Videos & Maintenance Tips

Slide Fire SSAR-15 installation

How to Buy a Gun Online

Breaking in a New Barrel

We've received a number of requests regarding what we believe to be the best way to break in a new barrel, so it seemed appropriate to address that here. We recommend the following for the first 10 shots using jacketed bullets with nitro (Smokeless) powder loads. When buying ammo, please consider a reputable manufacture. An unknown origin and past history can have harsh effect on your bore and chamber. Corrosive and non-corrosive military surplus is cheaper, but can cause inconsistency in performance when age is unknown. Also, ammo improperly stored (allowed to freeze) and ammo with unknown pressure due to extreme heat and vibration during years of transport can be a factor in performance.

After firing each bullet, use a good copper cleaner to remove the copper fouling from the barrel. After shot 6 or 7, you'll note, you will not be able to see any copper residue on the filing, but continue the process of cleaning after each shot until all 10 have been fired.

This method is nothing more than insurance that the burnishing process has been completed. In fact, what you have accomplished is closing the pores of the barrel metal which had been opened and exposed through the cutting and lapping procedures. By the way, the same process applies to firing lead bullets and black powder with one exception, show two bullets before cleaning and follow that procedure until 30 rounds have been fired. Using harder lead bullets will help speed up the process if you have them. Following this procedure, your barrel should shoot cleaner and develop less fouling for the remainder of its useful shooting life.