BREAK-IN a Barel

[L. Cooper]

My rifles are for hunting. Hunting accuracy is not the same as bench rest competition accuracy. I doubt you could do a definitive test on the average hunting rifle manufactured by the standard companies that could define any advantage to breaking in an average barrel. Carefully machined, tuned, and lovingly cared for bench rifles, maybe, but not guns like I shoot, shot like I shoot them.

I always try to clean my rifles well, and I am specially careful when a gun is new. I just clean after every range session at first, and then try not to let my rifles go beyond 25-30 rounds without cleaning after that (although the varmint rifles necessarily often go longer).

There is lots of effort that goes into purely theoretical "advantages" that will never actually show up in most people's rifles with the skill levels of most shooters.