Breaking in a new Pac-Nor barrel

[esshup]

I know this may be controversial to some, but I have this question.

With the new Pac-Nor barrel is a slip of paper regarding the break-in procedure. Now, I know that it won't work with sabots, and I am a believer in breaking in a new barrel, especially for the ease in clean-up.

So, my thoughts are to use a cheap jacketed bullet, that will obturate easily. I don't give a rats ass about accuracy, all I want to do is break in the barrel. While I do have the barrel drop, I really don't want to have to order a die.

Is there a cheap bullet that you guys would recomend that I wouldn't have to engrave with the rifling, and would obturate easily, or would I have to pre-engrave the bullets using the barrel drop? If so, I'm thinking that I could use the barrel drop in my reloading press and fab up something to shove the bullets thru the barrel drop.

I do have a breechplug tool that allows me to remove it without dropping the bolt, even tho I also have the 3rd pillar.

Yeah, I know the break in procedue is a PITA, and it takes a good 1/2 day or longer to accomplish depending on the quality of the barrel, but I want to do it for consistency's sake.

Has anybody done it before?

So, it really boils down to 3 questions:
1) What bullet to use?
2) Has anybody done it before?
3) What powder charge?

[fishhawk]

Breaking in a barrel is to smooth out any burrs etc. where the chamber was cut with the reamer. With no chamber, nothing to break in IMO.

[onecardchuck]

esshup,

fishhawk is right there is no barrel break in needed.

Since the barrels are lapped there is no need to break in the lands or grooves of the barrel.
You can look at my range report I did which was the first time I ever shot mine. Even though it
was sabotless it was not to break in the barrel it was just what I wanted to try.

dougsmessageboards.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=smokeless&action=display&thread=9528

But if you really want to break it in anyway you can:

I would take a thinner jacketed .451 bullet the cheaper ones are speer's, and some others to accomplish what you want. Cover the bearing surface of the bullet with some bullet lube and using a press you can press these bullets through your barrel drop, which will lightly engrave the bullets similar to what I do with the Full Form Die from Tom Post. Wipe the bullet off when done and they are good to go. You will have to put a wad either wool or veggie behind the bullet to get the load to go bang.

Any of the book loads would be fine to use as they will obdurate the thin jacketed bullet.

Hope this helps,

[esshup]

Thanks guys. I was under the impression that barrel break-in was to remove some of the microscopic "hilltops" that were left in the barrel when they cut the lands/grooves. In my reading it has nothing to do with the chamber/throat area. In the fire one/clean part of the break-in process, it's to make sure that no copper & powder fouling build up over itself, in layers. Then once you are thru the fire one/clean portion of the process, the fire 3/clean process is to help "season" the barrel for lack of a better term, plus it helps smooth out the barrel. At the end of the session, the barrel should feel a lot smoother, and it will foul less (or clean up quicker/easier, however you want to look at it).

I just did that with my buddy's new Vanguard 30-06 and the barrel went from having to almost pound the cleaning rod down the barrel with a patch and jag, and taking 50 patches to get all the copper out of the barrel after 1 shot to being able to push the ramrod/jag/patch down the barrel with one hand and minimal pressure. The barrel cleans up with 10 or less patches now after 3 shots.

I was thinking of doing this with full bore jacketed bullets to minimize the amount of plastic fouling/powder fouling in the bore. I have yet to find a sabot solvent, and I've tried them all by soaking a sabot in the solvent overnight. None of the so called plastic solvents changed the sabot in any way. Plus it might lessed the loading pressure that's required.

I tried shoving a 250g Shockwave Blem thru the barrel drop in my metallic reloading press lubed with Imperial Sizing wax and it was a no-go. Time to hit the hydraulic press at the neighbors garage.

[onecardchuck]

esshup,

The main reason I was saying break in is not necessary is because the barrels are what you call lapped to match grade, which translates into a negligible amount of burr's, hills/valley etc...

Although no barrel is perfect it probably is not necessary as these barrels are smooth as a baby's but loading wise.

I do not know how heavy your reloading press is but the Shockwave's are not the thinnest jacketed bullets out there, but if that is what you have to work with you will probably need 1 ton for sure maybe closer to a 2 ton press to get the bullets through. Also, be sure to lube up the inside of the barrel drop as that will make things easier.

Good luck,

[dannoboone]

This ain't no Savage barrel you're talking about here. Have you
checked the accuracy of your barrel yet? If it is as accurate as
mine is (correct load/sabot combo) with practically one hole groups,
I would not attempt any kind of "break in" procedure that could, in
any way, effect the accuracy! PacNor sends that little note with
every barrel they ship.

I got a glass jar of Brownells Shotgun Wad Solvent that worked
well with the buildup of plastic in the .50 Savage barrel. It didn't
seem to actually dissolve the plastic, but got in between the
buildup and barrel so that it could be cleaned out with a patch.
They also sold a sabot solvent, but it's the same stuff with a
different label at a higher price.

After a few dozen shots with the then new PN barrel, I used
the Wad Solvent on it. Result.......absolutely no black, plastic
slivers on the patch that would have been on the Savage
barrel.

[esshup]

Nope, I haven't finished re-bedding it. I'm letting the release agent dry while I type this, then the AccuraGlas Gel will be mixed and applied. All that I have to do is the recoil lug area as I swapped the factory recoil lug to the Sharp Shooter Supply one. I won't be shooting it 'till Saturday.

The reloading press that I have is a RCBS rockchucker (the newer one for longer cases) but my neighbor has a hydraulic press that's rated in excess of 50 tons. I wanted to try the SST Blems that I have because I still have a bunch of them.

I was just thinking that if I were to shoot/clean sabotless for the first 40 shots like the paper says that it'd make it smoother inside, and clean up easier.

I've got some other rifles that were rebarreled with high dollar barrels, and there was a break-in procedure with them all. I realize that this ain't a "factory" barrel, but even so there gotta be small imperfections in the barrel that will be smoothed out by shooting bore sized copper jacketed projectiles down it.

Maybe I'm jumping the gun before I even shove a sabot/bullet down the barrel. I'll do that first.

A number of years ago I took all the known "sabot" solvents out there, and put a couple of ounces of each in it's own small glass screw top jar. Each one also had a couple of different mfg. sabots dropped in them. Even after sitting in the "solvents" for a week, there was no discernable change in the sabots, so for them to be called sabot solvents is a misnomer. None of them dissolved any of the plastic whatsoever.

The best carbon/powder residue remover that I've found so far is the Hoppe's Elite. Montana X-Treme makes a great copper remover (BMG), but don't let it sit in the barrel for any length of time.

[onecardchuck]

esshup,

Like I said if it makes you feel better go right ahead and do I do not think it will hurt a thing.

I am surprised the rock chucker could do the job that is what I use pushing .458 bullets through the full form die from Tom Post and I can even get the solid coppers through it, but I do have to get some leverage and really crank the solid coppers through.

Good luck,

[esshup]

Thanks. Mine isn't mounted as solidly as I'd like - it's on a movable pedestal from Midway. While it's stable enough for loading and resizing, I don't want to lean on it too hard.

[dannoboone]

Chuck, what are you guys using as a stem or whatever to push
the bullets through when using a press?

[Dave W]

I have a hardened pin with a head made to fit the shell holder. Sort of looks like a round headed bolt with no threads.

[onecardchuck]

dannoboone,

What Dave W said is what came with my full form dye it is a hardened pin that the head of it fits neatly into the shell holder slot of the plunger, and of course the body fits inside the full form dye which has part of my barrel drop built into it.