Sighting in

[jrswanson1]

Hi all,

I finally got my rifle completed. Remington 700 CDL 7mm-08. Got the Leupold 2-7x scope on it. I'm heading to a rifle range this weekend, but the range maxes out at 50 yards. So, I have a few questions before I get this party started.

I've read that there is a way to "break in" a new rifle barrel. Since this is my first new (not used) rifle, I would like recommendations on what you are supposed to do for this. I've heard cleaning after every three rounds for the first hundred rounds. ??? Does that sound correct? And how are you supposed to clean the now HOT barrel? I'm thinking bore snake, but I'm not sure.

If anyone can point me in a good direction, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Jim

[SilverRun]

Barrel break-in differs depending upon who you talk to. What you mentioned sounds fairly consistent with most I have read. You may want to find the 50-yard ballistics on the specific round you are using to see where you need it to be hitting to get you dead-on at 100, 200 or whatever range you expect to be hunting. I also use a bore snake during break-in. I am sure some will disagree with this practice. It is much easier that the old-fashioned way.

Good luck

[JoeLee]

With any new barrel I clean it then Lapp it,rather then cleaning several times every three shots.

[lefty o]

your casting a lead plug in your bore and lapping?


barrel break in is one of those never ending arguments. barrel amnufacturers cant agree about, nor can top competetive shooters. do whatever you feel is best. my own personal way is to clean every shot for the first 10, then after that when ever i feel like it or accuracy falls off.

[Jay A.]

The point, as I understand it, is to sand down all the microscopic dent and ridges in your rifle. The ballistics change in your rifle microscopically every time you shoot. Most snipers clean their barrel after every round to know where their cold shot will land. Also the barrel is not that hot after three rounds. If you are shooting an automatic then your ballistics are not usually as picky. You're just blasting many rounds and you don't need the precision of a sniper rifle. So cleaning is not as important.

[jrswanson1]

Since this will primarily be a hunting rifle, I would like it to be accurate, which is why I wanted to know about breaking it in. From what I gathered here, short of lapping the barrel, just cleaning it after each round early on should cover what I'm trying to accomplish. Thanks for your input, gentelmen.

Jim

[lefty o]

barrel lapping is best done by the manufacturer of the barrel, the average person does far more harm than good by shoving a tight fitting patch down the bore with some lapping compound on it. for cleaning just use a good quality 1 piece cleaning rod, preferably with a bore guide. more barrels are wrecked by people with sloppy cleaning habbits, and putting things in the barrel that dont belong there.

[knightRider]

i just brush mine after shooting with clp < clean lube protect > then run patches till the come out clean . i was shown that way a long time ago and as far as i know its ok. but im not a sniper lol

[lefty o]

CLP's are adequate, but not real great a bore cleaning. give a good solvent a try, like sweets 7.62, butch's bore shine, or even gunslicks foaming bore cleaner. they are all infinately superior at cleaning, and afterwards use a little oil for rust prevention.

[knightRider]

well i do use hoppes bore cleaner when its real dirty but i am real sensitve about my guns and i clean after every fireing so they stay pretty clean, after wolf in my ak is the time i pull out the solvent ya know!

[lefty o]

hoppes isnt even that great of a cleaner. hoppes and CLP just dont do a good job of removing copper fouling. if your happy with how they work for you, by all means do not change. though after your done cleaning them i could get alot more fouling out of your barrels. i am anal about how my barrels are cleaned, but then i expect alot more out of them than the average person does from their barrels.

[knightRider]

huh never thought of it that way why is hoppes not a good solvent lefty?

and clp is what the army uses whys it not good?

[ezearln]

Well KR we used CLP after about 1980 exclusively on everything from Naval cannon to the .22 Target pistols we kept in the Armory my personal experience with it especially as an instructor on a small arms range is CLP works just hunky Dory. Yes there are BETTER solvents out there. But CLP is just fine for everything I've shot over the last 25 years.

[knightRider]

thats what i thought i mean im not putting 3000 round s through it at a time

[lefty o]

hoppes is a decent powder solvent, but a poor copper solvent. thats why i rank it low in comparison to other solvents. clp keeps guns from rusting, thats why the government was using it, not because it cleaned a bore well.

[jrswanson1]

So, since I'm just shooting jacketed bullets, I will need copper solvent too? Dang, this is getting expensive. I just shoot lead out of my Ruger and Winchester 45s.

Jim

[ezearln]

I'd differ Lefty, I was stationed aboard one of the Navy's test ships evaluating Beak Free CLP as a new cleaning agent for everything from major bore Naval Cannon to small arms and what we noted was a exceptional decrease in bore erosion and copper and propellant fouling in both, in my opinion as a user and observer during that time frame, Break Free CLP is a superior overall product. Now that isn't to say it's the greatest copper solvent but it is more than adequate under any but the most severe conditions. Bore erosion decreases such as we observed don't occur if the bores are dirty or excessively copper fouled. Sorry but I was the senior NCO on that command in charge of the testing and my observations were that as compared to our previous excessively time and asset intensive cleaning protocol, the CLP was far more effective, saved time and cleaned as well as preserved the weapons far better. But those were my observations!

[lefty o]

i recomend butch's bore shine, its good for powder fouling, and copper. yet its not quite as agressive or stinky as sweets 7.62. butch's even does a fair job on lead.

you are correct that CLP is an adequate cleaner, its just not a great cleaner. BTW , the government has replaced CLP as the standard 1 shot cleaner. comparing what it does on an innacurate 3"-50, to something you expect to shoot well is apples to oranges.