Breaking in the new PIF

[Fatman]

DPMS's printed instruction say to clean the chamber and bore after every shot for 25 shots, every 10th round up to 100 rounds, to achieve best results for accuracy.

It's a giving I'm following the manufacture's recommendation, so my question is this: bore snaking good enough, or should I actually get in there with a brush?

I'm new to this, and believe the only stupid question is one that goes unasked - so I'm asking. 

[Rastus]

DPMS's printed instruction say to clean the chamber and bore after every shot for 25 shots, every 10th round up to 100 rounds, to achieve best results for accuracy.

It's a giving I'm following the manufacture's recommendation, so my question is this: bore snaking good enough, or should I actually get in there with a brush?

I'm new to this, and believe the only stupid question is one that goes unasked - so I'm asking. 

I use a brush on my AR's.  My opinion, for what it is worth, is that boresnakes are good for lever actions and for touch up between thorough cleanings.  Maybe it's the barrels I have on my AR's...but the AR seems to be much dirtier (gas system?) than bolt actions, etc., and require more effort and soak time to get clean.

[1776 Rebel]

I'd recommend the following:

JP Bore guide
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=115057

Carbon cleaning rod
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=342014

I use tipton brushes and jags and good old Hoppe's #9. (full strokes by the way with the brush. One push all the way to exit the barrel. Then pull it all the way back. With the patches and using a jag, you get one pass thru the barrel to exit and drop it on the table by the muzzle. Keep using new wet patches for these passes until clean. Then shoot next shot. The most important thing is to not screw up the crown of the muzzle in any way.)

By the way, you could also take a look at Tubbs ammo for break in to speed things up.

www.davidtubb.com

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=380492

[tombogan03884]

I use a brush on my AR's.  My opinion, for what it is worth, is that boresnakes are good for lever actions and for touch up between thorough cleanings.  Maybe it's the barrels I have on my AR's...but the AR seems to be much dirtier (gas system?) than bolt actions, etc., and require more effort and soak time to get clean.

Rastus, Yes, the reason your AR seems dirtier is because the "gas impingement" operating system blows hot muzzle gasses back into the action much like " gas Blow back" (it vents into that little tube at the top of the bolt carrier).
Gas piston systems on replacement uppers run cleaner, AS I UNDERSTAND IT (help me out here guy's/gal )because the gasses cool while pushing the piston back and so do not bake themselves on to the parts.

DPMS's printed instruction say to clean the chamber and bore after every shot for 25 shots, every 10th round up to 100 rounds, to achieve best results for accuracy.

It's a giving I'm following the manufacture's recommendation, so my question is this: bore snaking good enough, or should I actually get in there with a brush?

I'm new to this, and believe the only stupid question is one that goes unasked - so I'm asking. 

To get back to the OP, I would use a brush, again this is only my understanding of it and could be wrong, (heaven forbid !    ) But what you are doing with the "break in " period is smoothing and more or less honing the inside of the barrel.  Machining raises burrs and small flakes of metal, it also disrupts the way the metal molecules lay in relation to each other, the "Break in " process brushes them into line and smooths out the minor irregularities caused by the force of being machined.
An example of this , when I used to do "Sheet metal Fabrication"  all our aluminum parts were run through a flat sander before forming, some alloys if run parallel  to the bend line would crack, as the molecules were separated, but if sanded at 90 degrees to the bend there was no problem as each molecule would bend and no stress was placed between them.

[TSB]

An example of this , when I used to do "Sheet metal Fabrication"  all our aluminum parts were run through a flat sander before forming, some alloys if run parallel  to the bend line would crack, as the molecules were separated, but if sanded at 90 degrees to the bend there was no problem as each molecule would bend and no stress was placed between them.

Exactly right, even on the bias would help in the forming process.

As for most AR barrels, are they not chromium lined as well?

[Sponsor]

[Fatman]

So basically half-field strip, clean with brush/cleaner, reassemble, shoot, repeat til numb. My range will love me! 

[tombogan03884]

So basically half-field strip, clean with brush/cleaner, reassemble, shoot, repeat til numb. My range will love me! 

No, Lock back the bolt and punch the bore if you use a muzzle protector.

[tombogan03884]

Exactly right, even on the bias would help in the forming process.

As for most AR barrels, are they not chromium lined as well?

Yes, that's what we did with parts with bends on several sides like boxes.
Many AR barrels are chrome lined, but not all.

[TSB]

Yes, that's what we did with parts with bends on several sides like boxes.

We do a lot of forming on inconel, hastalloy and other Haynes high temp alloys.  They can be real hinky when you bend against the grain as well.  At 90 to 300 bucks a pound, you don't want to make things worse.  Lots of variables to conisder...

[PegLeg45]

I pretty much do it the way 1776 outlined except I throw in a few passes with JB Bore cleaner and Bore Bright on a cotton patch wrapped around a brush for a tight fit. Then follow with Hoppe's.

I do it 1 shot and clean, for 10 shots.
Then 2 shots and clean, for 10 shots.
Then 5 shots and clean, for 20 shots.
Tedious, but has worked for me.
Takes up 2 boxes of ammo.




As a side note on the aluminum forming, aluminum will harden (temper) on it's own over time (a few weeks). We used to heat treat (rapid aging) our alloys in ovens. For example, alloy 6063-T6 was aircraft grade soft alloy that was heated to 350 degrees for 6 hours. After aging, the extruded aluminum would crack if bent or formed against the extrusion grain. If we needed to form it for a home-made part, we just heated it up with a rosebud torch to around 400 degrees and let it slowly cool. Then we could shape it any way we needed to. Just like annealing and tempering steel, just at lower temps.