Barrel Break-In (or how to shorten a barrel's useful life)

[NugginFutz]

But the question is: "Why do you need to completely remove the copper?" BHW's Carl Caudle specifically recommends against using any ammonia based cleaners in order to retain a gilding layer of copper within the barrel. He asserts that it is that thin layer of copper which reduces friction wear on the bare metal of the bore.

Don't get me wrong, Rick - my very best shooter is a .308 which I bought 2nd hand from the LGS. The bore was terribly fouled, and would only deliver mediocre groups. I ran several patches of Tetra through the barrel, with the first 3 or 4 coming out a deep royal blue. It took close to 50 patches to get most of it out. The previous owner apparently didn't own a cleaning rod.

Finally, from the aforementioned article, I quote Mr. McMillan:

I have been a barrel maker a fair amount of time and my barrels have set and reset benchrest world records so many times I quit keeping track (at one time they held 7 at one time) along with High Power, Silhouette, Smallbore national and world records and my instructions were to clean as often as possible preferably every 10 rounds. I inspect every barrel taken off and every new barrel before it is shipped with a bore scope and I will tell you all that I see far more barrels ruined by cleaning rods than I see worn out from normal wear and tear.’

To this end, I have drastically reduced the amount of barrel cleaning all my weapons receive. While I still hit the pistol actions and BCG's with Gun Blast / Brake Cleaner, I don't run the bore brushes but every few hundred rounds, now. Not surprisingly, my groups are every bit as good, and my guns have not been reduced to dirt and ash.