New rifle break in?

[Jayczar]

I bought my first AR a few weeks ago and haven't gotten to the range yet but i have been reading about break in procedures and am confused :confused: as ever.

Unfortunately my department doesn't allow me to carry anything other then a Glock 9mm on the street so my AR will be just for fun at a range. so my actual distances wont be too far, perhaps under 200 yards depending on where I go.

Basically I know to stay away from cheap dirty ammo aka WOLF, make sure the gun is clean and well lubricated. I've also read online that people clean after every 10-20 rounds that sounds a little extreme but like I said its my first AR and I want to do it right the first time.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks ahead of time!!

[BrassSlinger]

Usually it takes about 200 rounds for all of the components to get broken in. Be sure to clean out the barrel and then maybe run though a damp cloth with lubricant.

Also look here for instructions on lubricating the bolt and charging handle. Be sure not the apply too much grease because then dirt and dubious will stick and cause things to ware down more quickly.

http://www.varminthunters.com/ar15tech/ar15greasepoints.html

[Eric]

Is this a target rifle or more of a patrol carbine? Chrome lined barrel?

[rebelEMPIRE]

Purely for information: You can take it however you like.

When first learning about rifle break in procedures, I tend to take it with a grain of salt. Coming from a mechanical background, I sort of relate much of it to breaking in a new engine. For most of us, it isn't an issue. However, for those that use their weapons/vehicles in more demanding ways, it is.

Temperature and lubrication is critical upon break in. You want it to break in at the correct use temperature while providing an optimal amount of lubrication to minimize unnecessary wear. That sentence might be confusing since breaking in is a process of wearing out your parts to begin with.

When metal heats up, it expands. Shooting one round and cleaning will never produce enough heat to bring it up to operating temperatures; just like leaving your engine on idle will never bring it up to operating temperatures. You have to drive your vehicle in the way it's designed to be driven to bring it up to the correct temperature. So, with your rifle, you have to fire enough rounds to bring it up to the correct temperature for a proper break in; and then fire a few more rounds after that.

However at some point you will have to stop shooting to clean and lubricate your barrel and other parts. In a car, it's not necessary since as long as your oil pump is running, it's constantly doing that for you.

Considering the above, at which point does one stop shooting to clean and re-lubricate? To everyone's disappointment, I do not have the answer to that; I wish I did though. To add further confusion, it also depends on your barrel since many barrels are made of different material and thicknesses. But I believe, through logic, shooting rapidly will produce best results. After each successive cleaning and re-lubricating, you can extend your duration of fire longer and longer.

I don't consider myself an expert in this department, but I have given it considerable thought.

-rebelEMPIRE

[Jayczar]

I'm using my gun just for some fun at the range and god forbid I ever need to, home defense.

Also, I have a Noveske N4 so my barrel is double chromed to the M249 specs.

By the way I appreciate the info everyone, anything helps.

[Eric]

No break-in required. Shoot the heck out of it. Regular cleaning/lube after.

[cmoore]

Usually break-in procedures are designed for precision rifles. Your AR-series will take some abuse, and cleaning after every 20 rounds is not needed.

A few drops of oil on your closed bolt when your running it hard never hurts. Take a look to see how dry it is. It will feel and sound different when dry, especially when it's a new gun.

Like Eric stated above, shoot the heck out of it, then do your maintenance/function checks....and have fun brother!!!!

[WileyCoyote]

No break-in required. Shoot the heck out of it. Regular cleaning/lube after.

I have a LWRC M6A3 do you recommend the same advice? Shoot the heck put of it and regular cleaning/lube after?

[cmoore]

Hi WileyCoyote...

You should be fine with your rig too. If anything, remove the entire BCG and lube it if it's dry. Everything else should be fine.

[Thomas M-4]

With a chrome lined barrel just shoot and clean as if it were already broken in.
I lube the snout out of my BCG It took 500 round of xm193 before my BCG begain to loosen up on my LMT.

[Deputy224]

Not too recently I ran a couple hundred rounds through my POF-Recon which had been unfired up to that point. I used old (12years) PMC 55gr I had laying around. I ran a few mags slow and a few mags fast. I punched the bore with a brush and a couple patches after. The BCG was still clean but I wiped it with a rag anyway.

I agree, the only break-in your modern AR might need is zeroing your iron sights/optics. Proper lubrication and cleaning are the important things to take care of.