Remington 700 Barrel Break-in

[glock55]

just getting into long range shooting and need advise on barrel break-in. i just put a remington 700 together (will post pictures shortly) and have read that accuracy depends on proper barrel break-in. my questions are:

1) is break-in really needed

2) if so is there a standard procedure ( seems everyone has a different way of doing it )

3) if you clean barrel after every shot is a bore snake ok to use

4) how many shots are required to complete a break-in of a new barrel

 

the barrel is a 26 inch heavy barrel with steel bore. i'm sure i've left out important info so any advise would be greatly appreciated

[Garufa]

Personally, I think "barrel break-in" it is a bunch of voodoo with no scientific evidence to back it up.

[gomer pyle]

i'm unsure if its needed or not but if this is a bench gun then why not go ahead. i always cleaned after every round for the first 10, then every other for 10, then every third thru 50. not sure if it helped or not but its not that much more work.i use and like bore snakes for my everyday guns, but i don't think they do all that's needed for a bench gun

[Danger Rane]

Well you probably just opened up a huge can of worms, as this is an often and sometimes heatedly debated topic in the long rifle community.  I have copied an article from Mike Haugen, formerly the Senior Sniper Instructor at 1^st SFG, now one of the head reps at Remington Defense.  He is describing the break in for an M24 which up until recently was the Army’s primary Sniper Rifle and was based upon the Remington 700 action like yours.

 

M24 Cleaning and Maintenance Procedures

By Michael Haugen,
Military Products Representative
Remington Arms Company

 

M24 Cleaning and Maintenance Procedures

The M24 Sniper Weapons System (SWS) is a precision military grade weapons system capable of extreme accuracy if correctly maintained and cared for. Many times M24’s are damaged due to incorrect cleaning techniques.

The M24 should be cleaned and maintained as any custom style precision weapon system in that the carbon and copper left in the weapon during firing must be removed to retain accuracy though the life of the system.

The following procedures are recommended by Remington Arms Company to guarantee that the M24 SWS delivers the required performance in the field. In the following procedures you will find barrel break in, routine maintenance, and cleaning materials list. All of these issues pertain only to the M24 SWS but can be applied to any “sniper” or precision rifle.

 

BARREL BREAK IN

The M24 comes from Remington ready to shoot, however it is recommended that the gun be broken in to enhance the life and accuracy of the weapon. Should you need to immediately employ or use the weapon you may disregard the break in procedure; however weapon life may suffer depending on how it is used. In order to break the weapon in follow the following steps;
1. Clear the weapon.
2. Remove the bolt.
3. Insert the bore guide.
4. Dry patch the barrel to remove any obstacles.
5. Remove the bore guide
6. Reinsert the bolt
7. Load one round
8. Fire one round
9. Clean the weapon (see ROUTINE MAINTENANCE)
10. Repeat this (firing 1 round and cleaning) until you have fired 10 rounds
11. Load and fire 3 rounds
12. Clean the weapon (see ROUTINE MAINTENANCE)
13. Repeat this another 9 times (10 iterations total) (firing 3 rounds and cleaning) for a total of 40 rounds being fired through the rifle (1 round x 10 and 3 rounds x 10)
14. Load and fire 5 rounds
15. Clean the weapon (see ROUTINE MAINTENANCE)
16. Repeat this another 9 times (10 iterations total) (firing 5 rounds and cleaning) for a total of 90 rounds being fired through the rifle (1 round x 10, 3 rounds x 10 and 5 rounds x 10)
17. Load and fire 10 rounds
18. Clean the weapon (see ROUTINE MAINTENANCE)
19. This should be 100 rounds total fired through the rifle, the M24 is now broken in.

 

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE

1. Clear the weapon.
2. Remove the bolt.
3. Insert the bore guide.
4. Dry patch the barrel to remove any obstacles.
5. Using a copper or bronze brush and carbon solvent scrub the bore 3-5 times ensuring that the brush remains wet (it may be necessary to add a small amount of solvent to the brush in the middle of this process).
6. Remove the brush, install the jag onto the rod, wrap a patch around the jag and run patches through the bore until the patches are coming out reasonably clean.
7. Soak a patch in copper solvent and scrub the bore 3 – 4 times ensuring that sufficient copper solvent is left in the bore. Leave the bore wet for no longer than 5 -10 minutes before removing the copper solvent.
8. Remove and wipe down the rod.
9. Clean the bolt by wiping down the exterior of the bolt with carbon solvent, clean the bolt face by using a patch wet with copper solvent (it there are brass deposits) ensuring to dry the bolt face. Approximately every 300 – 500 rounds disassemble the bolt and clean off old lubrication and reapply a light lubrication to the firing pin spring and pin reassemble the bolt.
10. Dry patch the bore until the patches come out reasonably clean.
11. If putting the rifle away for an unknown amount of time, leave a light amount of a non-PTFE (Teflon) based lubricant or solvent (carbon solvent) in the bore to inhibit rust and corrosion. If using the weapon within a day, leave the weapon bore dry
12. ALWAYS DRY PATCH THE BORE BEFORE FIRING!!
13. The exterior of the optics should be wiped off with a dry rag. They can be wiped with a semi-dry lubricant if needed. The lenses should always be covered more so when cleaning the weapon (if mounted) to keep solvents from spraying onto them. The lenses can be wiped off with lens paper in a circular motion starting in the middle working out. If working in a humid or wet environment tissue can be placed into the lens caps to absorb moisture
14. The trigger assembly should never be lubricated more than just a drop if in an environment where corrosion or rust is a problem (lubricant only attracts dust and dirt)
15. The magazine follower should be wiped off with a rag and light lubricated if rust and corrosion is a problem
16. The magazine spring should be wiped off with a rag and light lubricated if rust and corrosion is a problem
17. If the weapon has seen extensive field work or subjected to airborne dirt and sand the barreled action should be removed from the stock and cleaned out; particular attention should be paid to the recoil lug area for debris

 

USE OF BORE PASTES

In general bore paste will not harm the barrel of the M24. Bore pastes should be used carefully and moderately. Bore paste is not a solution to poor cleaning techniques; they are an aid to barrel maintenance and accuracy retention. Bore paste should be used when needed and not for every cleaning; usually bore paste can be used approximately every 3rd or 4th cleaning. Bore paste must be used after the weapon has been cleaned as outlined above. To use bore paste follow the steps outlined below.
1. Ensure the weapon is clear
2. Insert the bore guide
3. Apply a liberal amount of bore paste (enough to penetrate the patch)
4. Attach the patch to the jag
5. Insert the rod/jag into the bore guide
6. Without pushing the rod out the end of the rifle, stroke the bore 5 – 10 times
7. On the last pass push the rod/jag out of the rifle. The patch will be very black, this is normal.
8. Remove the patch from the jag and pull the rod/jag out of the rifle
9. Wipe the rod off with a rag
10. Spray a patch with WD40 or carbon solvent
11. Attach the patch to the jag
12. Insert the rod/jag into the bore guide
13. Push the rod through the rifle, the patch will be dirty
14. Repeat this with clean patches until the come out relatively clean

 

CLEANING MATERIALS LIST

The following list should be considered the minimum needed to adequately clean the M24 SWS. US Military manuals concerning the M24 contain important information however the cleaning and maintenance techniques contained in most of them are outdated. Most of the following items can be obtained at any reputable gun dealer or sporting goods store, however some items may have to be obtained through one of the many specialty outlets that focus on precision weapons.
1. One piece cleaning rod – 36 inches or longer. This rod can be coated or uncoated depending on availability and personal choice. Ensure that the jag and brush will attach to the rod, most quality rods will offer adapters
2. Jag (used to hold the patch) – this should be either a wrap around or Parker Hale style (for square patches) or spear type (for round patches). If nothing else is available the eyelet style may be used, however their use makes cleaning the M24 more difficult. Which ever style jag is selected it should be brass or bronze to eliminate the chance of damaging the rifle during cleaning
3. 30 caliber Bronze bore brush – ensure that it fits the rod
4. Chamber brush – a .45 caliber plastic or brass pistol brush will sufficiently clean the chamber of the M24
5. Chamber rod – a rod on which to attach the chamber brush. A flexible pistol cleaning rod or a 14 inch stiff rod works well for this. There is at least one company that offers a chamber cleaning kit that is designed to clean the chamber and recoil lug recesses
6. 30 caliber (or multi caliber) Bore guide – a quality bore guide is required to reduce or eliminate damage to the chamber during cleaning
7. Carbon solvent – a quality carbon solvent is required; multifunction solvents typically do not work as well as single function solvents
8. Copper solvent - a quality carbon solvent is required; multifunction solvents typically do not work as well as single function solvents
9. Cotton patches – US military cotton patches are some of the best available; however there are several commercial products available that work very well. The patches should be designed to work with the jag
10. Light lubrication – a light non-PTFE lubricant is used for the interior of the bore to neutralize the carbon and copper solvent and can be used to wipe down the outside of the weapon and optic
11. Gun grease – a quality gun grease is used for the bolt lugs (just a drop on the sides and rear of the lugs)
12. Clean cotton rag

 

OPTIONAL ITEMS

The following items are optional for maintaining the M24 and serve to ease cleaning procedures but are not mandatory.
1. Bolt disassembly tool – used to remove the firing pin assembly. There are several types available; anyone of them will work well.
2. Dental picks – used to clean the “hard-to-reach” areas inside the receiver
3. Pen light – used to see into the chamber
4. Silicone rag – for the exterior of the weapon and optics

[glock55]

thanks for the input. i will probably settle on some modified shoot and bore snake for 25 to 50 rounds and see what happens.

[Rightwinger]

John Hollinger at White Oak Armament (he's a national shooting champion) once told me that every bullet down the bore is one more towards the end of its life.  Shoot it clean it and then shoot it some more. 

 

He had just sold me one of his .204 Ruger AR uppers when I asked the question so I promptly followed his instructions. 

 

The first couple of rounds will remove any remaining tooling marks.

[alwaysonjohn]

i wouldn't worry too much about breaking in the 700 with any stock barrel.  However, if you do get a new competition barrel put on it then i would break it in.  The tolerances on any stock barrel simply wont be tight enough to justify the cleaning procedure that does wear out the barrel.

 

For break in I use this procedure from Lilja but I use Boretech eliminator with a nylon brush.

For an effective break-in the barrel should be cleaned after EVERY shot for the first 10-12 rounds or until copper fouling stops. Our procedure is to push a cotton patch that is wet with solvent through the barrel. This will remove much of the powder fouling and wet the inside of the barrel with solvent. Next, wet a bronze brush (not a nylon brush) with solvent and stroke the barrel 5-10 times. Follow this by another wet patch and then one dry patch. Now soak the barrel with a strong copper removing solvent until all of the blue mess is removed from the barrel. The copper fouling will be heavy for a few rounds and then taper off quickly in just one or two shots. Once it has stopped or diminished significantly it is time to start shooting 5 shot groups, cleaning after each one. After 25-30 rounds clean at a normal interval of 10-25 rounds. Your barrel is now broken-in.

 

Please don't use a bore snake on any remington 700.  Get a LONG rod and the proper cleaning attachments (and a bore guide if you can afford it).

[glock55]

Please don't use a bore snake on any remington 700.  Get a LONG rod and the proper cleaning attachments (and a bore guide if you can afford it).

 

so will the bore snake damage the barrel? i normally use coated rod,jag and patches just thought a snake would be easier at the range. it is a stock barrel. i have been doing some reading on other forums and some say that if the barrel is hand lapped the break in procedure is not needed. i dont mean to sound dumb but i try to do things right and take care of what i have.

[Jonnin]

just getting into long range shooting and need advise on barrel break-in. i just put a remington 700 together (will post pictures shortly) and have read that accuracy depends on proper barrel break-in. my questions are:

1) is break-in really needed

2) if so is there a standard procedure ( seems everyone has a different way of doing it )

3) if you clean barrel after every shot is a bore snake ok to use

4) how many shots are required to complete a break-in of a new barrel

 

the barrel is a 26 inch heavy barrel with steel bore. i'm sure i've left out important info so any advise would be greatly appreciated

1) nope.  Maybe on a high end long range target rifle for serious competition or something, but not a standard use gun.

2) yes, everyone has their own approach -- largely due to #1

3) yes, a bore snake is ideal. 

4) see #2 and #1

 

3b) no, it wont damage anything more than normal, but abrasion is abrasion.  It is kinder than most cleaning rods.  It is less kind than a soft patch & wood dowl rod, but not by much, the snakes are gentle.

 

4) I think hand lapping is idiotic.  Odds of improving the barrel: 0.00001%.  Odds of extra wear and tear or some other damage: much higher.

Edited January 25, 2013 by Jonnin

[glock55]

gentlemen thanks for all your insight and willingness to share your knowledge. i think i'll use a bore snake at range and see what happens.

[RED333]

WOW, I cant believe I miss this.

I KNOW HOW TO BREAK IN A BARREL

you must send it to me, with ammo, O, lets say 500 rounds of each weight you want to shoot.

I will break it in slow, ya know, 50 rounds a day till the ammo is gone.

I will then give it back to you, ready for you to shoot. :wave:

[alwaysonjohn]

no, the bore snake will not damage the barrel, but it also won't properly clean it.  watch you tube videos on how to clean a bolt action rifle.  Proper cleaning requires patches, cleaning rods/attachments, and a good degreaser/bore cleaner and oil.  Bore guides are also recommended but they can get expensive (there are cheaper ones available too).  Besides saving time, i dont know why someone would send a dirty bore snake through a barrel and call it clean.  Would you put a dirty patch back through as well?  If it was a shotgun then go ahead.

 

here is a decent video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5_vO2Donhg

 

So to recap, breaking in the barrel isn't needed and it causes unnecessary wear and tear. And point two is to learn to properly clean your gun and get the right tools which is more important especially if it sits for a while in the safe between shoots.

[glock55]

 And point two is to learn to properly clean your gun and get the right tools which is more important especially if it sits for a while in the safe between shoots.

 

thanks for the input. i know how to properly clean the gun just was not comfortable doing a through cleaning at a range. not sure how that would go over. have not used bore snakes before just thought it might clean well enough without all the other cleaning issues. thanks for the video.

[TMF]

 And point two is to learn to properly clean your gun and get the right tools which is more important especially if it sits for a while in the safe between shoots.

 

thanks for the input. i know how to properly clean the gun just was not comfortable doing a through cleaning at a range. not sure how that would go over. have not used bore snakes before just thought it might clean well enough without all the other cleaning issues. thanks for the video.

 

 

It should go just fine.  No need to even move the rifle.  Just keep it on the bipod pointed down range, take the bolt out the back and run the barrel.... chamber being your point of entry.  Don't run the bore from the front.  You can get a lot of shots in before the range is even cold.

[frankmako]

Personally, I think "barrel break-in" it is a bunch of voodoo with no scientific evidence to back it up.

 

plus one.  back in 85 i got a new remington 700 bdl in 308 to replace a 30-06 that i was using in long range rifle silhouette matches.  took the rifle out of the box, drop on a weaver t-25 scope, clean her good, and off to range to sight her in for each target range.  about 25 rounds later good to go.  i gave her a quick cleaning and used her the next day in a match.  shot 36 out of 40 that day with a new rifle.  no barrel break in needed.  saw many new rifles that did not have a so call break in during those day.  they all shot good.  i have seen several that would do a long process in barrel break in.  shoot one, clean, shoot one, clean and so on.  seen others to different things.  but my 308 without the voodoo break in out shot them.

[glock55]

plus one.  back in 85 i got a new remington 700 bdl in 308 to replace a 30-06 that i was using in long range rifle silhouette matches.  took the rifle out of the box, drop on a weaver t-25 scope, clean her good, and off to range to sight her in for each target range.  about 25 rounds later good to go.  i gave her a quick cleaning and used her the next day in a match.  shot 36 out of 40 that day with a new rifle.  no barrel break in needed.  saw many new rifles that did not have a so call break in during those day.  they all shot good.  i have seen several that would do a long process in barrel break in.  shoot one, clean, shoot one, clean and so on.  seen others to different things.  but my 308 without the voodoo break in out shot them.

Good to hear. at my age dont know if i have time for a long drawn out break in process. its not a competition rifle so i've cleaned it and will take out to sight in. just interested in learning how to shoot longer ranges. i'm sure the rifle will be far more accurate than my abilities will allow for. thanks for the input

[DaveTN]

Metallurgy and Physics tells me barrel break-in and keeping the barrel and chamber clean is a good thing.