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Rifle Accuracy Part 3

NEW BARREL RUN IN

When you purchase a new rifle or have your rifle re barreled, like many many machines, there is an important run in or break in period. After mounting your scope you need to sight in the rifle.  Use this opportunity to run in the barrel.  It is a little extra trouble but it pays dividends later on.  Regardless of how smooth your new barrel looks, there is microscopic roughness that needs to be worked smooth.  This roughness will collect copper or lead fouling every time the rifle is fired.  Removing this will ensure the best chance of getting the best accuracy potential from that barrel.

RUNNING IN PROCEDURE

  1. For the first 10 shots, clean the barrel after each shot. (See Rifle Accuracy Part 2)
  2. For the next dozen shots clean after every 3 shots.
  3. Thereafter, clean after every 10 shots until the rifle has fired more than 60 shots. The barrel should be run in by now.  Clean regularly from then on.

Regular cleaning is more crucial with the smaller calibers to keep them accurate.

The running in procedure was used on my new .243Win Sako A7.   This is a picture of a group fired from a sandbag rest on a calm day.

3 shot group, 200 meters Federal 80gn factory loads.
Group size 17mm. (.3 MOA)

I have since taken a fox at the range of 380 meters on a calm night with this rifle.

See Also

Rifle Accuracy Part 1

Rifle Accuracy Part 2