Enjoyed your relaxed, informative matter. Told us why you did what you did and let us know there were other opinions as well, but did not disparage them. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Sam, I really appreciate your videos! You always ensure we know that what you do works for you but we may like something else. You don’t come across as a know-it-all, arrogant, or cheesy. You are a good teacher. I hope you keep doing videos! I’ve been shooting and reloading for decades, but you’ve taught me so much that I’ve taken my reloading reloading and shooting to a new level. Thank you!
Dewey makes a cleaning kit that comes with everything you need. The rod, the lug recess rod and felt patches, the bore guide, patches, jag of your choice, and a chamber brush. Pretty sweet package.
Excellent video, darn nice work! I came here because I have three new rifles to break in and clean up and you answered all my questions. Also, great work putting the video together. Just the facts with enough science to back them up. And thank you for not blasting us with a 5 minute heavy metal intro!
For 40 years I have wrapped a patch around a bronze bore brush wet with Hoppe's and used that to clean my bore and then I run patches until it stays white. It works like a champ.
I clean the barrel perfectly when new. Everything is out! Copper killer, copper cream, then I soak it in Wipe Out for an hour at a time until the patch comes out clean. Then I shoot two three shot groups then clean it again. Two more 3 shot groups and clean it again. Then 5 shot groups X5 and clean after each group. As someone said in the comments “they don’t clean for 300 rounds and all their guns are .5 moa”. Well, I clean everything out of all my bolt guns every session and all of them shoot .5 or less with handloads. Only difference I bet is my rifles clean waaaaaaay faster than those who don’t and have 8-10 layers of powder fouling then copper fouling. Guess what? Neither method matters, only thing that matters is the individual and what they want.
You are wasting alot of time Theres a bloke here in aus that shoots 4000 plus yards... does 900 yards with a .22 etc.. ELR shooter... he doesnt clean his rifles for a few thousand rounds.. he explains why. He WANTS a copper layer... it will get to a point where its consistently pushing and leaving some behind the hole will.never close up... hes talkin about cleaning all that out then taking 50 rounds for the gun to settle again.. markandsamafterwork search em up.. great shooter
Great Vid. I learned some things. I love those Kreiger barrels. I follow basically the same process but I check afterwards with a Lyman Borecam Digital Borescope which I got a Black Sheep in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for about $250. Even after your patches come out clean, the borescope will reveal carbon and copper in the lands. Usually a carbon ring in the case mouth area of the chamber as well. You have to decide then if you are done or you want to go farther. The borescope is a real eye opener. I don't know how I lived without that for so long.
I'm a 70 year old firearm enthusiast and Firearm Cleaner. I liked this video so I had to Subscribe. I find I need refreshing now and then on everything pertaining to things I do. ~I will clean my barrel before I fire it the first time and then clean it every three or four times I come back from the Range. I've never "broken-in" any firearm barrel. In nearly 50 years I've had no problems. I believe a Clean Barrel is a Better Shooting Barrel. ~I'm retired and have lots of free time. I find cleaning my firearms and those of my Family, is relaxing for me. ~I too use a Bore Guide. Protecting the Bore and the Muzzle is very important. ~I've never heard of Sweets Core Cleaner. I will get me a bottle soon.
Hi Sam - You probably should mention that Sweet's 7.62 is ammonia based and traces of it could remain in the barrel which will cause corrosion even after running tight swabs through the barrel. I've always used Birchwood Casey Barricade (formerly named Sheath) after cleaning the barrels in my pistols and rifles. I put a clean cotton patch on a brass patch holder and I dampen it slightly with Barricade then run it down barrel 2 or 3 times, let it sit for a couple of minutes then do the same thing with a dry patch. It's a great product to use and prevents corrosion on both the inside of the barrel and the outside of all my firearms. For the most part, it doesn't get too humid in Arizona but it's very useful in regions where the humidity is high.
Just found your videos I've been putting rifles together for 30 years and shooting for 46 years . A nice point you made was that a lot of people don't realize a bronze brush is made with brass which is why you get that false positive. you don't need to clean a gun like they promote. I know a few competition shooters and a few former snipers . We all let her go and clean it when it needs it. Like you said just making sure the action is free and working and the bore is free of obstruction . Cleaning a gun too much only uses and helps them move their product making them dollars for something that's necessary but not as necessary as some think.... . nice rig nice video have a good day sir
I dont "clean" but i live in the tropics so i put a patch of oil down it after hunting then dry patch it out to go shoot shit. Is that considered rust prevention ? As opposed to cleaning.. I dont solvent the gun im 300 rounds in it shoots dimes so why would I. My climate rust is a big problem so i assume keeping rust from getting inside the bore im doing the right thing
Your presentations are great. You are organized and teach with clarity. I have been neck sizing for a few years. From your comments I have surmised that you bump the shoulder to ensure easy and reliable chambering. Your statement is that accuracy is accomplished by being consistent. I make sure that I fire rounds in the same rifle every time, thus ensuring that the case is fire-formed for that chamber. I have never had a problem with chambering a round. I shoot 0.7 MOA or better with "off the shelf" factory rifles/barrels. Other than reliable chambering, what is the advantage to FL sizing vs neck sizing? I am not doing long range competition shooting-- just South Dakota prairie dogs at 300+ yds. with 22.250 & .243. I'm not opposed to doing the work. I like your comment, "If I don't see a measurable difference by doing a function, I don't do it".
Sam, I would never beat you or anyone else up in the comments. With hobbies like this, many topics are almost like a religion and people get awfully heated about them. I'm sort of non-denominational 😁. If anything, I'm going to say thank you for all the time and effort and expense you put in great content through your channel and your website. You very much deserve that much and more. Thanks, Sam!
Every shooter has their own idea and practice of break in and cleaning.They dont have to be cleaned with todays powder and primers...Shooting some cheap foreign made ammo with corrosive primers may require more frequent cleaning...in my opin ion anyway..I l;ike Stainless barrels and dont have to worry about it as much.
If you want your barrel to last and shoot unbelievable groups at 1 mile you need to use my personal Jizz! It's a two ball compound that is affordable and easily obtained from me. This product can only be obtained by females however males are welcome to use it just send your wife or girlfriend to pick it up
I clean it at break in.The muzzle crown it the most important of all. And I dont use real harsh chemicals either.I learned this from a man that makes really high end rifles and barrels.He shits ELD and when you buy a a rifle from him and company they help/teach you how and what to do. I never realized that the aluminum and brass cleaning rods hurt your barrel.But they do.And protecting both ends of the barrel is just as important. A bore guide is important as well . Good video
@@SpaghettiFPV-tg3qh indeed, you can scratch gold with a diamond but not the other way arround. Brass or copper is way softer then steel, after all many projectile’s have copper anyway🤷🏻♂️
Sam, Here in California I have been shooting all copper bullets in preparation for the total ban on lead bullets that is sure to come. The copper bullets are harder than the lead core variety and seem to foul more over time. I have some rifles that do fine with minimal cleaning and others that go from 3/4 inch groups to 2 1/2 inches after 70 to 80 rounds. Thanks for the information, I enjoy watching your channel. Good stuff!
@Yo Joe Hello Yo Joe, the total lead ban for any hunting or depredation went into effect July 1, 2019. Thankfully the legislature has not been able to pass laws requiring lead free ammunition for target practice yet. Instead, they are working on reducing the allowed firearms in the state by manipulating the firearm roster and requiring a background check for all ammunition purchases.
@Yo Joe You are 100 % correct. Here in California no lead bullets or lead shot if using a shotgun, allowed in the field while hunting anything, even ground squirrels or vermin. If you are stopped by fish and game, you will want to have proof that your ammo is lead free. Lead free costs about three times as much. gets expensive fast.
I know this video is 5 years old, but it's one of the best if not THE best instructional videos that I have seen. I learned a lot from this. Thank you for sharing.
Used recommendations from Army Ranger manual and comments from a Ranger friend, 1 shot and clean, x 10, then 3 shot and clean x5. first 3 round group holes were all touching. Ruger American 308. 25 rounds 15 cleanings and 0.7 moa groups. happy!
Sam, liked your statement about not caring if folks beat up on you in the comments. I figured a fellow like you can take that attitude when you know your methods work. The results speak for themselves.
I picked up my gun today. Literally. So I have already dry fired it over 200 times. I can't wait for Friday when I get to actually fire it. Thank you for your advice.
i have a friend i argue with all the time about cleaning, i never clean and he cleans all the time and it takes him 5 or 6 fouling shots to get his rifle grouping again, i say YOU ARE CLEANING TOO MUCH, but he keeps cleaning, i dont get it, thanks for your videos i really enjoy watching and i learn alot
ITS GOOD TO HAVE YOUR BARREL CLEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TOO MUCH IS THOUGH. IF YOU ARE PUTTING IT AWAY FOR A LONG TIME, THEN GET EVERY SINGLE CRUD OUT OF THERE, BUT IF YOU SHOOT IT EVERY WEEKEND, THEN ITS YOUR CALL HOW CLEAN YOU WANT IT, PERSONALLY, I START CLEANING WHEN MY GROUPS START TO OPEN AND GO HAYWIRE.
Way back when we shot corrosive ammo cleaning after every time we got through shooting was a have to. Today you are more likely to kill a barrel from excessive cleaning than from shooting.
Now you started off great and pretty much how I LEARNED on my own to break a barrel in, which nobody in the gun forums believe me, with the shoot one shot, then clean, then one then clean, but I do that 10 times, them jump to 3 shots then clean, but I allow 3 minutes between shots to not allow the barrel to get hot. Now., I have learned the expensive way to stay away from ALL copper cleaners. That Ammonia will pit a bore over time. Shilen recommended back when i built my 3 varmint rigs that the only thing they recommended to clean any copper out, was Flitz metal polish. I used Sweets in the past and ruined a couple of good barrel blanks. Stopped using it, and came up with my one shot and clean method, and I ended up with 3 rifles that did not collect any copper at all once they were broken in. Just a couple of patches with solvent and a couple of dry patches and they were clean. Now those who shoot BR will go through 4 or 5 barrels a year anyway, so they clean with Sweets and get it over with since by the time they have too much pitting, they have the barrel shot out anyway, for BR accuracy anyway, so they do not care about long life. Ammonia will pit steel. Those pits will collect MORE copper over time. I use nothing but Hoppes #9 to break in and clean my bores. The good old stuff is still the best. Now all of my rifles shoot in the .0's. All of them, a 22-250, .223 and .243 will all shoot under 1/8" groups if I do my part, and have shot many sub 1/16" groups with all of them. Just a bullet hole with 5 shots.
That's insane, 1/16" groups. Do you mind give my your reloading procedure to achieve that? I have a few 6,5x55 for shooting and reload but struggle to get below 1/3 MOA.
Thank you for your awesome videos! On your cleaning of the lugs, at one point you demonstrated running the Dewey chamber cleaning rod counter clockwise. If a viewer does that, the material holder at the end if the rod will unscrew. The jag where you described wrapping the patch around is called a Parker Hale style jag. When cleaning your rifle with a wet patch or brush you have the muzzle end of the barrel higher than the receiver due to the height of your bipod. You want to have the muzzle end lower to allow the excess solvent to run out the muzzle and not towards the action.
I saw one guy use a clear water bottle fitted over the end of his muzzle to catch any liquids and brush bristle spray that comes off the brush when exiting. This guy slit the neck of the bottle to fit a larger dia barrel as well. I also like the practice of keeping the muzzle angled downwards for drainage.
Will be getting back to 600 yard compitition in spring 2020 after 4+ yrs absences. Will be moving from 223 to 6.5 Creedmore and eventuality 1000 yrd Plinking. HAHA..... This vid is a good refresher for me and PanHandle's presentation and video production quality ranks with the best on YT. Liking/Subbing is a No-Brainer..... Good job!
After I break a barrel in mainly my AR’s. I clean the bolt, bolt carrier and pin, I’ll clean the chamber with a AR camber brush. Then I run a bore snake with a film of CLP at the tail. Run it down the pipe three or four times. Job done. But I do spend the time on the break in cleaning and firing. Great video, nice tips on the products.
Thanks for sharing. I agree 100%. It will actually shoot better with some copper. Only a minimal cleaning is necessary to remove dirt/dust ect. There is a plateau of coppering that you should try to maintain, and only clean the copper out when your groups start opening up because you've surpassed that plateau and now have too much copper.
Recently came across your channel, love it, so much I've learned after buying my savage ashbury 6.5. I'm a 3 gun shooter and starting PRS next year. Keep these coming and job well done. Thank you
Great video. I might add that a .45 cal. or 410 gauge bore brush works great as a chamber brush for most cartridges. I have used both depending on the rod I use.
Excellent videos keep em coming . I used to use sweets years ago , it certainly works great but the Ammonia fumes can't be good for you . After using sweets and drying the bore with clean dry patches I don't think you're getting all the chemical out of the nooks and crannies in the bore . It would be best if your were to degrease the bore or to run a few tight patches with a rust preventive such as G96 or something similar. These days i use Hoppes No 9 letting it soak in the bore for 20 minutes then dry patches which seems to get most of the copper out of it , then I'll run another tight wet patch of Hoppes through the bore and store the gun with the barrel pointing down in the gun safe for a few days , then I'll run a few dry patches into the bore , if there is any copper left in the barrel it will be removed completely at this stage . Hoppes can be left in the bore as it wont harm the metal. Oh one other thing it best you use some disposable rubber gloves when handling these nasty chemicals , particularly solvents. Cheers
When I was on that Parris Island rifle pistol team one of my friends said I'm not going to clean it until it starts shooting good he was joking but it really didn't seem to matter. Once you get a barrel broken in it changes things when you take the copper out with cleaning
I have to agree 100% with you on barrel cleaning philosophy. A good barrel is made with good quality type of steel, quality machining (tolerances), quality heat treating, etc ... all that far exceeds the normal wearability. Again, unless I'm hunting in the rain all day and it's vital to remove the water/condensate inside that barrel ... leave it alone. Not say you never need to clean the barrel, just feel people go way over the top on barrel cleaning. But, that's just my 2 cents.
My break in is just shooting it . In the army and our snipers rifles had to be broken in per manual per the commanders orders . I used to break in my own precision rifles as per the same methods and found from testing that just shooting works just as well if not better . So my method is get a decent load and shoot it get about 300 rounds through it and then clean to get my load fine tuned and then don’t clean it until it stops shooting . Usually around 1k or more . My .223 trainer has about 2400 rounds through it and has been cleaned once at around 1800 rounds I’ll probably clean again around 3k . My 6.5x47 lapua is at 1456 rounds and it hasn’t been cleaned but I’m starting to get a small carbon ring so I need to get that out of there but other than that it’s still shooting very very well .
Just shooting it is honestly the best advice. After my military service I too thought all rifles needed to be cleaned to death. I have since found out cleaning deteriorates accuracy. I have a 338 RUM with 502 rounds down the tube and haven't cleaned it once in 3 years. Shoots half minute all day.
I didn't ever hear of break in periods with barrels. I generally clean at the end of hunting season or after being exposed to rain. Other than that I don't clean it unless it gets dirty as hell and doesn't function right.
I got my first one 30 years ago, along with a brass bushing, to clean the bores of my M1 and M14. The bushing is to protect the crown as of course you have to clean from muzzle to chamber. My .30 cal rod is still going strong. I cannot see anywhere the black nylon coating is gone.
John here my Glennfield 22 I clean the most 2 reason 1 power build up and then accuracy super clean will shoot 1/2 groups at 50yrds after about 20 rounds it will change. My R R.A. LAR 5.6 Depends on what power Varget a little dirter than I like but H335 not much better so I.ll keep an eye on it and model 70 featherweight 30.06 late 1970 model the dirter it gets the better the accuracy God I love that rifle very accurate.
Cleaning your bore, copper removed, changes your zero for a while. Your POI will be different, usually higher, until you foul up your barrel with about 10 rounds and you could see it return to zero. If you clean your bore be aware that it could happen. Don't try to change your scope settings to try and get a zero, just shoot enough rounds and will return.
From personal experience. I clean a new barrel with batches till they’re clean then finish it with a bore snake then go shoot. I have done other break in methods and it takes a lot of time. Now if I bought a long range set up I’d play it safe and go through some break in process.
My wife and I just broke in two barrels yesterday. We shot 1, cleaned, shot 1 cleaned, shot 2, cleaned, shot 2 cleaned, shot 3 cleaned and gave up. Neither one of us was getting any trace of copper at all with Sweets. I think a lot of break in is determined by the gunsmith and how sharp his reamer is. In Canada, using Varget in my #1 gun, .308 Winchester I ran several tests and found that I could shoot up to 325 rounds with no degradation of accuracy (group size/scores). I would clean every 250 or so depending on the match schedule. After moving to the UK I have had to change up as the UK NRA Matches are shot with issued ammunition with a Sierra bullet, military brass and a spherical ball powder. The powder leaves a lot of carbon and other residue from the coating used to control the burn rate. Accuracy falls off really quickly so the locals clean at the end of every day during a match regardless of how many rounds are shot. I now understand why. I loved Shooter's Choice in Canada, but I can't get it here as it contains some chemicals that are banned in Europe. Same with Varget powder. Same with Sweets although a friendly gunsmith can give you some, you just can't buy it. I switched to MPro7 which I can get and it is great on carbon. Very good video. I got a cheap borescope last year and I now hardly use a bronze brush at all. I recommend you get a cheap one and use it as a cleaning aide. Thanks very much for this video!! Good old common sense is great.
Excellent video! When or how to clean a barrel will get you 2000 different answers and most of them are just someone's opinion or what they heard. This video explains why and I think he very clear in his method and reasoning. I've spoke to some serious benchrest shooters who say most guys cant figure why they fight consistency but they over clean their rifles and have constantly changing bore conditions. On a side note Guns and Ammo did a test years ago about cleaning or not 2 identical .223 Remingtons. one he cleaned every 50 rds, the other only after break in and then fired 1000rds without cleaning. The results were almost impossible to tell apart for wear but the uncleaned rifle grouped slightly better. Glad I found this channel, subscribed!
I really like your advice on rifle barrel cleaning. I always clean my Target rifle after a comp =50 rounds. However, this season I'm tempted to leave it all season before cleaning it. Now, if I can only persuade the missus that thats the way to clean the house!!!
Thanks for all the great info here, I shot the first 20 rounds with my WSM and noticed some copper, I think I will use sweets and clean it out before the next trip and see if I get buildup again. Thanks dude, great info
Howdy sam! Was going to ask about cleaning out the carbon, but I see it’s been asked to death. I stopped cleaning out the copper on my .223 a few years back, but I always feel I have to run a oiled patch down the barrel to remove the carbon and powder fouling.even if I’ve only shot 1 round. Sometimes tho, I can shoot 1 or 2 rounds then the gun can sit idle for a while and the thought of it sitting dirty is like a knot in my spine! Anyway, I really enjoy your videos and always look forward to the next one. Keep Doing your thing mate. All the best👍
This is great cat you have over there. He just wants to be close to you and help you. I have two Cats myself. They just love us and they want to be close. I'm very grateful for all this information. I am about to buy brand new rifle, and I can definitely use your instructions. Thank you very much. My cat is watching it with me. :-)
Very Nice video. I always try to use a bore guide with a O ring on the chamber end . The others tend to let some of the solvent run back towards your action. The O-ring ones don't. Try PMA bore Guides, Sinclair make some too, among others. Dewey rods are top shelf but opposite gender thread of everybody else. (Brushes and jags must be bought special for a Dewey). The maroon handle Tipton cleaning rods are my favorite. Standard gender, Ball bearing handle, completely covered brass rod that cant scrape inside your gun, and they make a rod for anything. Uses standard gender (male thread) brushes and jags vs Dewey. Dewey's are great, but they are opposite of everybody else so be aware.
I bought a hand lapped Pacnor barrel and never fouled, just a light trace of copper indicating to me the gun doesn't need a run in. I have a damp house and even stainless will rust lightly if not oiled. I got the shock of my life when I ran a patch through my Sako TRG and it came out brown and a deep pit could be seen with the naked eye after 6months of storage! Now I always leave a light coat of oil in the bore and exterior now, or though I should get a small heat source for inside the safe.
I have the PERFECT break-in procedure... shoot the damn thing and don't worry about it. A quote from one of my favorite barrel makers, you might recognize the brand if you've read their FAQ: "Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. ******** introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal. All our stainless steel barrels have been hand lapped as part of their production, as well as any chrome moly barrel we install. Hand lapping a barrel polishes the interior of the barrel and eliminates sharp edges or burrs that could cause jacket deformity. This, in fact, is what you are doing when you break-in a new barrel through firing and cleaning."
23:35 oh yeah baby just the tip. Thank you for video i learned a lot, thought i had to clean my weapon every time i went to the range, but i will try your way.
Good common sense. I shoot the crap out of my rifles. All I do is run a cleaning snake through to get any moisture out. I have no issues with accuracy! Great video.
Excellent info! Same with making the bed, folding clothes... etc. About the only thing I clean are the dishes. Almost forgot, I do clean the small side arms for obvious reasons.
Absolutely.. its voodoo BS all that cleaning...my most accurate rifle just SHOT.. ever since i first shot it.. 200 rounds in havent cleaned yet still shoots dimes. Obviously cleaned it from shop then havent since. Just shoot the gun , finding the right ammo will make it shoot not cleaning it every 1 or 3 shots for 50 rounds when you buy it. I hunt alot though.. 2 to 3 times a week
Love watching these guys shoot one round where ever it goes and clean for 20 minutes. I chronograph 20 watching them. Figure my dope and shoot another 20 to make sure I’m on. Then shoot another 20-40 doping distances. They are still on round 5, “breaking that barrel in”
And yet Browning says to fire about 20 shots to break in their barrels. First 10 one at a time, cleaning in between, then two at a time, cleaning in between with copper solvent. So apparently it has some use for certain manufacturers.
If I "over clean" my AKMs and other BRs, they give me "that look"! ... Thanks for the validation of my grunt philosophy, the closest to a "precision rifle" I run is a Metric FN and a 91/30 , everything else is AKM or Cetme C. Good information well presented!
Your last statement about not cleaning your gun.... I do agree with that after break-in although my OCD kicks in sometimes and I cant help myself. Have talked with gun smiths that have seen lots of guns come in where cleaning screwed up the crown etc. A good piece of advice I once heard was after the cleaning tip exits the muzzle, lift up slightly when bringing it back into the muzzle and do it slowly. Some cleaning setups will have a little lip that can catch right at the crown which is no good. Bring it back slow and make sure nothing catches otherwise its like taking a file to the crown. I use Montana extreme solvent. My wife chews my ass every time I open that up. Nasty ammonia smell to it.
This really smart engineer guy named Rex once told me. For break in its just better to shoot it to get what's called "Copper Equilibrium". You want that copper to smear the bore to cover the tiny imperfections in the rifling and create a smooth surface for the bullets to gluide on. If you clean the bore every shot for the break in it will take longer to get the optimal copper equilibrium.
Thanks for the info. I love how most people think theirs is the only right way. Trusting your experience to save myself some time. Im particularly interested in why faster speeds happen from copper fouling, instead of slower. time for me to read ....
Thanks for the video. I did buy a bore scope (I may have To Much information now) but something i did notice while breaking in my Krieger barrel was that the first 10 to 12 inches 0 copper all carbon the last 14 to 16 inches very little carbon mostly copper and with each shot clean cycle less copper, carbon staying about the same. also the copper pattern was very irregular the first few cycles it is getting more uniform in the pattern along with getting to be less.
My hero; like a diesel engine; if it runs all right, do not touch it. I shoot a Sauer 308, match barrel. I shoot only lead free bullets. I'm now up to approximately 3500 (threethousandfivehundred) and; shooting still groups o 5 five bullets sub MOA, actually sub 3/4 MOA> Great VID, thanks.
I think I'll give it a try. Although, I would this certainly doesn't apply to rimfire rifles. A few mainline companies did some research into this a while back, found cleaning very necessary to achieve good groups.
Right or wrong i have always used a 45 round break in. Fire 1 shell and clean repeated 5 times, fire 3 shells and clean repeated 5 times, fire 5 shells and clean repeated 5 times. After my break in i try not to ever clean my barrel, i did once and my 100 yrd groups when from .6 moa to 5.5 moa. It took about 50 rounds for it to foul and groups returned. Thank you for you video, just wanted to share my experience. My channel is all season outdoors, thanks again mike.
It's weird how many different opinions one hears from various knowledgeable shooters. I knew a match shooter who made his own ammo AND his own barrels. He would scrub the hell out of a bore with a bronze brush for twenty minutes! Some shooters won't even use a brush at all on a bore. I don't know what's best, so I just run a bore brush through and then some patches until the patches come out looking pretty clean. Then I run an oily patch through. Sometimes I use a bore guide, but I'm not sure why. Probably doing it wrongly, but heck, I dunno.
Chris K I used the same method outlined in this video on my LRP. I haven’t cleaned the bore in 600+ rounds now. It has one of the best factory tubes I’ve seen.
Hope mine shoots as good as yours. I have other highly accurate custom built rifles like yours because I love tiny groups. - I can see how leaving the carbon fouling in the barrel would help protect the steel from the heat of firing. Your cats are fun to watch in the videos.
Chris K , I promise you , you will LOVE the savage 12 LRP in 6.5creed !! I have the same gun and I absolutely love it ! I bought the gun and started reloading immediately and I have a 5 shot group inside a dime @100. Another 10shots inside a nickel. I was afraid to buy it cause I was never a savage fan , but I am now !! Congrats and good luck 👍👍
Chris K I got that exact rifle thanks to Sam's review, great rifle shoots outstanding, i got just over 1000 rounds down the tube, but ejecting is not the greatest and i cannot shoot small rifle primer brass, just FYI, maybe yours will be better
Never need to break in a barrel, They are already heat treated and design for this purpose, but of course you want to keep it clean. You can buy all of the special fancy crap on the market but wd-40 works perfect for this and i use the 5 in 1 silicone oil for the action all. I even wipe the entire thing down before storage and everyone of the look as new, domestic are 20+ years old. Keeping the barrel and action clean eliminates jams. And keeping dust caps on the scopes is a huge plus..
Wow! I guess I'm cleaning mine WAY to much! I was told to clean mine after every 10 shots or so, pushing 2 patches thru for every One shot and to keep going until at least 1 pad comes out absolutely clean.
Heard a lot of ppl claiming the same thing hate cleaning it waste of cartridges just to get it to shoot properly again and they all have said the copper benefits the bullet travel creating a smoother path for it hence the increased velocity... then I've met the ransome few people who were having issues couldnt group and they cleaned the bajesus out of it all copper gone... and boom... accuracy was outstanding...... so I'm at a point where I'm considering going down remove copper bare metal and starting over to see if... my savage like the other... needs to be meticulously cleaned.... I'm a fan of not cleaning barrels for the same reasons you've stated...
I broke in my new BCM by taking out of the box, inspecting it, firing 4 mags through it Sighted in my lpvo sprayed a little g96 on it and threw it in the truck. It's been blasting ground hogs ever since with it. Works like you'd expect from BCM. Not a single malfunction or a drop of lube in over a year and it rides in a farm truck and goes in the tractor with me. I shoot my reloads so it's high quality clean ammo
Great videos. I love seeing what I got right and what I could have done better... and we seem to ask ourselves the same questions. Regarding cleaning, when you want to clean... consider giving Boretech Eliminator a try. It's safe and non-toxic... but the real reason is that it just works so much better than Sweets/SC/H7 ... life changing. It's that good.
wandofhermes +1 on the BoreTech products. I switched over to their stuff and am very impressed. Works better and no toxic smells... better and easier cleaning and shooting through science!
Just bought a Bergara. They recommend 1 shot, clean - 1shot, clean - for 5 shots. Then 10 shots, clean - 10 shots, clean - for 50 shots. Then clean often.
Love the way you laid out why you do what you do. I run My 22LR same as my Norma Mag, wipe down my bolt actions area chamber etc, run a damp patch if I think the barrel is dirty Dusty. I Never EVER Take a freshly cleaned rifle to a match. when I see a lot of spotless guns on the firing line I grin and do my happy dance. its kinda like if it aint broke, Dont Fix it. Forever trying to be a better shot! God Bless you!!
No argument from me. I run a few patches soaked in Hoppes # 9 and sip a little Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 while the Hoppes sits in the barrel for a few minutes. Then I'll run dry patches until one comes out white, run a patch with Rem Oil to keep it from rusting in the off season. When hunting season is about to open, I run some dry patches through the barrel, go to the range and shoot until I get a good, consistent cold bore first shot. Usually done in three, sometimes five, but that could just be my shooting. Then I'm done with it until the end of season. Rinse with Hoppes and repeat. Been working for 40 years, never have had to brush or chem treat, still shoots well under 1 moa each cold bore first shot after fouling. Remington BDL, 7mm rem mag with about 500 rounds through it. Probably about what the average Joe American Casual Hunter can relate to, more or less.
Thanks for sharing that cleaning procedure. I plan on trying some of your steps and pointers. I've been using Butch's Bore Shine vice Sweets. Hopefully it is equivalent. Sonny Pruitt
I watched this video over 2 years ago when I got back into shooting after 15 years of not shooting funny thing is I ended up with a krieger barrel for my AR10 on Aero Percision M5E1 builders kit the rifle will be assembled with in the next 7 days 5/28/19 I’ll return and leave a comment in regards to how well my particular barrel preforms I’ll also report how the barrel break in goes
Your videos are among my favorite. Straight forward, and to the point. No frills. Question ( a bit off topic) are you still alcohol swabbing the inside of necks prior to bullet seating?
Holy cow this was informative! I am one of those guys that cleans after every outing regardless of rounds fired. That is going to change and I'm not afraid of trying new things. So basically you're saying that when the copper fouling disappears, the break in is done and you just keep shooting?
Hello I'm totaly agree with you abot the cleaning ... But ... I think it's different with ruffer factorybarrels that copperfouls faster ... I think those will have a stroke with a brush onese a while to shoot up to par . Not all factorybarrels ofcourse 😁 I have a Tikka T3x 308win It don't copoerfoul at all .... Greeatings from Sweden.
Enjoyed your relaxed, informative matter. Told us why you did what you did and let us know there were other opinions as well, but did not disparage them. Thanks for sharing your experience.
My favorite teacher on long guns and ammo on you tube. 👍🏼
Sam, I really appreciate your videos! You always ensure we know that what you do works for you but we may like something else. You don’t come across as a know-it-all, arrogant, or cheesy. You are a good teacher. I hope you keep doing videos! I’ve been shooting and reloading for decades, but you’ve taught me so much that I’ve taken my reloading reloading and shooting to a new level. Thank you!
Dewey makes a cleaning kit that comes with everything you need. The rod, the lug recess rod and felt patches, the bore guide, patches, jag of your choice, and a chamber brush. Pretty sweet package.
Excellent video, darn nice work! I came here because I have three new rifles to break in and clean up and you answered all my questions. Also, great work putting the video together. Just the facts with enough science to back them up. And thank you for not blasting us with a 5 minute heavy metal intro!
For 40 years I have wrapped a patch around a bronze bore brush wet with Hoppe's and used that to clean my bore and then I run patches until it stays white. It works like a champ.
So you let the hoppes sit before dry patching
@Scott Murphy Thanks do you use a brush too at any point I hear negatives and positives
I clean the barrel perfectly when new. Everything is out! Copper killer, copper cream, then I soak it in Wipe Out for an hour at a time until the patch comes out clean. Then I shoot two three shot groups then clean it again. Two more 3 shot groups and clean it again. Then 5 shot groups X5 and clean after each group.
As someone said in the comments “they don’t clean for 300 rounds and all their guns are .5 moa”. Well, I clean everything out of all my bolt guns every session and all of them shoot .5 or less with handloads. Only difference I bet is my rifles clean waaaaaaay faster than those who don’t and have 8-10 layers of powder fouling then copper fouling.
Guess what? Neither method matters, only thing that matters is the individual and what they want.
You are wasting alot of time
Theres a bloke here in aus that shoots 4000 plus yards... does 900 yards with a .22 etc.. ELR shooter... he doesnt clean his rifles for a few thousand rounds.. he explains why. He WANTS a copper layer... it will get to a point where its consistently pushing and leaving some behind the hole will.never close up... hes talkin about cleaning all that out then taking 50 rounds for the gun to settle again..
markandsamafterwork
search em up.. great shooter
Sams a Better shot with the 22lr than Mark is. Calls better dope on the smaller calibers too. Great team they are!
Great Vid. I learned some things. I love those Kreiger barrels. I follow basically the same process but I check afterwards with a Lyman Borecam Digital Borescope which I got a Black Sheep in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for about $250. Even after your patches come out clean, the borescope will reveal carbon and copper in the lands. Usually a carbon ring in the case mouth area of the chamber as well. You have to decide then if you are done or you want to go farther. The borescope is a real eye opener. I don't know how I lived without that for so long.
I'm a 70 year old firearm enthusiast and Firearm Cleaner. I liked this video so I had to Subscribe. I find I need refreshing now and then on everything pertaining to things I do.
~I will clean my barrel before I fire it the first time and then clean it every three or four times I come back from the Range. I've never "broken-in" any firearm barrel. In nearly 50 years I've had no problems. I believe a Clean Barrel is a Better Shooting Barrel.
~I'm retired and have lots of free time. I find cleaning my firearms and those of my Family, is relaxing for me.
~I too use a Bore Guide. Protecting the Bore and the Muzzle is very important.
~I've never heard of Sweets Core Cleaner. I will get me a bottle soon.
Hi Sam - You probably should mention that Sweet's 7.62 is ammonia based and traces of it could remain in the barrel which will cause corrosion even after running tight swabs through the barrel. I've always used Birchwood Casey Barricade (formerly named Sheath) after cleaning the barrels in my pistols and rifles. I put a clean cotton patch on a brass patch holder and I dampen it slightly with Barricade then run it down barrel 2 or 3 times, let it sit for a couple of minutes then do the same thing with a dry patch. It's a great product to use and prevents corrosion on both the inside of the barrel and the outside of all my firearms. For the most part, it doesn't get too humid in Arizona but it's very useful in regions where the humidity is high.
He did it right , he took the brake off first
Just found your videos I've been putting rifles together for 30 years and shooting for 46 years . A nice point you made was that a lot of people don't realize a bronze brush is made with brass which is why you get that false positive. you don't need to clean a gun like they promote. I know a few competition shooters and a few former snipers . We all let her go and clean it when it needs it. Like you said just making sure the action is free and working and the bore is free of obstruction . Cleaning a gun too much only uses and helps them move their product making them dollars for something that's necessary but not as necessary as some think....
. nice rig
nice video
have a good day sir
I dont "clean" but i live in the tropics so i put a patch of oil down it after hunting then dry patch it out to go shoot shit. Is that considered rust prevention ?
As opposed to cleaning..
I dont solvent the gun im 300 rounds in it shoots dimes so why would I.
My climate rust is a big problem so i assume keeping rust from getting inside the bore im doing the right thing
So when the rifle "need" it, is that when you see a drastic decrease in accuracy?
I'm new to this so curious to know.
Your presentations are great. You are organized and teach with clarity. I have been neck sizing for a few years. From your comments I have surmised that you bump the shoulder to ensure easy and reliable chambering. Your statement is that accuracy is accomplished by being consistent. I make sure that I fire rounds in the same rifle every time, thus ensuring that the case is fire-formed for that chamber. I have never had a problem with chambering a round. I shoot 0.7 MOA or better with "off the shelf" factory rifles/barrels. Other than reliable chambering, what is the advantage to FL sizing vs neck sizing? I am not doing long range competition shooting-- just South Dakota prairie dogs at 300+ yds. with 22.250 & .243. I'm not opposed to doing the work. I like your comment, "If I don't see a measurable difference by doing a function, I don't do it".
Sam, I would never beat you or anyone else up in the comments. With hobbies like this, many topics are almost like a religion and people get awfully heated about them. I'm sort of non-denominational 😁. If anything, I'm going to say thank you for all the time and effort and expense you put in great content through your channel and your website. You very much deserve that much and more. Thanks, Sam!
Ask 10 precision rifle shooters and 10 rifle barrel manufacturers and you will get 20 different answers.
The same thing can be said of medical doctors. That's why they call it a practice.
@@borealpatriot1502 "For every expert, there is an equal but opposite expert." Newton
Every shooter has their own idea and practice of break in and cleaning.They dont have to be cleaned with todays powder and primers...Shooting some cheap foreign made ammo with corrosive primers may require more frequent cleaning...in my opin ion anyway..I l;ike Stainless barrels and dont have to worry about it as much.
If you want your barrel to last and shoot unbelievable groups at 1 mile you need to use my personal Jizz! It's a two ball compound that is affordable and easily obtained from me. This product can only be obtained by females however males are welcome to use it just send your wife or girlfriend to pick it up
Amen !!
I clean it at break in.The muzzle crown it the most important of all. And I dont use real harsh chemicals either.I learned this from a man that makes really high end rifles and barrels.He shits ELD and when you buy a a rifle from him and company they help/teach you how and what to do.
I never realized that the aluminum and brass cleaning rods hurt your barrel.But they do.And protecting both ends of the barrel is just as important.
A bore guide is important as well .
Good video
yeah that brass is really gonna fuckup hardened steel.. sounds like the guys full of shit mate.
@@SpaghettiFPV-tg3qh indeed, you can scratch gold with a diamond but not the other way arround.
Brass or copper is way softer then steel, after all many projectile’s have copper anyway🤷🏻♂️
Sam, Here in California I have been shooting all copper bullets in preparation for the total ban on lead bullets that is sure to come. The copper bullets are harder than the lead core variety and seem to foul more over time. I have some rifles that do fine with minimal cleaning and others that go from 3/4 inch groups to 2 1/2 inches after 70 to 80 rounds. Thanks for the information, I enjoy watching your channel. Good stuff!
@Yo Joe Hello Yo Joe, the total lead ban for any hunting or depredation went into effect July 1, 2019. Thankfully the legislature has not been able to pass laws requiring lead free ammunition for target practice yet. Instead, they are working on reducing the allowed firearms in the state by manipulating the firearm roster and requiring a background check for all ammunition purchases.
@Yo Joe You are 100 % correct. Here in California no lead bullets or lead shot if using a shotgun, allowed in the field while hunting anything, even ground squirrels or vermin. If you are stopped by fish and game, you will want to have proof that your ammo is lead free. Lead free costs about three times as much. gets expensive fast.
this is got to be the best demonstration I have ever seen Thank you wish I could have seen this twenty five years a go but much the same as I do now
I know this video is 5 years old, but it's one of the best if not THE best instructional videos that I have seen. I learned a lot from this. Thank you for sharing.
Used recommendations from Army Ranger manual and comments from a Ranger friend, 1 shot and clean, x 10, then 3 shot and clean x5. first 3 round group holes were all touching. Ruger American 308. 25 rounds 15 cleanings and 0.7 moa groups. happy!
What?
Thanks for the explanation Sam. What you described is what I've understood what is happening on the first few shots.
Sam, liked your statement about not caring if folks beat up on you in the comments. I figured a fellow like you can take that attitude when you know your methods work. The results speak for themselves.
I picked up my gun today. Literally. So I have already dry fired it over 200 times. I can't wait for Friday when I get to actually fire it. Thank you for your advice.
i have a friend i argue with all the time about cleaning, i never clean and he cleans all the time and it takes him 5 or 6 fouling shots to get his rifle grouping again, i say YOU ARE CLEANING TOO MUCH, but he keeps cleaning, i dont get it, thanks for your videos i really enjoy watching and i learn alot
Paul: No, Your friend don't get it...LOL
lol..funny
ITS GOOD TO HAVE YOUR BARREL CLEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TOO MUCH IS THOUGH.
IF YOU ARE PUTTING IT AWAY FOR A LONG TIME, THEN GET EVERY SINGLE CRUD OUT OF THERE, BUT IF YOU SHOOT IT EVERY WEEKEND, THEN ITS YOUR CALL HOW CLEAN YOU WANT IT, PERSONALLY, I START CLEANING WHEN MY GROUPS START TO OPEN AND GO HAYWIRE.
I clean my LR Barrels maybe twice in 500-700 shots.
Way back when we shot corrosive ammo cleaning after every time we got through shooting was a have to. Today you are more likely to kill a barrel from excessive cleaning than from shooting.
Now you started off great and pretty much how I LEARNED on my own to break a barrel in, which nobody in the gun forums believe me, with the shoot one shot, then clean, then one then clean, but I do that 10 times, them jump to 3 shots then clean, but I allow 3 minutes between shots to not allow the barrel to get hot. Now., I have learned the expensive way to stay away from ALL copper cleaners. That Ammonia will pit a bore over time. Shilen recommended back when i built my 3 varmint rigs that the only thing they recommended to clean any copper out, was Flitz metal polish. I used Sweets in the past and ruined a couple of good barrel blanks. Stopped using it, and came up with my one shot and clean method, and I ended up with 3 rifles that did not collect any copper at all once they were broken in. Just a couple of patches with solvent and a couple of dry patches and they were clean. Now those who shoot BR will go through 4 or 5 barrels a year anyway, so they clean with Sweets and get it over with since by the time they have too much pitting, they have the barrel shot out anyway, for BR accuracy anyway, so they do not care about long life. Ammonia will pit steel. Those pits will collect MORE copper over time. I use nothing but Hoppes #9 to break in and clean my bores. The good old stuff is still the best. Now all of my rifles shoot in the .0's. All of them, a 22-250, .223 and .243 will all shoot under 1/8" groups if I do my part, and have shot many sub 1/16" groups with all of them. Just a bullet hole with 5 shots.
That's insane, 1/16" groups. Do you mind give my your reloading procedure to achieve that?
I have a few 6,5x55 for shooting and reload but struggle to get below 1/3 MOA.
Thank you for your awesome videos! On your cleaning of the lugs, at one point you demonstrated running the Dewey chamber cleaning rod counter clockwise. If a viewer does that, the material holder at the end if the rod will unscrew. The jag where you described wrapping the patch around is called a Parker Hale style jag. When cleaning your rifle with a wet patch or brush you have the muzzle end of the barrel higher than the receiver due to the height of your bipod. You want to have the muzzle end lower to allow the excess solvent to run out the muzzle and not towards the action.
I saw one guy use a clear water bottle fitted over the end of his muzzle to catch any liquids and brush bristle spray that comes off the brush when exiting. This guy slit the neck of the bottle to fit a larger dia barrel as well. I also like the practice of keeping the muzzle angled downwards for drainage.
Will be getting back to 600 yard compitition in spring 2020 after 4+ yrs absences.
Will be moving from 223 to 6.5 Creedmore and eventuality 1000 yrd Plinking. HAHA.....
This vid is a good refresher for me and PanHandle's presentation and video production quality ranks with the best on YT.
Liking/Subbing is a No-Brainer.....
Good job!
After I break a barrel in mainly my AR’s. I clean the bolt, bolt carrier and pin, I’ll clean the chamber with a AR camber brush. Then I run a bore snake with a film of CLP at the tail. Run it down the pipe three or four times. Job done. But I do spend the time on the break in cleaning and firing. Great video, nice tips on the products.
Thanks for sharing. I agree 100%. It will actually shoot better with some copper. Only a minimal cleaning is necessary to remove dirt/dust ect. There is a plateau of coppering that you should try to maintain, and only clean the copper out when your groups start opening up because you've surpassed that plateau and now have too much copper.
I've found this to be true.
Recently came across your channel, love it, so much I've learned after buying my savage ashbury 6.5. I'm a 3 gun shooter and starting PRS next year. Keep these coming and job well done. Thank you
I absolutely love Frankie, it looks like he wants to help you
Great video Sam! Love all your videos, learning a lot from you as I look to build my first long range rifle. Thanks!
This is the first time I've ever heard of Break In period... And wanna Thank you for the heads up!
Thanks for the great info! Just purchased my first precision rifle and want to make sure I break in correctly. 👍
yeah,,,pro rifle rig,,,now you can shoot 1k rds ,and save,sooo much time NOT cleaning...THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME.
Great video. I might add that a .45 cal. or 410 gauge bore brush works great as a chamber brush for most cartridges. I have used both depending on the rod I use.
Thanks for all your hard work on the videos. You've been helping me for years.
Excellent videos keep em coming . I used to use sweets years ago , it certainly works great but the Ammonia fumes can't be good for you . After using sweets and drying the bore with clean dry patches I don't think you're getting all the chemical out of the nooks and crannies in
the bore . It would be best if your were to degrease the bore or to run a few tight patches with a rust preventive such as G96 or something similar. These days i use Hoppes No 9 letting it soak in the bore for 20 minutes then dry patches which seems to get most of the copper out of it , then I'll run another tight wet patch of Hoppes through the bore and store the gun with the barrel pointing down in the gun safe for a few days , then I'll run a few dry patches into the bore , if there is any copper left in the barrel it will be removed completely at this stage . Hoppes can be left in the bore as it wont harm the metal. Oh one other thing it best you use some disposable rubber gloves when handling these nasty chemicals , particularly solvents. Cheers
LO
When I was on that Parris Island rifle pistol team one of my friends said I'm not going to clean it until it starts shooting good he was joking but it really didn't seem to matter. Once you get a barrel broken in it changes things when you take the copper out with cleaning
what year were you on the team
I have to agree 100% with you on barrel cleaning philosophy. A good barrel is made with good quality type of steel, quality machining (tolerances), quality heat treating, etc ... all that far exceeds the normal wearability. Again, unless I'm hunting in the rain all day and it's vital to remove the water/condensate inside that barrel ... leave it alone. Not say you never need to clean the barrel, just feel people go way over the top on barrel cleaning.
But, that's just my 2 cents.
My break in is just shooting it . In the army and our snipers rifles had to be broken in per manual per the commanders orders . I used to break in my own precision rifles as per the same methods and found from testing that just shooting works just as well if not better . So my method is get a decent load and shoot it get about 300 rounds through it and then clean to get my load fine tuned and then don’t clean it until it stops shooting . Usually around 1k or more . My .223 trainer has about 2400 rounds through it and has been cleaned once at around 1800 rounds I’ll probably clean again around 3k . My 6.5x47 lapua is at 1456 rounds and it hasn’t been cleaned but I’m starting to get a small carbon ring so I need to get that out of there but other than that it’s still shooting very very well .
That has been my experience as well, even with factory barrels. Thank you for your service.
GREAT ADVICE...!
Just shooting it is honestly the best advice. After my military service I too thought all rifles needed to be cleaned to death. I have since found out cleaning deteriorates accuracy. I have a 338 RUM with 502 rounds down the tube and haven't cleaned it once in 3 years. Shoots half minute all day.
agree......i dont clean my barrel till i need too....factory barrel like 400 to 500 barrels....nice match barrel a lot longer
I didn't ever hear of break in periods with barrels. I generally clean at the end of hunting season or after being exposed to rain. Other than that I don't clean it unless it gets dirty as hell and doesn't function right.
I always just shoot my rifles, zero complaints. I appreciate what you’re doing. Whatever people want to do that makes them happy with their gun.
Ive watched several of your videos and theyre awesome. You have the absolute perfect speaking voice for instructive videos. Great info ...
Dewey coated cleaning rods & bored guides are the best !!💯‼️
I got my first one 30 years ago, along with a brass bushing, to clean the bores of my M1 and M14. The bushing is to protect the crown as of course you have to clean from muzzle to chamber. My .30 cal rod is still going strong. I cannot see anywhere the black nylon coating is gone.
No boretech is. Everyone knows that, and Tipton right after that.
7:20 Absolutely agree. By default people think cleaning more often must be better. I clean my Savage 12 in .308 every 500 rounds.
John here my Glennfield 22 I clean the most 2 reason 1 power build up and then accuracy super clean will shoot 1/2 groups at 50yrds after about 20 rounds it will change. My R R.A. LAR 5.6 Depends on what power Varget a little dirter than I like but H335 not much better so I.ll keep an eye on it and model 70 featherweight 30.06 late 1970 model the dirter it gets the better the accuracy God I love that rifle very accurate.
Cleaning your bore, copper removed, changes your zero for a while. Your POI will be different, usually higher, until you foul up your barrel with about 10 rounds and you could see it return to zero. If you clean your bore be aware that it could happen. Don't try to change your scope settings to try and get a zero, just shoot enough rounds and will return.
Good advice!
From personal experience. I clean a new barrel with batches till they’re clean then finish it with a bore snake then go shoot. I have done other break in methods and it takes a lot of time. Now if I bought a long range set up I’d play it safe and go through some break in process.
My wife and I just broke in two barrels yesterday. We shot 1, cleaned, shot 1 cleaned, shot 2, cleaned, shot 2 cleaned, shot 3 cleaned and gave up. Neither one of us was getting any trace of copper at all with Sweets. I think a lot of break in is determined by the gunsmith and how sharp his reamer is. In Canada, using Varget in my #1 gun, .308 Winchester I ran several tests and found that I could shoot up to 325 rounds with no degradation of accuracy (group size/scores). I would clean every 250 or so depending on the match schedule. After moving to the UK I have had to change up as the UK NRA Matches are shot with issued ammunition with a Sierra bullet, military brass and a spherical ball powder. The powder leaves a lot of carbon and other residue from the coating used to control the burn rate. Accuracy falls off really quickly so the locals clean at the end of every day during a match regardless of how many rounds are shot. I now understand why. I loved Shooter's Choice in Canada, but I can't get it here as it contains some chemicals that are banned in Europe. Same with Varget powder. Same with Sweets although a friendly gunsmith can give you some, you just can't buy it. I switched to MPro7 which I can get and it is great on carbon. Very good video. I got a cheap borescope last year and I now hardly use a bronze brush at all. I recommend you get a cheap one and use it as a cleaning aide. Thanks very much for this video!! Good old common sense is great.
Excellent video! When or how to clean a barrel will get you 2000 different answers and most of them are just someone's opinion or what they heard. This video explains why and I think he very clear in his method and reasoning. I've spoke to some serious benchrest shooters who say most guys cant figure why they fight consistency but they over clean their rifles and have constantly changing bore conditions. On a side note Guns and Ammo did a test years ago about cleaning or not 2 identical .223 Remingtons. one he cleaned every 50 rds, the other only after break in and then fired 1000rds without cleaning. The results were almost impossible to tell apart for wear but the uncleaned rifle grouped slightly better. Glad I found this channel, subscribed!
was there more wear on the uncleaned rifle??
You'd get totally different results with an over bore mag
I really like your advice on rifle barrel cleaning. I always clean my Target rifle after a comp =50 rounds. However, this season I'm tempted to leave it all season before cleaning it. Now, if I can only persuade the missus that thats the way to clean the house!!!
Thank you For uploading your experiences and advice, it's much appreciated. Salutations From Denmark 🇩🇰
Thank you! This helped answer a lot of questions I had for barrel break in and cleaning.
Awesome video explaining the detailed information and how to clean as well. Thank you!
Thanks for all the great info here, I shot the first 20 rounds with my WSM and noticed some copper, I think I will use sweets and clean it out before the next trip and see if I get buildup again. Thanks dude, great info
Howdy sam! Was going to ask about cleaning out the carbon, but I see it’s been asked to death. I stopped cleaning out the copper on my .223 a few years back, but I always feel I have to run a oiled patch down the barrel to remove the carbon and powder fouling.even if I’ve only shot 1 round. Sometimes tho, I can shoot 1 or 2 rounds then the gun can sit idle for a while and the thought of it sitting dirty is like a knot in my spine! Anyway, I really enjoy your videos and always look forward to the next one.
Keep Doing your thing mate. All the best👍
Absolutely agree with you and I do exactly the same each time after shooting
This is great cat you have over there. He just wants to be close to you and help you. I have two Cats myself. They just love us and they want to be close. I'm very grateful for all this information. I am about to buy brand new rifle, and I can definitely use your instructions. Thank you very much. My cat is watching it with me. :-)
Great video. You picked up a new subscriber. I'm a new PR shooter so l like the different opinions. I have always cleaned after every outing before.
Very Nice video. I always try to use a bore guide with a O ring on the chamber end . The others tend to let some of the solvent run back towards your action. The O-ring ones don't. Try PMA bore Guides, Sinclair make some too, among others. Dewey rods are top shelf but opposite gender thread of everybody else. (Brushes and jags must be bought special for a Dewey). The maroon handle Tipton cleaning rods are my favorite. Standard gender, Ball bearing handle, completely covered brass rod that cant scrape inside your gun, and they make a rod for anything. Uses standard gender (male thread) brushes and jags vs Dewey. Dewey's are great, but they are opposite of everybody else so be aware.
I bought a hand lapped Pacnor barrel and never fouled, just a light trace of copper indicating to me the gun doesn't need a run in. I have a damp house and even stainless will rust lightly if not oiled. I got the shock of my life when I ran a patch through my Sako TRG and it came out brown and a deep pit could be seen with the naked eye after 6months of storage! Now I always leave a light coat of oil in the bore and exterior now, or though I should get a small heat source for inside the safe.
I have the PERFECT break-in procedure... shoot the damn thing and don't worry about it. A quote from one of my favorite barrel makers, you might recognize the brand if you've read their FAQ:
"Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. ******** introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal. All our stainless steel barrels have been hand lapped as part of their production, as well as any chrome moly barrel we install. Hand lapping a barrel polishes the interior of the barrel and eliminates sharp edges or burrs that could cause jacket deformity. This, in fact, is what you are doing when you break-in a new barrel through firing and cleaning."
I am learning from you a lot , thanks for your support and experience, Regards
23:35 oh yeah baby just the tip. Thank you for video i learned a lot, thought i had to clean my weapon every time i went to the range, but i will try your way.
Good common sense. I shoot the crap out of my rifles. All I do is run a cleaning snake through to get any moisture out. I have no issues with accuracy! Great video.
This is the best video I’ve seen on the subject! Thank you Sir!
Does anyone know what happened to this channel? The best and most helpful information I have found anywhere. I hope Sam and his family are ok.
Excellent info!
Same with making the bed, folding clothes... etc.
About the only thing I clean are the dishes.
Almost forgot, I do clean the small side arms for obvious reasons.
I built a 6.5 G on the AR platform and contacted the barrel manufacture ( vary well known manufacture ) and he told me " just go shoot"
Absolutely.. its voodoo BS all that cleaning...my most accurate rifle just SHOT.. ever since i first shot it.. 200 rounds in havent cleaned yet still shoots dimes.
Obviously cleaned it from shop then havent since.
Just shoot the gun , finding the right ammo will make it shoot not cleaning it every 1 or 3 shots for 50 rounds when you buy it.
I hunt alot though.. 2 to 3 times a week
Love watching these guys shoot one round where ever it goes and clean for 20 minutes. I chronograph 20 watching them. Figure my dope and shoot another 20 to make sure I’m on. Then shoot another 20-40 doping distances. They are still on round 5, “breaking that barrel in”
And yet Browning says to fire about 20 shots to break in their barrels. First 10 one at a time, cleaning in between, then two at a time, cleaning in between with copper solvent. So apparently it has some use for certain manufacturers.
Nice job, as I've come to expect . Thanks!!!
If I "over clean" my AKMs and other BRs, they give me "that look"! ... Thanks for the validation of my grunt philosophy, the closest to a "precision rifle" I run is a Metric FN and a 91/30 , everything else is AKM or Cetme C.
Good information well presented!
Your last statement about not cleaning your gun.... I do agree with that after break-in although my OCD kicks in sometimes and I cant help myself. Have talked with gun smiths that have seen lots of guns come in where cleaning screwed up the crown etc. A good piece of advice I once heard was after the cleaning tip exits the muzzle, lift up slightly when bringing it back into the muzzle and do it slowly. Some cleaning setups will have a little lip that can catch right at the crown which is no good. Bring it back slow and make sure nothing catches otherwise its like taking a file to the crown. I use Montana extreme solvent. My wife chews my ass every time I open that up. Nasty ammonia smell to it.
This really smart engineer guy named Rex once told me. For break in its just better to shoot it to get what's called "Copper Equilibrium". You want that copper to smear the bore to cover the tiny imperfections in the rifling and create a smooth surface for the bullets to gluide on. If you clean the bore every shot for the break in it will take longer to get the optimal copper equilibrium.
Rex is dumb as a brick. There's no such thing as copper equilibrium.
john kreiger also said he didn't do it. he said he shoots until the groups open up then cleans
Absolutely fantastic video!!! I'm a newer shooter with my first new precision gun that I need to break in. This helped a great deal. Thank you!
Thanks for the info. I love how most people think theirs is the only right way. Trusting your experience to save myself some time. Im particularly interested in why faster speeds happen from copper fouling, instead of slower. time for me to read ....
I go out of my way to avoid using the words "always", "never", or "best" when it comes to this kind of stuff!
Thanks. I Like to agree. Cleaning is often not needed. Most people overdo it. Subbed 😀
Great video. I'm new to precision shooting so you helped me a lot! Thanks
Thanks for the video. I did buy a bore scope (I may have To Much information now) but something i did notice while breaking in my Krieger barrel was that the first 10 to 12 inches 0 copper all carbon the last 14 to 16 inches very little carbon mostly copper and with each shot clean cycle less copper, carbon staying about the same. also the copper pattern was very irregular the first few cycles it is getting more uniform in the pattern along with getting to be less.
My hero; like a diesel engine; if it runs all right, do not touch it. I shoot a Sauer 308, match barrel. I shoot only lead free bullets. I'm now up to approximately 3500 (threethousandfivehundred) and; shooting still groups o 5 five bullets sub MOA, actually sub 3/4 MOA> Great VID, thanks.
how I never thought about barrel braking procedure... smh. Thank you so much for making this video
I think I'll give it a try. Although, I would this certainly doesn't apply to rimfire rifles. A few mainline companies did some research into this a while back, found cleaning very necessary to achieve good groups.
Right or wrong i have always used a 45 round break in. Fire 1 shell and clean repeated 5 times, fire 3 shells and clean repeated 5 times, fire 5 shells and clean repeated 5 times. After my break in i try not to ever clean my barrel, i did once and my 100 yrd groups when from .6 moa to 5.5 moa. It took about 50 rounds for it to foul and groups returned. Thank you for you video, just wanted to share my experience. My channel is all season outdoors, thanks again mike.
It's weird how many different opinions one hears from various knowledgeable shooters. I knew a match shooter who made his own ammo AND his own barrels. He would scrub the hell out of a bore with a bronze brush for twenty minutes! Some shooters won't even use a brush at all on a bore.
I don't know what's best, so I just run a bore brush through and then some patches until the patches come out looking pretty clean. Then I run an oily patch through. Sometimes I use a bore guide, but I'm not sure why. Probably doing it wrongly, but heck, I dunno.
I got a set of the plated Tipton jags. I love them and I don't get a false copper indication if it's not there.
Very interesting cleaning video. - Just ordered a Savage Model 12 LRP in 6.5 Creedmoor. Thanks for your video on that rifle.
Chris K I used the same method outlined in this video on my LRP. I haven’t cleaned the bore in 600+ rounds now. It has one of the best factory tubes I’ve seen.
Hope mine shoots as good as yours. I have other highly accurate custom built rifles like yours because I love tiny groups. - I can see how leaving the carbon fouling in the barrel would help protect the steel from the heat of firing. Your cats are fun to watch in the videos.
Chris K , I promise you , you will LOVE the savage 12 LRP in 6.5creed !! I have the same gun and I absolutely love it ! I bought the gun and started reloading immediately and I have a 5 shot group inside a dime @100. Another 10shots inside a nickel. I was afraid to buy it cause I was never a savage fan , but I am now !! Congrats and good luck 👍👍
Thanks.
Chris K I got that exact rifle thanks to Sam's review, great rifle shoots outstanding, i got just over 1000 rounds down the tube, but ejecting is not the greatest and i cannot shoot small rifle primer brass, just FYI, maybe yours will be better
Never need to break in a barrel, They are already heat treated and design for this purpose, but of course you want to keep it clean. You can buy all of the special fancy crap on the market but wd-40 works perfect for this and i use the 5 in 1 silicone oil for the action all. I even wipe the entire thing down before storage and everyone of the look as new, domestic are 20+ years old. Keeping the barrel and action clean eliminates jams. And keeping dust caps on the scopes is a huge plus..
Wow! I guess I'm cleaning mine WAY to much! I was told to clean mine after every 10 shots or so, pushing 2 patches thru for every One shot and to keep going until at least 1 pad comes out absolutely clean.
Heard a lot of ppl claiming the same thing hate cleaning it waste of cartridges just to get it to shoot properly again and they all have said the copper benefits the bullet travel creating a smoother path for it hence the increased velocity... then I've met the ransome few people who were having issues couldnt group and they cleaned the bajesus out of it all copper gone... and boom... accuracy was outstanding...... so I'm at a point where I'm considering going down remove copper bare metal and starting over to see if... my savage like the other... needs to be meticulously cleaned.... I'm a fan of not cleaning barrels for the same reasons you've stated...
I broke in my new BCM by taking out of the box, inspecting it, firing 4 mags through it
Sighted in my lpvo sprayed a little g96 on it and threw it in the truck. It's been blasting ground hogs ever since with it. Works like you'd expect from BCM. Not a single malfunction or a drop of lube in over a year and it rides in a farm truck and goes in the tractor with me. I shoot my reloads so it's high quality clean ammo
I'm waiting on my savage 338lm to get in to the gun shop I'll probably do what savage says just because of what it's job will be
Great videos. I love seeing what I got right and what I could have done better... and we seem to ask ourselves the same questions. Regarding cleaning, when you want to clean... consider giving Boretech Eliminator a try. It's safe and non-toxic... but the real reason is that it just works so much better than Sweets/SC/H7 ... life changing. It's that good.
wandofhermes +1 on the BoreTech products. I switched over to their stuff and am very impressed. Works better and no toxic smells... better and easier cleaning and shooting through science!
Just bought a Bergara. They recommend 1 shot, clean - 1shot, clean - for 5 shots. Then 10 shots, clean - 10 shots, clean - for 50 shots. Then clean often.
Love the way you laid out why you do what you do. I run My 22LR same as my Norma Mag, wipe down my bolt actions area chamber etc, run a damp patch if I think the barrel is dirty Dusty. I Never EVER Take a freshly cleaned rifle to a match. when I see a lot of spotless guns on the firing line I grin and do my happy dance. its kinda like if it aint broke, Dont Fix it. Forever trying to be a better shot! God Bless you!!
No argument from me. I run a few patches soaked in Hoppes # 9 and sip a little Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 while the Hoppes sits in the barrel for a few minutes. Then I'll run dry patches until one comes out white, run a patch with Rem Oil to keep it from rusting in the off season. When hunting season is about to open, I run some dry patches through the barrel, go to the range and shoot until I get a good, consistent cold bore first shot. Usually done in three, sometimes five, but that could just be my shooting. Then I'm done with it until the end of season. Rinse with Hoppes and repeat. Been working for 40 years, never have had to brush or chem treat, still shoots well under 1 moa each cold bore first shot after fouling. Remington BDL, 7mm rem mag with about 500 rounds through it. Probably about what the average Joe American Casual Hunter can relate to, more or less.
good process. I'm surprised that you never clean a bbl. Heck I clean my every 20 rounds. I'm gonna give it a try.
Thanks for sharing that cleaning procedure. I plan on trying some of your steps and pointers. I've been using Butch's Bore Shine vice Sweets. Hopefully it is equivalent. Sonny Pruitt
Very good video! I use two rods, so I don't have to switch between the patch holder and the brush... I save a lot of time...
I watched this video over 2 years ago when I got back into shooting after 15 years of not shooting funny thing is I ended up with a krieger barrel for my AR10 on Aero Percision M5E1 builders kit the rifle will be assembled with in the next 7 days 5/28/19 I’ll return and leave a comment in regards to how well my particular barrel preforms I’ll also report how the barrel break in goes
Your videos are among my favorite. Straight forward, and to the point. No frills. Question ( a bit off topic) are you still alcohol swabbing the inside of necks prior to bullet seating?
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I still swab out the necks with an alcohol patch prior to seating.
Frankie’s pretty cool! Like your videos Sam
With more knowledge shooting will become even more enjoyable I really enjoyed your tutorial thanks.
Holy cow this was informative! I am one of those guys that cleans after every outing regardless of rounds fired. That is going to change and I'm not afraid of trying new things. So basically you're saying that when the copper fouling disappears, the break in is done and you just keep shooting?
Yes.
He said "jag off" and "rub it back and forth" - I thought this was a family channel! :-)
Maybe he meant to Jack off?!
Which one of you is beavis?
Hello
I'm totaly agree with you abot the cleaning ...
But ... I think it's different with ruffer factorybarrels that copperfouls faster ...
I think those will have a stroke with a brush onese a while to shoot up to par .
Not all factorybarrels ofcourse 😁
I have a Tikka T3x 308win
It don't copoerfoul at all ....
Greeatings from Sweden.
Just what I would expect from a tikka, really great rifles.