r/canadaguns • u/TheJuJuGuy • Mar 25 '26
Application / Regulation advice Does anyone else "break in" their .22lr rifles?
Just wondering others take on barle break in on .22 long rifle firearms. By that I mean the shoot once, clean, shoot twice, clean, etcetera. I wouldn't think it's that necessary with a rim fire cartridge, but I still do.
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u/Bubbafett33 Mar 25 '26
Nope.
A few pulls with a bore snake when it comes out of the box to make sure there's no manufacturer schmutz in there, and away you go.
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u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Mar 25 '26
Nope.
Just clean it before you shoot it. There's probably anti-corrosion oil on it and that can cause issues.
Otherwise, go blast a bunch of ammo.
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u/ProtoJazz Mar 26 '26
I'm always surprised at the number of people online I see posting stuff like "I bought this new today and its terrible, it's super hard to cycle" or whatever the complaint is. And they haven't bothered to clean it before using it.
Like no wonder a round doesn't fit in the chamber easily, there's a bunch of oil coating it that's turned to goo
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u/Terrorcuda17 Mar 26 '26
I'm really thinking an SKS should be everyone's first rifle. You really learn everything that you need to clean when you get one of those lol.
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u/CanadianBoyEh Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Nope. Run a patch or two down the barrel to get the factory grease/oil out and then go shoot. Clean at a regular interval after that.
Centerfire doesn’t need it either. The traditional “shoot 1, clean, shoot 3, clean etc” procedure has been proven to do nothing but burn time and ammo for no benefit.
Barrels do “break in”, but that happens with firing. In the first 50-200rnds (caliber depending) your muzzle velocity will generally get a bit faster, and then stabilize. No amount of cleaning or not during that initial process will change anything.
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u/Poffertjes_lover Mar 26 '26
I put mine in the dryer for a cycle just to knock the “newness” out of it
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u/Status_Ticket5044 Mar 25 '26
Except for the RF-224, no. Swab out any factory excesses and go to town. Snake out the barrel and swab any crap you can reach inside the action after use. Tear down clean every 1500 to 2000 rounds.
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u/NeruLight Mar 26 '26
I think I had to put like, 600 rounds of CCI suppressor and quiet through my chiappa bandit bootleg, because it was jamming cases shooting high velocity stuff. I feel like it’s broken in now though because I shot a couple hundred Remington SV last weekend and no issues. For my Adler Rf224, likewise, it was fussy but now that I have well over a thousand through it, it’s better. My new Ruger 10/22 I didn’t do anything, just immediately went hard with the 597 adapter and drum mags. I got the odd stove pipe, and they get just stinking filthy, so I broke it down and cleaned after 500 or so. It would be a challenge for me to let a .22 go 1000 without full cleaning. Then again, I usually boresnake after every shoot, no matter how little fired.
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u/Response-Cheap Mar 26 '26
I just dry jam a honey dipped timbit down the barrel with a cleaning rod, then it's off to the races.
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Mar 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Response-Cheap Mar 26 '26
Idk lately a variety pack of timbits comes with a 50/50 mix of honey dipped and old fashioned, and an apology. I forget what options they're supposed to have..
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Mar 26 '26
I rush home, then drink at least 8 beer and smoke half a joint, then tear the gun to pieces without taking a picture of anything. When I wake up in the morning to my newly purchased gun puzzle I remind myself that the firing pin is beside the bottle of Red Hot in the kitchen where I had a munchy fry up. I put it back together with as few extra pieces as possible and go shoot it.
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u/scottsuplol Mar 25 '26
I clean it then I shoot if I’m not lazy I’ll clean it every time sometimes not.
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u/_Shorty Mar 26 '26
No. Lead bullets aren’t doing anything to the bore.
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u/ProtoJazz Mar 26 '26
But a brass brush? One wrong move and you've obliterated
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u/StrangePiper1 Mar 26 '26
I’ve read that target rifle manufactures suggest a break in period mostly because it makes people feel like they’re doing something good for the rifle. Don’t over heat it, pull a snake through it to get packing oil out, and then run it IMO.
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u/Fresh-Efficiency-352 Mar 26 '26
Nope straight from showroom to the range ill start off only shooting shitty ammo for the first 500 rounds then ill clean
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u/0672216 Mar 25 '26
Back to back mag dumps for all my 22s right out of the box tbh