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Question about ammo in breaking-in a new barrel

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BM454 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BM454 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Question about ammo in breaking-in a new barrel
    Posted: May/19/2009 at 03:12
I know some are for breaking-in a new barrel,some are not.
 
Savage FP-10 LE 7.62x51,virgin is what I'm working with
 
I've got plenty of surplus ammo from different countries my FN-FAL eats up,my question is,is there any advantages breaking you barrel in with match grade as opposed to using surplus ammo?
 
Is using surplus ammo for break in a no-no?
 
This might seem like a common sense answer to my question,but many variables
consiste in long range shooting,money being my concern now,nut I
d like to do it right the first time.
 
Once again,thanks for any responses
 
Keep Up The Fire!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucytuma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 05:22
Just keep it clean and cool during the initial break in.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 08:05
  I'll just add to TRY to keep it cool all the time.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 08:43
don't recommend military for breaking in, if you feel break ins are necessary. Starting at the back end, military primers are usually berdan primed and very hard. Broke a firing pin on a savage scout using military. Some military like portguese can be very high pressure. Bullets used in military have a lot more copper in the jackets than good grade target bullets, which add zinc that acts like a lubricant, military usually leave a real nice copper layer fouling.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sgt. D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 09:06
Originally posted by Dale Clifford Dale Clifford wrote:

don't recommend military for breaking in, if you feel break ins are necessary. Starting at the back end, military primers are usually berdan primed and very hard. Broke a firing pin on a savage scout using military. Some military like portguese can be very high pressure. Bullets used in military have a lot more copper in the jackets than good grade target bullets, which add zinc that acts like a lubricant, military usually leave a real nice copper layer fouling.
 
 
+1 also remember some foreign standards are far from US standards concerning corrosives and contaniments.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 09:22
yes, your fn has a chrome lined barrel to protect it from the potassium salts from the corrosive primers used in furrin ammo. ---- Or you could use warm water to clean the barrel.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BM454 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 11:28
Thanks guys,saving money until I get some(a lot of) good match grade ammo in, is my goal.
I',ve got a few cases each of
Venezuelian,Portguese and South African military surplus ball.
One 20 rd box of Federal Premium Gold Medal 168 gr. MatchHammer
A re-loader is on my birthday list.
 
Since I'd be taking a chance,fouling,pressure and hard primers with mil surp.
Option number two would be to run some cheap(non-match) American made ammo through her,any suggestions on brand? Or would I be SOL taking that route also.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 14:41
I've shot all three nations 7.62 NATO ammo, and they are  good quality rounds. That said, I have only fired them in machineguns or civilian copies. I have fired U.S. military rounds in my 10FP with no ill effects, but hitting anything at distance was hit or miss, so I quit using it.
 
I didn't go through any breakin process, just cleaned to bare metal after each session at the range. I used the Bore Shine foam and a jag with patches. My groups have been shrinking as I have been working on finding a load for my 10FP.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 17:52
don't think of it as a break in period, but as a chance to put some final adjustments in the scope and twick other thinks, trigger pull, stock length.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 18:04
some of the better military surplus is south african, australian when it was available, german then hope for the best. Shot tons (literally) of it thru M1a, FNs, Cetemes, couple of M60s none of it was up to rounds needed for a target gun.(except LC match stuff but thats a different story).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/19/2009 at 18:21
I wouldn't worry about the mil stuff... if it happens to have corrosive primers, just make sure you wash the barrel out with warm water immediately after use, clean well.  I use it.  Have for years, just can't find/get any right now.  Holds great groups for me.  

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/20/2009 at 14:28
As one friend of mine (who is an importer) said, "when it comes to military ammo, only shoot 7.62 nato that comes from a NATO country". He explained that NATO ammo is made to certain specs so it could be used by any NATO country, where other countries may not hold their ammo inside those specs. I have talked to people who have had their MGs blow up shooting Malaysian 308. Not trying to hijack anything.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BM454 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/20/2009 at 17:40
Thats good advice,I've not yet begun to reload.Yet.
Nato headstamp is the circle with the cross inside?.If some nato brass is boxer,who's to say it's re-loaded not to spec?
Unless it's all berdan primers.
I've heard some bad stuff about Malaysian 308 also,after I ran through 200 rds of it,I got lucky.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/21/2009 at 13:50
NATO brass is the brass with the circle and cross in it on the head stamp. Some brass is Berdan, and some are Boxer primed. The primer is not part of the specs, but preassures and perfomance is. Most 7.62 NATO is Berdan primed, while U.S. and Canadian is Boxer primed. I have shot alot of both. I save the Berdan stuff for guns that damage brass, and the Boxer for those that don't so I can reload it later. As for determining if the Boxer cases have been reloaded, if it doesn't have a full metal jacketed projectile or a crimped primer pocket, then it has probably been reloaded. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ajlandis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/25/2009 at 13:07
I'm not big on using surplus ammo for breaking a barrel in.  Not because of the ammo issues, but because I try to find a good load right from the start.  It usually takes me 50-100 rounds at distances from 100 to 400 yards to decide what stuff I like.  That's plenty of rounds to smooth out a barrel.  Plus you'll already have a bunch of quality brass if you do get into reloading.  Your gun will show favoritism right from the start.  It shouldn't change preferences as it goes from a new barrel to a broken-in barrel.  It will just shoot it all a bit better.  I wouldn't waste my time or money on ammo I didn't plan on trying to use as a full-time load.  Just start out looking for your pet load.  Consider that process your 'break-in'.  The best advice I've ever heard on barrel break-in was from a very well known gunsmith in the savage community- "Go out and shoot something."
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BM454 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/26/2009 at 02:33
CoolGood advice from a community I feel at home already.
 
Much thanks for all imput
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amk204 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/28/2009 at 21:29
i use the shoot & clean for the first 20, then shoot 2 & clean for the next 10, shoot 3 & clean for 10 and finely shoot 5 & clean for the last 20.  I use montana X-treme bore solvent, coper killer, kano kroil, and jb bore paste in cleaning. 1st wet patch with bore solvent 2 brush 10 strokes, wet patch bore solvent. 4 dry patch, 5 wet patch with coper killer, brush 10 stokes, wet patch kroil, dry patch until patch comes out clean. check with wet patch coper killer if patch turn blue repeat.   I use the jb bore paste on the 5,10,15,20,30,40 shoot the smother the bore becomes the easer it will clean. hope this helps.
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