New AR Break In

AR/M4 AR General Discussion
1

So this might seem like a dumb question, but looking for some advice on how you experts break in a new 5.56 NATO AR. I own several guns and anything I bought new, I simply brought home, loaded up and shot and never had any problems. I clean my guns regularly and several have thousands of rounds through most of them and they are still like new. I’ve read articles recently online about how to properly clean and prep a new rifle for first firing. So this has me wondering… should I be cleaning and lightly lubing my barrel before firing that first shot, or if it looks clean and bright should I let it rip and clean it after a few trips to the range like I’ve done with every other gun I own? Any other recommendations? There are so many articles online about what round to shoot (.223 or 5.56) for the first time and prepping to shoot for first time that honestly it confuses me! But I just bought a new AR in 5.56 and want to treat her right :happy:

Thanks in advance for any help.

2

It is generally considered wise to at least field strip a new-to-you firearm, clean, lube, and perform basic function/safety checks before firing. So I would do that, personally. Take it home, field strip it, clean it, lube it properly, do a function check, check the function of the safety, etc, and then go out and shoot it.

As for the break in, it shouldn’t need a break in, but it is also generally considered wise to test a new-to-you firearm (or magazine, or ammo, or new trigger, or whatever) for a sufficient number of rounds to prove to you that it is trustworthy before potentially relying on it for serious/defensive/duty use.

Any reputable factory ammo in 5.56 or .223 will be just fine. The cheap steel case Russian ammo is probably best avoided if you are testing the function of a new rifle. Same for any reloads.

Oh: And I think using the search button would probably have answered this question pretty well.

3

I always liked this method http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_LvPjreNjg For starters what kind of barrel ya got? If its chrome lined then don’t worry. There’s already lots of threads and debate over this subject. I suggest using the search archives and decide which method is best for you.

4

Thanks Warp. Seems like most other things common sense prevails but so much info out there it’s hard to separate truth from myth. Thanks for the help.

5

Holy S**T Lunchbox! That was great. Kind like how I break in vehicles.

6

yeah Search is your best friend here, just when I thought I was being creative and about to open a new thread I just search it and get all depressed that it has been covered 100 or more times.

No but really, break it down lube and clean it safety and function check, get some good ball ammo , M193 or M855 and shoot it…

I found out that new barrels sometimes have burs on them until they are shot and the burs start to smooth out… you learn something new here every day:D

7

Clean, lube, check if safety works, dry fire, shoot.
That is what I did.

BCM test fires all their stuff, so do other companies, so if you got it from them, it works. Though, I still “test fire” them, extensively. :smiley:

8

I’d never heard of “breaking in” a new firearm until I started shopping ARs. Then I heard all the “shoot one round, field strip, clean and then lube with anointing oils. Rinse. Repeat for 100 rounds.” stuff. Ooh, those black rifles really are special. :rolleyes: Then I discovered it’s just a rifle. No need to break it in with some super secret ritual. Shoot it, clean it, lube it, tuck it in bed for next time.

9

Yup just shoot it dammit!

10

Any reputable manufacturer already fired the first round through your upper. Just saying.

11

Give it a good thorough cleaning right out of the box. Many manufacturers use cosmolene (sp) or other nasty shipping greases that like to gum up.

Give it a good cleaning, plenty of good lube and use quality ammo to establish proper function.

12

Haha. I like John’s videos. Noveske does warn on their stainless steel barrels to not “Shoot your barrel hot enough to brand cattle!”
http://www.rainierarms.com/misc/novekse_barrel_care.pdf

13

Bump Fire 18 mags of Silver bear and your good. :rolleyes:

14

I generally agree with the above video and this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRRahHX9Zkg

However, I will say that when I got my LPR I did a little research and ran across a break in procedure on Krieger’s website: http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/Break_In__Cleaning-c1246-wp2558.htm

Stainless:
5-10 one-shot cycles
1 three-shot cycle
1 five-shot cycle

I figured it couldn’t hurt anything… So, I brought my Boresnake to the range with me and ran it down the barrel according to their suggestions. Then I ran through about 6 more mags to make sure the barrel was good and broken-in.

15

Oh, geez.

A lot of AR’s do go through a “break-in” period. This is true, although a lot of people will try and tell you otherwise.

You don’t need to mess around with lubing your barrel and all of this other silly crap.

I recommend that you try your best to shoot nothing but full power 5.56 such as M855/M193 for your first 500 - 1,000 rounds. This will wear everything right into place. So, lube the shit out of your entire BCG (dripping wet) and run your weapon as hard as you’d like.

Depending on the gas system, gas port size, etc you may run into short stroking issues with low power .223 such as PMC or Wolf for the first 1,000 rounds or so. If you’re running something like a 16" mid-length then you want to run a standard carbine buffer for the first 1,000 - 2,000 rounds also. After a couple thousand rounds you’ll want to switch to a heavier buffer.

Don’t bother with all this “shoot a round then boresnake and lube your barrel” crap. That’s total BS. The AR15 platform has very tight tolerances and thus a few things do need to “break in” such as the BCG and also the gas port smoothing out/opening up . This happens naturally over the first 1,000+ rounds fired through the weapon; typically faster if you’re shooting full power 5.56 ammunition. Anything else is complete and utter bullshit.