleaning program and I promise that your barrels will deliver their greatest accuracy and life without a lot of grief and hours of wondering if they are clean.

Good Shooting,

Speedy Gonzalez

[xr10065669]

I would always use the materials listed above when cleaning your rifle. The bore guides are a must, one piece rods, jags, and the solvents you listed were good.

I would recommend using Tubbs Final Finish bullets to break in your gun. I run these bullets on every new gun that I buy. It consists of 50 rounds, 10 different bullets all the way from a rough to smooth bullet. This cleans out any rough spots and smooths down your barrel. It will improve your accuracy as well. To get them in the .204, you have to order them right off of davidtubbs website. Otherwise midwayusa carries most of the other popular calibers in tubbs final finish bullets.

Hope this helps, good luck shooting your new rifle!

[cshooter]

Guys, I'm just a little slow here, because I've never used a bore guide. Ahhh, how do they work ? I have one day this week to get this done and was wondering if there was some other way I could get it done with what I have untill I get one ? It will be a few weeks before I get to shoot it if I don't get it broke in this week, is the only problem. I have a one piece Dewey 20 cal rod nylon coated and a brass jag. Also an aluminum rod in 17 cal. Thanks for the help.

[xr10065669]

You will be alright without a bore guide for a little while but i would get one asap. The bore guide will keep solvents and fouling from entering back into the chamber when cleaning. It has an o ring on the end of the bore guide that does this. It also it keeps your rod and brush centered as you being to clean the barrel.

Clean your new savage when you get it. You will be amazed at how dirty they come from the factory. I cleaned my two savage LRPV and I couldnt believe it. Then i ran the final finish bullets through the barrel to break them in. I would check that out, the website is www.davidtubb.com.

[skipper]

A bore guide keeps the rod off the rifling in your bore. When you push a tight brush or patch through your barrel your rod can bow also further damaging the rifling. If you want to do it right, you'll need a bore guide. As Speedy says, otherwise just kiss any hope of serious accuracy goodbye. The crown is another area that needs some special care if peak accuracy is your game.

[cshooter]

I'll get a bore guide comming from Mr. Lucas as soon as possible, hopefully tomorrow. And it looks like Wendsday is the only time I'll have for a month to shoot my new rifle because of harvest and my job. I'll use the Hopp's #9 untill the patches come out clean and as dry as a new patch, then use the CR-10 to get out anything else. Besides I read where Savage fires a couple round through the barrel to test before leaveing the factory, I guess. So - I'll clean and shoot and clean as you guys recommend with that. But, will Barnes CR-10 work for a cleaner as long as I follow the directions and don't leave it in too long ? Should I skip the Hopp's and just use the CR-10 ? I don't have access to any Sweets, or Butches, I'd have to try to order some. What about that foaming cleaner ? I do have a little bottle of Pro shot copper solvant II I picked up at a gun show - if that would work ? But it seems kind of mild and it may not get the copper out fast enough. I think it's sort of a protectant/cleaner as it says you can store your gun with it in the barrel after cleaning to protect against corrosion. And I forgot I have a brass 20 cal cleaning rod that the Dewey jag should fit on. The brass rod should'nt hurt the barrel as long as I don't get carried away pushing. I have a 20 cal nylon brush too. I'll keep looking in my stuff to see what else I can find and call some friends and see what I can borrow for the short term. Is there anything else I might need to do ?

[skipper]

The basic idea is to get the powder residue out and then get the copper out. Powder cleaners don't work well on copper and vice versa. The 204 has a tendency to build up powder residue at the throat area pretty bad. This residue will turn hard, almost like porcelain and is very hard to clean. You will have to keep this throat area clean for peak accuracy. Take a look at your cleaning liquids, or rather smell them. The ones that smell like ammonia will get the copper out but won't work well on powder residue. Hoppe's #9 will work but it will take some scrubbing. I start with Hoppe's #9 and then progress on to Butch's Bore Shine. When you think you have all the powder out push a patch wet with Hoppe's #9 just into the throat area with your rod and let it sit there for about fifteen minutes. Then push it on through the bore and take a look. If it turned black, you still have powder residue in your throat area and need to scrub some more.

I've heard many horror stories on this forum about rifles that went south after just a few hundred rounds. Usually they were experiencing this build up in the throat area. You just have to scrub. I can't emphasize that enough. It takes a lot of scrubbing between shooting sessions. Forget the plastic brushes. Get a dozen or more Dewey "No Harm" brushes. They won't stay tight in the bore for more than a half dozen passes.

Now that you have the powder out it's time to turn your attention to the copper. This will be much easier than the powder. Just follow the instructions on the label of that CR-10 and remember that any brass jags or brushes you use with copper cleaner will turn your patches blue also. Now is the time to get out the plastic brushes and jags. The good news is that you should see less and less copper as your barrel gets broken in. Don't leave copper cleaner in your bore after you finish cleaning. Always rinse/neutralize with some alcohol, spray bore scrubber or some of that Hoppe's #9. Some people use LOCK-EEZ on a patch to finish off with. The idea is that the graphite will help with that first shot out of a cold clean barrel going wide right. I just shoot a few fouler shots.

Keep from overheating your new barrel and all will be well. You could toast a brand new barrel out in the field in no time shooting repeatedly without time to cool between shots. Good luck, with your new toy and welcome aboard.