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Post by 72camaro on Dec 5, 2012 19:26:23 GMT -7
How many rounds on a virgin barrel does it usually take for your guns to settle in and shoot consistent 1moa? Overcast and after 4pm I could not see holes through the spotting scope or rifle for the next 5 at 200yds, as the 5 shots at 100yd fell and they were not about to call cold range to set it back up near closing time. They shut the range down early because of darkness.
It is the Remington 700 in .243 that I was shooting.
Biggest concern, for the scope to be perpendicular, exactly, to the barrel, I've leveled best I can but I know there is still probably some error using a small level. Any tricks or things to do to make sure it is exact? Eg: 100yds and 200yds (farthest my range goes), they both should be should be on the vertical cross of the target and then worry about up and down? otherwise twist the scope until it is?
Just had an idea; with a laser pointer in the end of the barrel start with the light near the bottom of the scope line and then turn the elevation knob up and it should follow the line, otherwise it is off? Or is this still not exact enough?
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Post by Eric on Dec 5, 2012 20:15:37 GMT -7
midway usa sells a tool called the "level level level" its basically a set of two mini-levels. You put one on the gun and level it and then put the other on the scope and level it. If both of the two levels are level then your level "level level level"  Its not expensive but in reality if your only shooting to two hundred yards I think you can just eyeball it close enough. Im guessing you'll be shooting the 243 farther than 200 yds though. My brother in law has one and it worked fairly good on my rifle. www.midwayusa.com/product/529349/wheeler-engineering-level-level-level-scope-crosshair-leveling-toolOn my two rifles I loaded up 10 - 3 round test loads and took those out to the public grounds with a box and a target and my shooting bench. I proceeded to shoot 1 round and clean the barrel for 10 rounds and then would go to shooting 5 rounds and then clean. Once I had 30 rounds through the barrel I considered it broken in. When I got it home I would run the JB bore scrub down the barrel and then clean it until there was nothing left to clean out. During the barrel break in I was trying to find a handload that shot well. Also make sure to get a good bore-guide. I use the Lucas Guides and have been really happy with them. www.6mmbr.com/catalog/item/1433308/954882.htmGood Luck and post back with some pictures of your groups. Eric. |
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Post by 72camaro on Dec 5, 2012 20:51:19 GMT -7
My son-in-law in Idaho has the leveling deal you linked and I have a good bore guide already. I did the JB bore scrub before I even shot it. I've got 10 rounds through it and will probably clean it before I get back out. Chuckhawks, big on rifles, his routine was essentially to do a massive first JB bore scrub and that was it except to never let the rifle get hot and do standard cleaning. I cannot seem to find the article but I did find this one of his without the mention of the JB bore scrub. www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_barrel.htm |
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Post by dew7880 on Dec 5, 2012 21:26:09 GMT -7
The number of rounds to break in a barrel comes down to barrel quality and opinion. Factory barrels vary but custom barrels usually need no break in time. As far as how level your scope needs to be, I wouldn't obsess about it too much unless your shooting like a thousand yards or so. The scope on my AR is crooked as heck because the cross hairs are straight when I shoulder my rifle, but my groups are still where they should be when I shoot out to 400 plus yards.
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Post by broper on Dec 6, 2012 5:49:06 GMT -7
I think there's to much emphasis on being level and how many rounds to shoot before cleaning. I've never taken any great pains with any of my guns. Just mounted and bore sighted my scopes. Went out and dialed it in on a target. Main thing is to not let the barrel get hot. A lot of my guns were just sighted in over the hood of my pickup. I never cleaned after so many shots, just sighted in and cleaned it when I got home. My Rem. 788, .22/250 has always been a super accurate rifle and that's exactly how I sighted and broke it in. Other guns I bought used and have no idea how they were broke in. All of my guns a more accurate than I'm capable of shooting.
Bob
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Post by 72camaro on Dec 6, 2012 7:26:36 GMT -7
I would have never thought that the level of the scope would not be that much of a concern. I would think that the arc of the bullet if the scope was off any amount would make it drop from left to right, or right to left depending on which way it was canted and it would be farther to the side the farther out it was shot, and a little bit at the beginning would mean a lot at the far end.
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Post by broper on Dec 6, 2012 9:10:32 GMT -7
Maybe I've just been lucky but I've never leveled a scope and know of several other people that haven't. Just a few years ago not to many people even heard of doing it. Like I say, I've got some very accurate rifles. My .204 is super accurate and it wasn't leveled, I'd put it up against any other .204.
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Big Ed
Junior Member
Posts: 55
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Post by Big Ed on Dec 6, 2012 17:39:25 GMT -7
Eric you are right on how to break in a barrel. I have done it that way on all of my guns, but I buy all of my guns new. I NEVER buy a use gun just because I don't know what it has been through. I also have a 243 with a 26 in. barrel with a 1 in 14 twist. It soots the 55 grn. nosler really well. When I mount my scopes I use Wheelers ring alianment tools so not to put pressure on the shell of the scope, and also use Innovative Techologies magnetic level tool. I have killed Prairie dogs out to 600 yrds.
good luck with your shooting.
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Big Ed
Junior Member
Posts: 55
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Post by Big Ed on Dec 6, 2012 17:40:20 GMT -7
Eric you are right on how to break in a barrel. I have done it that way on all of my guns, but I buy all of my guns new. I NEVER buy a use gun just because I don't know what it has been through. I also have a 243 with a 26 in. barrel with a 1 in 14 twist. It shoots the 55 grn. nosler really well. When I mount my scopes I use Wheelers ring alianment tools so not to put pressure on the shell of the scope, and also use Innovative Techologies magnetic level tool. I have killed Prairie dogs out to 600 yrds.
good luck with your shooting.
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Post by Eric on Dec 6, 2012 22:40:52 GMT -7
Yeah I never wanted to take a chance at getting the barrel break in process wrong on a new tube since you really only get one shot at it. I didn't know what I was doing so I asked for advice and read a lot of articles before firing the first shot. I inherited a rifle that I know for fact was not broken in following the process I use today. It shoots great groups though. Maybe the key is not getting the barrel hot during break in? I'm a sucker for the FUD (fear uncertainty doubt) and will probably continue the fire/clean/fire/clean repeat process for my own peace of mind. :-)
I'm interested in seeing a thread topic showing pictures of our best groups with load data. Let's see those pictures!
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Post by broper on Dec 7, 2012 5:59:53 GMT -7
Yeah, that's the main thing, don't get the barrel hot. I think I can show you just as many rifles that weren't "broke in" as ones that were and they shoot very well. Like I said none of mine were broken in or had the scopes leveled. I don't think it hurts to do those things but I do think people put to much emphasis on this and get to technical now days. Not very many years ago there weren't many average shooters that even heard of breaking in a barrel and leveling a scope. Anyway tbhese are just my opinions and I'm not trying to talk anybody out of the they want to handle it. The main thing is have fun and enjoy your guns and shooting them.
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Post by idaho556 on Dec 7, 2012 23:01:54 GMT -7
Theirs alot of opinions out there on the world wide web about rifle break. Imo clean it shoot not to fast don't heat the barrel real
hot i shoot about 100 rounds thru it. Take it home clean it take it out shoot it. Now now its broke in I've never had a problem.
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Post by broper on Dec 8, 2012 7:33:31 GMT -7
Hey guys,
I hope nobody thinks I'm trying to argue or be a smart ass. I'm just saying that all this barrel break in, scope leveling that seems to be popular now days just doesn't add up in my experience. I have a Rem. 700, .270 that I bought new in 1967 with a new Weaver 2-7x scope. I mounted the scope, sighted it in at 100 yds. and went hunting with it. I still have that gun with the same scope on it and it will shoot under an inch all day long. My newest rifle is a Rem. 700,.204 that I bought used. I mounted a 4-12x scope on it bore sighted it, fine tuned it at 100 yds. and started shooting and hunting with it. It has turned out to be probably my most accurate rifle, I shot a .169 group at 100 yds. with it. There's been a lot of rifles in between and none of them ever had a scope leveled on them or any special care in breaking in the barrel. I do believe that the barrel shouldn't be allowed to get hot. And that goes for whether breaking in a new barrel or just general shooting. That's my experience and opinion, not trying to talk any body out of breaking in a barrel or mounting a scope in any way they like. Main thing is have fun and enjoy your sport.
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Post by 72camaro on Dec 8, 2012 10:13:01 GMT -7
I'm heading out in a few minutes to sight in, starting from scratch again and I just got through cleaning the barrel again after the 1st 10 rounds, 5 not being able to see any holes in the target from darkness. I should be able to sight and leave it alone except for general cleaning. Thanks.
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Post by 72camaro on Dec 8, 2012 16:10:21 GMT -7
New dilema, barrel not hot but warm and had it shooting under 1AOM and almost .5AOM at 200yds, let it cool completely about an hour and the first shot was about 4" high and slighty to the left of where it was earlier. A couple more shots and it was dropping fast to the correct spot by the third shot. Hope it was an errant bullet. I'm now going to shoot from dead cold a couple times if I get time and see what it does. Bad part, at the range you have to wait for a cold range and if you get there at the wrong time you can wait 20 minutes or more. Happened today and it was 30 minutes as the range master had a lot to say to someone he was talking to.
I need to emphasize, the barrel was never hot, only warm as the air was around 40 degrees in the morning and I didn't look but probably almost 50 degree when I left.
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Its not expensive but in reality if your only shooting to two hundred yards I think you can just eyeball it close enough. Im guessing you'll be shooting the 243 farther than 200 yds though. My brother in law has one and it worked fairly good on my rifle. 
