First upgrade in 35 yrs

[TBark]

Was always comfortable with my 1981 Rem 700 BDL 7mm RM LH and Leopold VX1 3-9 x 40, but the wife finally convinced me to upgrade one more (and last) time.

So yesterday I took the plunge, here’s my new rig.

Christensen Ridgeline FFT 7mm RM LH carbon 22”.
Vortex Viper HD 3-15 x 44 SPF Dead Hold BDC MOA.

The shop mounted it up, bore sighted it and my first shot (only, time constraint) at 150 yds was bang on Left Right, and 1.5” low.

Can’t wait to get back to the cabin and sight it in further.
Recommend barrel break-in looks to be excessive, but will follow the recommendations.

TBark

[brewster29]

Sweet. Like you, I have had great service from my three old lefty BDL’s but they aren’t getting out of the safe much anymore. I also recently bought a lefty Ridgeline FFT (6.5 PRC) and quite like it. I’m sure you noticed the 2-3 lb weight difference over the 700.
Mine has 100 ish rounds through it and has sped up about 90 fps from new. My only gripes are the heavy bolt cocking lift and the fact the safety doesn’t lock the bolt. Love the Triggertech trigger, light weight and compact dimensions.

[Cottus]

Man that sounds sweet. Same, but different, and upgraded. Nothing wrong with keeping the mature, older rifle on backup reserve status.

[rafternk]

Wow it's either the left handers or the BDL virus that has hit. I too have made an upgrade from my 1980s Remington LH BDL 30-06 to a new Sako LH Hunter 85 in 270 with a Leupold VX6. The BDL was accurate but the Sako truely is a tack driver. Call it enjoying the fruits of my labour or maybe just plain getting old and realizing I only have so much time left.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Congrats on the new rig! Sounds like its a beaut!

[Fowl91]

Beauty!

I picked my Ridgeline FFT .280AI up last year from Corlanes.
Upgraded from a Rem 700 BDL in .280 Rem

Like Brewster said, it's a nice weight savings and has a heavier than expected bolt lift. Also I found the bolt rough at first, but it quickly broke in and now cycles like butter.

I have 80 rounds through mine now, and I am enjoying it more and more

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by TBark

Was always comfortable with my 1981 Rem 700 BDL 7mm RM LH and Leopold VX1 3-9 x 40, but the wife finally convinced me to upgrade one more (and last) time.

So yesterday I took the plunge, here’s my new rig.

Christensen Ridgeline FFT 7mm RM LH carbon 22”.
Vortex Viper HD 3-15 x 44 SPF Dead Hold BDC MOA.

The shop mounted it up, bore sighted it and my first shot (only, time constraint) at 150 yds was bang on Left Right, and 1.5” low.

Can’t wait to get back to the cabin and sight it in further.
Recommend barrel break-in looks to be excessive, but will follow the recommendations.

TBark

Congrats it should be a great rifle enjoy the heck out of it and whatever you do don't get rid of your wife, she's a keeper

[Dick284]

New is always nice.

Good luck

[TBark]

Thanks for the replies folks.

One question on the loads that I have previously in stock from my Rem 700 BDL.

The seating for these loads for the Rem is a moderate 0.022 off the lands.
My new Christensen is approximately 0.020 longer Tight to the lands.

Meaning using these same loads for the new rifle, I’ll be nearly 0.045 off on the lands with the new rifle.

Just looking for opinions if 0.045 a little bit too much of a distance tight to the lands to start finding happy spot for the new rifle?

If the new rifle was tighter. I would just press maybe one box of previous loads a bit deeper to start at approximately the same jump as a Remington, approximately 0.025.

TBark

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by TBark

Thanks for the replies folks.

One question on the loads that I have previously in stock from my Rem 700 BDL.

The seating for these loads for the Rem is a moderate 0.022 off the lands.
My new Christensen is approximately 0.020 longer Tight to the lands.

Meaning using these same loads for the new rifle, I’ll be nearly 0.045 off on the lands with the new rifle.

Just looking for opinions if 0.045 a little bit too much of a distance tight to the lands to start finding happy spot for the new rifle?

If the new rifle was tighter. I would just press maybe one box of previous loads a bit deeper to start at approximately the same jump as a Remington, approximately 0.025.

TBark

It's hard to say the only way to really find out is to shoot them and go from there, some rifles are fussy and some are not when it comes to seating depth, if nothing else use them for your barrel break in and scope sight in that should pretty much tell you the story.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by TBark

Thanks for the replies folks.

One question on the loads that I have previously in stock from my Rem 700 BDL.

The seating for these loads for the Rem is a moderate 0.022 off the lands.
My new Christensen is approximately 0.020 longer Tight to the lands.

Meaning using these same loads for the new rifle, I’ll be nearly 0.045 off on the lands with the new rifle.

Just looking for opinions if 0.045 a little bit too much of a distance tight to the lands to start finding happy spot for the new rifle?

If the new rifle was tighter. I would just press maybe one box of previous loads a bit deeper to start at approximately the same jump as a Remington, approximately 0.025.

TBark

Some rifles shoot very well with a larger jump to the lands, I have one that has a jump of .085" jump, and shoots under 1/2moa. The only way to know, is to try.

[Pathfinder76]

This load is over a tenth of an inch off the lands.

[brewster29]

This loads sits 0.186” of the lands (yes that’s about 3/16”) so not to worry. Just try your loads. My FFT groups well with the 127 LRX at .090” off the lands.

[3blade]

Monometals like a jump, so do many others. Bergers are probably the worst for seating sensitivity and needing to be into the lands. Depends what you are using, but I’d just shoot what you have and let the rifle tell you.

I didnt do the break in on my Christensen 7rm and still maintain sub 0.5 off the bench. If that’s not good enough for a hunting rifle I don’t know what is

[TBark]

Got it all set up.
Will continue barrel break-in and sighting mid day this Thursday and Friday.
Got 2 boxes of loads of old Barnes XLC’s that didn’t have much purpose.
So time to use them up.

TBark

[Pioneer2]

what is the barrel break in procedure ?

[TBark]

Wet patch and then dry till clean for the first 5 to 6 shots and then start with 3 to 5 shot groups. Repeat wet and dry to clean from there til aprx 40 to 50 shots in all.

Still trying to determine when I start to use a bore brush and copper cleaning.
A bit more reading to do, I’ve got a few days to sort that out yet.

TBark

[Pathfinder76]

I’m confused. I thought those insisting on barrel break in were cleaning out copper from shot 1?

[TBark]

I don’t think it is from shot #1 for copper because Christensen procedure mentions if a bore brush is to be used is to be under-sized so it carries a patch.

I will check further as I am still only fired the first round, cleaning patch before and after, I will get this straightened out.
May not have been the Christensen procedure now that I think about it, it may have been a YouTube video from an owner of the same new rifle.

I know that opinions will differ on the number of shots for barrel Breakin.
I am still trying to determine when cleaning for copper (brush) comes in to play.

TBark

[Pathfinder76]

Generally copper is not removed with a brush. Unless an abrasive is involved. Brushes aid in removal of carbon.

[TBark]

Good info,

https://youtu.be/wjnmQ0axYN8

And another.

https://youtu.be/iKvY9FwVdSU


TBark

[Pathfinder76]

That is the beauty of barrel break in. You can do it just about any way you want and there is an article or video that will back you up.

[JBE]

I believe they say to use a copper solvent for cleaning

[Homesteader]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

That is the beauty of barrel break in. You can do it just about any way you want and there is an article or video that will back you up.

Do you have a preferred method. I quit barrel break in several years ago. I still clean more often when new, and leave ‘em fouled for hunting unless they get wet or contaminated. They alll out shoot me

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Homesteader

Do you have a preferred method. I quit barrel break in several years ago. I still clean more often when new, and leave ‘em fouled for hunting unless they get wet or contaminated. They alll out shoot me

My preferred method is to not do it. Same as you.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

My preferred method is to not do it. Same as you.

Same here.
Cat

[Bushrat]

The origins of barrel break in began as a marketing scheme when selling new guns or barrels to also upsell extras like cleaning rods, bore guides, patches, jags, brushes, solvents, extra ammo, etc, etc. All the extra shooting some of these regimes require do nothing but put extra wear in barrels and sell more new barrels or new guns that also will need "Barrel Break In". In reality most interior barrel damage is done by over cleaning and improper cleaning techniques during "barrel break in"

It got going about 40 years ago, then when the internet came along it gained speed in videos, chat rooms and forums. The myth really got going and the proliferation of cleaning solvents, cleaning tools, borescopes, and every other product under the sun got pushed and sold in numbers they couldn't have dreamed of. Its one of those things that can't be proved or disproved. Kinda like a placebo, people can be convinced it works especially if they want it to even if there is absolutely no evidence to prove it, but they do it anyway simply out of fear of not doing it.

Barrel break in won't make a bad barrel shoot better.

[Smokinyotes]

I think about all the time I have wasted over the last 20 years doing the “shoot 1 clean 1” for the first 20 shots. Now I bring them home clean them and shoot the crap out of them.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Bushrat

The origins of barrel break in began as a marketing scheme when selling new guns or barrels to also upsell extras like cleaning rods, bore guides, patches, jags, brushes, solvents, extra ammo, etc, etc. All the extra shooting some of these regimes require do nothing but put extra wear in barrels and sell more new barrels or new guns that also will need "Barrel Break In". In reality most interior barrel damage is done by over cleaning and improper cleaning techniques during "barrel break in"

It got going about 40 years ago, then when the internet came along it gained speed in videos, chat rooms and forums. The myth really got going and the proliferation of cleaning solvents, cleaning tools, borescopes, and every other product under the sun got pushed and sold in numbers they couldn't have dreamed of. Its one of those things that can't be proved or disproved. Kinda like a placebo, people can be convinced it works especially if they want it to even if there is absolutely no evidence to prove it, but they do it anyway simply out of fear of not doing it.

Barrel break in won't make a bad barrel shoot better.

It’s kind of like a movement to change the world’s weather. I can feel immeasurably better saying I’ve done something that no one can prove isn’t saving planets or barrels. Placebo extraordinaire.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

It’s kind of like a movement to change the world’s weather. I can feel immeasurably better saying I’ve done something that no one can prove isn’t saving planets or barrels. Placebo extraordinaire.

Yup, that's it in nutshell!
Anybody that doesn't believe that , just google barrel break in methods and see just how many different ways ( each one of them is the best!) there is to do it.
Cat