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Putting the Browning X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Long Range rifle with a Leupold VX-3i riflescope through the break-in process. All photo credits: Brady Miller![Barrel Barrel](/uploads/1/1/9/5/119596921/717092910.jpg)
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To assure some standardization always use a distance of either 10 feet or 15 feet to the center of the sky screen support which will give a 'measurement distance' of 10 or 15 feet. Also, keep the chronograph electronics out of the path of direct muzzle blast. For some tips on chronographing and possible problems click here. The lands of the rifle are where the rifling of the barrel starts. If you have a bolt action rifle, you can remove the bolt and look from the rear of the rifle out the front of the barrel. You will see some spirals in the rifle barrel. The spirals give the bullet spin and help it to be more accurate. What is the bullet ogive? “Now and then, 2-3 thousandths change in seating depth can make the difference between average and peak accuracy,” explains Mike Ratigan, Benchrest Hall of Famer and World Champion, in Extreme Rifle Accuracy. Wow, 0.002-0.003 inches in bullet jump can sometimes make the difference! Movie pirates of the caribbean the curse of the black pearl. Barrel Vibratory Nodes Generally speaking the velocities at which the vibratory node of the barrel is in a null or minimum movement condition are 120-130 fps apart. Since no two rifles are exactly the same, there will be relatively minor variances from rifle to rifle. At a distance of 100-540 yards, there was no discernible difference in accuracy between various barrel lengths. This performance translated over to unknown distance shooting with all barrel lengths at ranges out to 900 yards.
How to break-in a new rifle barrel
Putting the Browning X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Long Range rifle with a Leupold VX-3i riflescope through the break-in process. All photo credits: Brady Miller
Let’s face it, getting a new rifle doesn’t happen very often. So when you finally decide on the rifle and caliber of your choice, a few simple steps should be taken to ensure you and your rifle will have many great years together. Some people might say you don’t need to break in a new rifle barrel and others will say it’s a must do procedure. My opinion, it can’t hurt to break in a new barrel. I'm also reminded of a quote from Col. Townsend Whelen, 'Only accurate rifles are interesting.' That furthers my drive to ensure I do what I can to have a repeatable rifle.
How Far Apart Are Rifle Barrel Accuracy Nodes In Neck
I’ve read a lot of things on this subject (mostly during the random years when I decide to pick up a new gun) and it seems that most people will agree that a rifle break-in period is a good thing. Each time you do this, understand that this isn’t a hurry up and shoot several rounds and call it good. If I’m breaking in a new rifle barrel, I like to get to my shooting area very early in the morning and prepare for at least 25-30 shots and possibly five hours of your time.
What items do you need?
- At least 30-50 rounds of ammo
- Comfortable shooting area
- Cleaning equipment (see list here)
What's the purpose?
Basically, the process of breaking in a new barrel is essentially just conditioning the barrel to smooth everything out (remove small burrs). Some barrel materials may take more rounds, others might not need much at all. Keep in mind that you don't want to burn your barrel up in this process. Rifle barrels don't last forever, so like I mention at the end of this article, if your rifle shoots great using half the steps, then call it good.
Steps to break-in a new rifle barrel
Step 1
After getting set up at your shooting location, take one shot and then go through your preferred method for cleaning a rifle barrel.
You don’t need a thorough deep clean here, but you can follow a simple process for cleaning your rifle barrel here. At this stage, don’t really worry about where you’re hitting. I like to place a target at close range for this process, just for something to aim at. But, to save some time while this barrel break-in process is going on, I’ll also make some small adjustments to my scope so I’m hitting paper.
Step 2
![Barrel Barrel](/uploads/1/1/9/5/119596921/717092910.jpg)
Repeat step one for the first 10 shots through your barrel. This process will take you a while because you’re cleaning your rifle between each shot. Also, cleaning your rifle between each shot allows for your barrel to cool down. Depending on the size of your barrel, the cooling time can vary. I like to wait at least 5 to 10 minutes, but sometimes I will wait a full 20 minutes for a true cold bore shot (a true cold bore shot isn't really needed in this stage).
Step 3
Next, shoot a three round group and then clean your barrel. Again, don’t really worry where your bullets are hitting.
You will do this step for a total of fifteen rounds, so you will repeat the three shot and clean for a total of five sessions.
Step 4
Finally, you’ll want to shoot five rounds and then clean your barrel. After you’ve cleaned the barrel, you’ll want to take a foul shot.
Step 5
Now you can shoot three rounds to test for accuracy if you want, or call it day. From here on out, your rifle is now ready to handle anything you throw at it.
Now to throw you a curve..
Let’s say you take out a new rifle and shoot your first few rounds through the barrel and your shots are all sub or MOA accurate. You take several more shot and they are still grouping perfectly. In this situation, you can probably just stop right there. Every barrel has different life expectancies, so after figuring out that your new rifle shoots great, it might be best to spend the rest of your time at a later date testing loads and sighting in your rifle.
In conclusion
Here's a summary of the steps:
- Take one shot. Clean the barrel.
- Repeat for 10 shots.
- Shoot a 3 shot group. Clean the barrel.
- Repeat for 15 shots.
- Shoot five rounds. Clean the barrel.
- Take a foul shot.
- Shoot three rounds for accuracy.
People might be on the fence if a barrel break-in process is necessary, but I lean toward to side of caution and will gladly spend the time to slowly shoot a new rifle that I want to get plenty years out of.
Introduction
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The debate of whether the 5.56x45mm round is effective in the M16 platform has been around since they first came into service, replacing the M14 which sported the 7.62x51mm cartridge. The round and rifle have both proven themselves in the last 50+ years, and the debate (mainly) has been put to rest. In this post, I wanted to touch on the specifics of the 5.56mm round, and then discuss the round in Short Barrel Rifle applications, especially since they have been increasing in popularity as Personal Defense Weapons (PDWs). For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to the 5.56mm, but the same information applies to .223 rounds as well, although you should never shoot 5.56 ammunition in a rifle chambered for .223, while a weapon chambered in 5.56 can accommodate both 5.56 and .223.
5.56x45mm Wounding Mechanisms
The round is very effective in certain scenarios because of two effects not seen in most other rounds: tumbling and fragmentation.
Tumbling
At the proper velocity, the round tumbles and yaws when it enters the body, causing massive damage to the immediate and surrounding tissue. This creates a massive wound channel.
Fragmentation
As the round tumbles, it also breaks apart, with the smaller pieces diverging out and further damaging surrounding tissue.
These two wounding mechanisms are how the round overcomes its shortcomings compared to other larger and heavier rounds. These mechanisms, however, are linked to velocity. Under a certain velocity, the round fails to tumble and fragment, in which case the main damage seen is a .224″ hole in the body.
Velocity and Barrel Length
Many people believe that shorter barrels are less accurate than longer barrels. This is false. In reality, shorter barrels result in lower velocities for the exiting bullet. Inside the casing, the primer detonation ignites the gun powder. As the powder ignites and heats, the gas inside rapidly expands, propelling the bullet down the barrel. Think of it as expansion of gas, not an explosion. The 5.56 was designed for the M16, which features a 20 inch barrel, and the bullet uses all of this length to get up to a velocity of 3,000 feet per second. So as the barrel length is decreased, the bullet exit velocity also decreases, since the gases don’t have enough time to get the bullet up to speed before the bullet is expelled. Here is chart showing barrel length vs velocity for the 63 grain M855 round (image courtesy of safedefensejournal.com):
Note the red line on the chart. Below this 2500 ft/sec, full metal jacket rounds will not reliably fragment. Basically, any AR with a barrel under approximately 9.5″ will never be able to expel a projectile over fragmentation velocity. A 10.5″ barrel will launch a projectile over this barrier, but air resistance/drag will quickly slow it down to under frag velocity in around 25-50 yards. Even going with an 11 or 12 inch barrel will still only get you to around 75 yards max. By the time you get a little longer, you effectively lose the advantage an SBR altogether.
At this point, if you have an SBR or AR pistol, you are probably getting depressed. You’ve put in a lot of money and time to get a cool tool that you would bet your life on. You may even be shooting sub MOA at 100 yards and now you think it wouldn’t be effective at that range. Well, a .224″ hole through your body is not something you easily walk away from. But, there is additional consideration: ammo selection.
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Ammo
Up to this point, all we have discussed is the military application of these rounds and rifle combination. The military has its hands tied with the Hague Convention (commonly misattributed to the Geneva Convention) which states that we will not use expanding or hollow-point ammunition in a war environment. Luckily, civilians are not bound by these rules and can run a variety of ammo.
The best choice for self defense ammo in SBRs is the expansive variety: Hollow Points (HPs), Soft Points (SPs), and copper expanding bullets are all good options for your load out. I would advise to stay away from Open Tip Match (OTM) rounds, as most were primarily designed for superb accuracy and a super flat trajectory, but not for penetration or expansion. A good resource for ammo specifics can be found here: Self Defense Ammo by AR15.com
And a vast amount of info on wound ballistics and ammo choices: Wound Ballistics and Accuracy of Ammo
How Far Apart Are Rifle Barrel Accuracy Nodes In Back
BarnesTSX 70 gr Copper Projectile
How Far Apart Are Rifle Barrel Accuracy Nodes Made
My Rifle
My SHTF weapon is a 10.5 AR-15 SBR in 5.56. I do have a 300 Blackout in the same length that I would prefer, but finding ammo if I was forced from my home would be near impossible. And even if I ran out of my expanding ammo for the 5.56 and had to use milsurp ball ammo, it would still beat throwing rocks. You may ask why I wouldn’t choose my 16″ AR-15 for my get-out-of-Dodge weapon. For starters, if I were to need to use my weapon in a defensive situation, it would be close quarters, as anything farther would warrant Escape and Evasion maneuvers, in which an SBR would be more handy. Also, after doing a few bug out drills with that rifle which included 10+ miles of humping my ruck and weapons, I decided having something light and maneuverable was more important than a few hundred FPS. Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain, as they say.
Summary
After you have chosen some ammo, make sure your rifle eats that ammo like candy. It wouldn’t hurt to pick out a few different types of ammo (FMJ, HP, SP) and stagger them in your magazines. The FMJ would suffice if you need penetration through an object first (glass, door, etc.) then the expansive type for direct contact. No matter what you choose to keep for your SBR, range time and training are always just as, if not more, important. In the words of Wyatt Earp, “Fast is fine, but accuracy is final”.
Stay Frosty.
References/Additional Reading