We join Steve Wild deep within the Staffordshire countryside as he walks us through the correct approach to change and clean the barrel of a rifle.
Today, Steve will be using the Blaser R8 Professional Success. The reason Steve is switching the barrel from a .308 to .223 is that with the lambing season now in full swing, he is doing much more fox pest control than deer stalking.
The reason why you break the barrel in is because when the rifle leaves the factory there are slight imperfections. Breaking in the barrel and cleaning out helps increase the longevity.
With the rifle being in .308, the first task is to strip it down. After removing the scope, trigger mechanism and bolt slide you can safely the barrel by simply unscrewing two allen screws. Now with the .308 barrel removed, line up the .223 with the locating holes and re-attached using the allen screws.
Next, it’s time to change the bolt face, which can be done by lifting up the clip removing the .308 and replacing it with the .223. Due to the magazine being incorporated into the trigger mechanism, this will also need changing. Again, this only takes a matter of moments by removing the plastic clipping and swapping the .308 magazine to the .223.
Once the trigger and magazine mechanisms have been re-attached and before re-fitting the scope, Steve decides to clean the barrel. Rifle maintenance is vital, it is important to make sure you regularly clean the barrel and remove any dirt, grime and dust.
Firstly, Steve using a wire brush attached to a rod gently runs it through the barrel. He then fits a small piece of cloth that will clean away any unwanted material. Steve continues to pass the cloth through the barrel until there is no residue coming out of the other end.
Now that the barrel has been thoroughly cleaned, Steve re-attaches the scope. Today, Steve is using the Hawke Endurance 30 WA SF 4-16x50 scope, which has a ballistic reticule that has been specifically designed for .223 and .308 calibre.
After taking a several shots, Steve will once again clean the barrel in the same way he did before, take a further five shots, give the barrel another clean, another five shots and finally one last clean. This method has helped Steve numerous times in the past with the longevity and accuracy of the barrel.
Once there is no further residue within the barrel, it’s time to re-attached the moderator. Steve then takes another five more shots to embed the bullets into the barrel. The barrel is now broken in and the shot groups have significantly tighten up throughout the process.
Rifle - Blaser R8 Professional Success - www.blaser.de/en/products/fir...
Scope - the Hawke Endurance 30 WA SF 4-16x50 - uk.hawkeoptics.com/endurance-...
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15 май 2019
