Hector's advice on running in a new barrel

[fwbsport]

I've never cleaned a pellet gun barrel bore in all my life except to have been guilty of firing cotton shot wads by Beeman out the bore to smear grease all over the wall I was aiming at to catch the cotton pellets!

I have ruined a few bores from cleaning in the powder realm but never was tempted to ever clean out a pellet rifle bore.  I do notice times when a short time or longer time of shooting runs into "problems" but I shoot those every time.  Each time I think MAYBE I need to run a brush or patch or oil or solvent or a cord with a ball down the bore the problem disappears without me acting on it.

I call those "rollover" moments with a rifle like a lake has to turnover with all the fish in it every few years (and all the dead fish are everywhere).  The rifle just needed a few more pellets to scrape out whatever was in there if anything.

I also change pellets from one weight to the next and brand to the next because I shoot what's on hand.  I have lights and heavies too.  Then I have to recheck the zero to change pellets--but I can do that in 5 or 6 shots standing.

[Mrblonde40]

Thanks Hector.  I did in bore paste a few weeks ago.  I always give it a good cleaning in the winter.  Don't know if it actually "needs" it but otherwise I don't feel like I'm treating it right.  Accuracy is quite good, John in PA tuned it.  Can't equal that 65 shot group of yours in that article, I must say that was impressive.  But the gun has done the same for 19 out of 20 shot group, so I can't complain.

[Springrrrr]

Just another opinion here that may be valid or not.

Cleaning after a group of shots is a method of insuring a pellet makes contact with the high and low spots in a machined barrel.

I have had good success by swabbing new barrels with JB bore paste that pretty much does the same thing.  It takes off the micro high spots and smooths out the barrel's internals just like the shooting process does.  A lot of time and pellets get saved using this method.

[JohnnyPDX]

Sorry if I skimmed too much but it seems this break-in method is just for springers?

[HectorMedina]

Just another opinion here that may be valid or not.

Cleaning after a group of shots is a method of insuring a pellet makes contact with the high and low spots in a machined barrel.

I have had good success by swabbing new barrels with JB bore paste that pretty much does the same thing.  It takes off the micro high spots and smooths out the barrel's internals just like the shooting process does.  A lot of time and pellets get saved using this method.

Bob;

Yes and no.

When you polish a bore with JB bore paste, you usually use a swab (as I infer from your entry). A swab is "spongy" by definition, and so it will polish the "high" and the "low" spots more or less equally.
Using the pellet as the cleaning body has the advantage that, dimensions-wise "lead is dead"; it is a metal that has no "spring", so you attack the "high" spots more thoroughly than the "low" spots, and therefore achieve, not only a smooth surface, but also more UNIFORM internal dimensions AND surface.

AGAIN, ALL opinions are valid. The MAIN thing here is to understand (even if we opt NOT to do it), the mechanics of the process.

Thanks for reading, keep well and shoot straight!






HM

[HectorMedina]

Sorry if I skimmed too much but it seems this break-in method is just for springers?

Nope!

This method works in almost ANYTHING that has a barrel (Except for the super-polished and then hard-chromed barrels).

Now, that it works for the barrels does not mean it works for all shooters, LOL!

I know we live in the times of the "sound-byte" and the 5 seconds commercials, it is up to each one of us to "disconnect" from this "maelström", to devote time to what is truly important: Family, Health (mental also), G'd,  whatever is in your priorities.

Take your time, and smell the roses . . .   ;-)

Keep well and shoot straight!





HM

[mac]

Hector, thank you for explaining how to and why. It makes sense and I plan on doing it to my next new one.

[fwbsport]

Instead of cleaning bores I will be smelling the roses in an easy chair preparing for another volley of pellets to send downrange into their own Maelstroms..........

[HectorMedina]

Instead of cleaning bores I will be smelling the roses in an easy chair preparing for another volley of pellets to send downrange into their own Maelstroms..........

John;

At least in the D54, someone else did that for you . . .  ;-)

Keep well and shoot straight!




HM

[RBQChicken]

In the end, it's all about what you want to get out of an activity, because, as with ALL things in life, and even life ITSELF: you get back depending on how much you put into it.
;-)
Keep well and shoot straight!
HM

Hmmmm... 
Homer Simpson taught me that if a thing isn't easy, it's not worth doing.
....now I'm confused 

[3 at 8]

Hector; not to beat a dead horse here but just want to confirm. The patches you're pulling through with your Otis kit between shots are DRY patches with NO solvent; as a solvent of any kind would be counterintuitive as the solvent would lift out the residues we want in place as the pressures from the residues are essentially at our advantage to smooth things uniformly? I do the initial (new gun) cleaning with Goo Gone and pull through with a Crown Saver until clean patches (similar to the Otis system). I've got an extra 20-25 min and would like to give this a try for its first shots. Just wanted to confirm that they are DRY patches only between shots. Thanks

[HectorMedina]

In the end, it's all about what you want to get out of an activity, because, as with ALL things in life, and even life ITSELF: you get back depending on how much you put into it.
;-)
Keep well and shoot straight!
HM

Hmmmm... 
Homer Simpson taught me that if a thing isn't easy, it's not worth doing.
....now I'm confused 

Then you must have British ancestry.

;-)


HM

[HectorMedina]

Hector; not to beat a dead horse here but just want to confirm. The patches you're pulling through with your Otis kit between shots are DRY patches with NO solvent; as a solvent of any kind would be counterintuitive as the solvent would lift out the residues we want in place as the pressures from the residues are essentially at our advantage to smooth things uniformly? I do the initial (new gun) cleaning with Goo Gone and pull through with a Crown Saver until clean patches (similar to the Otis system). I've got an extra 20-25 min and would like to give this a try for its first shots. Just wanted to confirm that they are DRY patches only between shots. Thanks

No problem 3 at 8!

YES, all the patches are DRY.

As I have explained, and you understood correctly: "cleaners" of any kind (solvents are one of them), would "lift" those small particles we are USING to polish and burnish our bore.

Yes you understood correctly.

Good luck and keep us posted!





HM

[Struckat]

This is a very interesting thread. About the time it started, I ordered a 22 barrel for my HW95.

Took a long time to get here but finally arrived two days ago. So I determined to give this procedure a try with an unfired barrel.

First thing was clean with googone to get all the brown out. Then I gave it ten strokes with a mop and JB polish. Then cleaned it again. Wow the patches pull through easier after the polish.

Then installed the barrel and began shooting. This is my first 22 so I did some speed readings with the first five shots. I was getting 197mps or about 646fps consistent for the first five shots with CPHP 14.3s.

Then I followed Hectors procedure through 300 shots. This morning I checked velocity again to find it shooting a consistent 205mps or about 672fps.

So I will now continue to shoot and see how it goes. Small sample, but these are my results so far.

[HectorMedina]

This is a very interesting thread. About the time it started, I ordered a 22 barrel for my HW95.

Took a long time to get here but finally arrived two days ago. So I determined to give this procedure a try with an unfired barrel.

First thing was clean with googone to get all the brown out. Then I gave it ten strokes with a mop and JB polish. Then cleaned it again. Wow the patches pull through easier after the polish.

Then installed the barrel and began shooting. This is my first 22 so I did some speed readings with the first five shots. I was getting 197mps or about 646fps consistent for the first five shots with CPHP 14.3s.

Then I followed Hectors procedure through 300 shots. This morning I checked velocity again to find it shooting a consistent 205mps or about 672fps.

So I will now continue to shoot and see how it goes. Small sample, but these are my results so far.

Thanks, Kurt!

Keep well, shoot straight and keep us posted.







HM