What is the Best Way to Break-in a Barrel?
There are three schools of thought on barrel break-in. First, famed barrel-maker Gail McMillan believed “less is more”. Simply shoot five shots, clean, shoot another five shots, clean, and then clean every 5-10 shots or so over the life of the barrel. He argued that the “one-shot, one-clean” ritual was a gimmick devised by barrel makers to wear out barrels more quickly so they can sell more product. He rightly points out that every shot down the tube just reduces your barrel’s maximum accuracy life. The second school of thought, with Krieger in this camp, suggests to shoot and clean after every shot for 5 shots, then again after every 3 shots, until fouling is not noticeable: “Initially you should perform the shoot-one-shot-and-clean cycle for five cycles. If fouling hasn’t reduced, fire five more cycles and so on until fouling begins to drop off. At that point shoot three shots before cleaning and observe. If fouling is reduced, fire five shots before cleaning.” Full Article. The thir
