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Break In Procedures for Northern Competition Barrels
We recommend the following break in procedure after
installation of your new barrel is complete. For the first 10 shots we
recommend jacketed bullets with a nitro powder load. After firing each
bullet use a good copper cleaner (one that has ammonia-Butches bore cleaner)
to remove copper fouling from the barrel.
We do not recommend anything with an abrasive in it since you are trying to seal the barrel, not keep it agitated. If you look into the end of the barrel after firing a shot, you will see a light copper colored wash in the barrel. This must be removed before firing the next shot. Somewhere in the procedure at around shot 6 or 7, it will be obvious that the copper color is no longer appearing in the barrel.
Continue applications thru shot 10. In theory what you have just accomplished is the closing of the pores of the barrel metal, which have been opened and exposed thru the cutting and lapping procedure.
In between cleaning, let the barrel cool for five minutes before firing the next shot. When you shoot and clean your barrel, you are giving your barrel a memory to return to its natural point of aim so your barrel will be more accurate. After you clean your barrel, get a bottle of Windex. When you finish cleaning your barrel, run a wet patch of Windex thru the barrel. What you are doing is lifting what is left of the cleaning solvents away from the rifling. Then run a dry patch thru the barrel to pick up the excess left and let the barrel dry. It will take about 10 – 15 seconds to air dry. If you don’t do this to clean out the solvents that are in your barrel and you fire the next round to break in your barrel, or at the practice, or match, the bullet will go down the barrel and the fluid left in the barrel will create a hydraulic film around the bullet and it not sealing against the rifling to burnish the barrel steel. This procedure should be done after every break in round and before you shoot at practice or in a match, so you have a good dry bore so your first round is on call out of a cold barrel.
We do not recommend anything with an abrasive in it since you are trying to seal the barrel, not keep it agitated. If you look into the end of the barrel after firing a shot, you will see a light copper colored wash in the barrel. This must be removed before firing the next shot. Somewhere in the procedure at around shot 6 or 7, it will be obvious that the copper color is no longer appearing in the barrel.
Continue applications thru shot 10. In theory what you have just accomplished is the closing of the pores of the barrel metal, which have been opened and exposed thru the cutting and lapping procedure.
In between cleaning, let the barrel cool for five minutes before firing the next shot. When you shoot and clean your barrel, you are giving your barrel a memory to return to its natural point of aim so your barrel will be more accurate. After you clean your barrel, get a bottle of Windex. When you finish cleaning your barrel, run a wet patch of Windex thru the barrel. What you are doing is lifting what is left of the cleaning solvents away from the rifling. Then run a dry patch thru the barrel to pick up the excess left and let the barrel dry. It will take about 10 – 15 seconds to air dry. If you don’t do this to clean out the solvents that are in your barrel and you fire the next round to break in your barrel, or at the practice, or match, the bullet will go down the barrel and the fluid left in the barrel will create a hydraulic film around the bullet and it not sealing against the rifling to burnish the barrel steel. This procedure should be done after every break in round and before you shoot at practice or in a match, so you have a good dry bore so your first round is on call out of a cold barrel.