How to Prepare, and Care for a New Gun ~ The Break In Process Unveiled 

Your "sit-down-shut-up," experience and evidence based, no nonsense, practical, videos are excellent...every one. I can listen many times to one and pick up on something new each time. I don't have family or friends who have this type of knowledge or experience...or interest (a generation lost since the 1960's), so thank you for using the Internet to share with folks like me, inspiring us to explore, learn, and share the joy of firearms, cartridges, and marksmanship. God bless you.

Between Mr Gunblue490 and Mr. Paul Harrell, you get the straight dope. Thanks guys.

This man is a pillar of knowledge based in experience. No bull shit, no tangents, no pushing unproven data. Just the best damn information. My favorite firearms channel on RU-vid.

I cleaned my guns before firing and also inspected them. I clean my guns after firing them and inspect them again. There are lots of you-tubers taking products and money from various interests that only exist to separate us from out hard earned cash. This guy is NOT one of those.

you had me at " bullshit "

Sir, I literally could listen to you all day. You remind me of my grandfather, who was a WWII vet (albeit, you're much younger). Your no-nonsense style of knowledge is much needed in today's hyped-up gun culture that is all about selling "new" products. Old-school COMMON SENSE wins every time! Thank you!

Guys true knowledge,history,experience is flowing from my phone screen. I love this guy.

It's crazy how popular the myth of breaking in a firearm is. There's experts out there that base their years of experience on this claim too.... On another note, I used to work as a gunsmith at our local shop & range and you wouldn't believe the amount of people that would take their newly purchased firearm straight to the range and put anywhere from 50-250 shots through the firearm without ever taking it apart and removing all the sticky factory grease and lubing the points of friction. I would see brand new guns come back looking like guns that have fired over 1-2k rounds because of this. I didn't get many opportunities to help with selling but whenever I did I would try my best to educate the buyer about their new firearm and I would ask if they mind if I take it apart and show them how to clean and care for their firearm, "the ones that were new or didn't know any better". The vast majority of them would say they would never even consider to think about taking apart their new gun before putting their first shots through it. You do an amazing job at educating people on the topic and I personally learn something new or have a different way of looking at certain situations and problems from a different angle thanks to you! You do an awesome job at taking whatever the topic may be and making it as easy and simple to understand possible while still asserting the importance in whatever the topic may be. THANK YOU!

Wow, Over 60 years of experience, I would love to be a student.

Sir: You are without question, the most experienced, most knowledgeable and best teacher on the web. I am so glad I found you. You have taught me a great deal. I have grown up with guns and shot and killed my first deer when I was 8 years old. I am was a farm boy taught by my father. Now more than 60 years later, I have renewed my interest in guns. In an attempt to renew my skills and bring myself up to date I have turned to the internet mostly to find a plethora of commandos who are gung-ho enthusiasts who have little or nothing to offer me although they all are self professed know-it-alls who differ widely in individual opinions of what to do and how to do it. You have affirmed many of the things my dad taught me about guns and have taught me important new things. Thanks for your information and efforts. Please continue. Your new subscriber...

Truth. Love this. I'm sick of all these "tactical Tommies" on youtube. I grew up shooting my dad's Remington model 700 30-06.

I'm so happy I found this video. I was almost about to give up on getting a rifle. When I heard that I would have to shoot about $300-$400 of ammunition through a $500-$600 beginner level rifle, I was like, no f..king way! It should be accurate and ready to shoot when I buy it. I loved your 'no BS' video, I found it very informative. Excellent job!

I’m a new hunter, shooter. Very informative yet long but I love your no nonsense approach. You are in a small crowd of honest reviewers and gunners. Thank you for the honesty.

Just watched a barrel maker's comments on break in. He said the same thing. Clean it before shooting it. Then just go shoot it. And, he said, be careful cleaning it and don't over-clean it. This fellow here makes a whole lot of common sense to me.

"I am more interested in accuracy than any other person that I know personally." You know what? I think that this statement is accurate...

The moment you apologized after the bullsh- comment, I liked and subscribed. Straight shootin man of sincerity and class. Appreciated.

Who doesn't love the smell of Hoppe's? They were selling Hoppe's #9 air freshners for cars awhile back. Some people love that smell THAT much.

+GunBlue490 Like Hickok 45, you have the EXPERIENCE to back up your words. I'll listen to you, any day.

You teach this stuff the way I teach my HS classes. NO Bullsh#t! I love it, keep doing what you do, subscriber for life!!! I also love the 270 Win!

Your videos are extremely reassuring and comforting to us. The "information" out there seems to be counter common sense driven by those either trying to sell something we don't really need or by people who simply don't have any long term practical experience and don't know what they're talking about. God bless you.

"attacking copper will attack steel"...you sir know what you're talking about. I'm a new fan. Thank you!

I got in to hunting at age 10 in central Maine. First gun 22 mag single shot 20 gage single shot dads Winchester 30-30 hand me down his Stevens 12 side by side and my 22 mag h&r deer finisher 6 shooter still look like they came out of the box new all fire extremely well and I am deadly with all of them. Because he took care of them and showed me to do the same. Great vid boss

As a machinist in Milling, Turning, Swiss Screw Machines, both Manual and CNC. I can tell you most of what people hear now is A HYPED SALES PITCH. CNC is not by any means PERFECT, nor is Manual Machining. Firearms are good as is, no need for Cogswell Cogs or Fancy Junk on your firearms. I’ve worked in Fabrication, Aircraft, Instrumentation, Automotive, Electronics and Aerospace. I’ve witnessed many people around the country boasting the latest and greatest products and how they improve accuracy and laugh inside. People are allowing themselves to be taken advantage of by all the OVER PRICED HYPE. This man speaks the truth from his experience and wisdom. People would be wise to listen and learn. Thank You 🙏

Excellent, thank you! Once again, it's so refreshing to hear information that's rational, and not based on conjecture or product-pandering. I've been taking your advice in the way I clean my firearms for some time now, and the results are crystal clear, in that every single one of them remains much cleaner for far longer, and is far more accurate. Also, because I'm not over-oiling every little part of the weapon, there's been absolutely no globs of gunk to have to clean out of it. The proof is in the pudding.

It’s very enjoyable as well as knowledgeable as we’ve all come to find out, watching this man. It warms my heart to see such a man as this reaching out through his videos to be a teacher to us all. They just don’t make’em like they used to. A people from a bygone era. I’m 26 and miss this type of people that I didn’t really have the opportunity to fully acquaint myself with. I will be registering and owning my very own first gun, a hand gun at that, when I get home from business this next Friday. I am very excited for it! It’s a Sig Sauer P226 Legion 9mm. I can’t wait to enjoy for the rest of my life and have it be the first of many guns that I will happily and proudly own! Take care and see you around 👊🏻

Another no frills no bs common sense gun video.. Awsome! Loved the oil rag tip, will be implementing it.

GunBlue490, I just learned more about breaking in and cleaning rifles in your 40-minute video then a lifetime of listening to so called experts, I sincerely want to thank you for your logic and expertise. Well done and God Bless!

I have a lever action model 99 Savage in .308. All my newer guns can’t come close to its accuracy. They’re unbelievable.

Thank you so much sir, for all your videos and all your time. Your input is greatly needed and is a treasure to be had. Really, I can’t put into words how amazing it is to be able to learn everything you think is important.

Im in the same boat. You just clean the bore initially to be sure it's clear oil grease and possibly swaf, then shoot and clean it rifle as you should to keep it from fouling

This is the first one of your videos I’ve seen. I can tell you from a lifetime of Shootin that this by far is the most common sense information that I’ve ever heard a reloader or a gunsmith explain. I really appreciate the time that you put into this thank you for an and lightning video and teaching the soul dog some new tricks.

I am constantly amazed at how much I have learned from these videos. After using rifles on the farm for over 30 years, I've only just now decided to take up target shooting at a range. I have a new rifle for this on the way, a new scope on the way, a set of specially selected mounting rings on the way and i am going to mount the scope myself and I am confident, sight it in very acurrately. Without all your videos, I could not have dreamed of doing this. In the past, I always took the gun shops advice and recommendations and let them do everything. How I look forward to this new chapter and understanding rifles, scopes and ammunition as I have never done before.

This is the first video I have seen of yours. I am very impressed with your wisdom and presentation. That you for taking the time to produce this clip. Very informative. I enjoyed your honesty and foresight.

Love your candor, honesty and vast knowledge. I am a lifelong shooter and simply love the art of the firearm and shooting. I am fairly knowledgeable, but never contend that I am some sort of expert, so I truly enjoy listening to those, like you, who actually ARE experts. I am fortunate to say that my father is one, as well, and I have always listened very closely to his instruction. On one hand, I am quite surprised that you don't have at LEAST a six-digit subscription count, but then again, I am not. The problem is that there are so many "experts" on RU-vid these days who mostly profess their "vast" knowledge of "tactical-type" firearms made of plastic, aluminum and some steel. I am not dismissing such firearms or the people who enjoy them, but I do find it a bit sad that the fine works of yesterday made of wood and steel (pre-64 Winchesters, pre-Garcia Sakos, model 99 Savages, Mannlicher Schoenauers, etc.) have been replaced with AR15s saddled with 15lbs of flashlights, lasers and, quite possibly, even a damn RedBull vending machine! Such owners have come to be known as "Mall Ninjas," a term that is perfectly befitting. As a "minimalist and purist" type, I like AR15s and the like (WITHOUT every possible accessory known to man, however), and they do serve some purpose in modern shooting/hunting, but I much prefer the beauty of a classic, lovingly-used bolt action. At any rate, thank you for your extremely informative videos. I have watched many and will continue to do so. May God bless you and your family.

This man is the Wikipedia of firearms. Every single videos answered my "what if" questions, comparison of methods, and etc. Good job sir!

Thank you! There is a RU-vid video where the channel host (The New Hunter's Guide) contacts 21 companies and only a couple had a break in process and only for the cheaper rifles. Totally agrees with what you are saying. Clean it and shoot it was the common response.

Your videos are the best! They cut straight through the B.S!

Gold! thanks again for your wisdom, was about to go through some voodoo when I get my new Tikka T3x .223, but now I just give it a once over clean and ready to go!

I will take knowledge from a fellow shooter with years of experience over these young guys any day. He has done it for years,,,,what more do you need?

A rare individual in this day and age, no BS attitude.

This video reinforced about everything I always thought. I've found that almost every rifle I've shot over the years had great groups if I could do my part, Jack O'Connor strikes again. And you're correct about old junkyard guns, they often respond like champs when a little TLC is applied. I like guns with "character" anyway. Enjoyed the video!

31:36 "...its not a big deal, don't expect it to reach some sort of mystical level where you have do special incantations over your gun..." wow, you had me laughing hard right there! Love your videos, GunBlue!

Dude needs a award 🥇 on everything he’s know what he’s talk bout

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this video. It was like listening to my dad 40 years ago. You describe exactly what this type of sport has become today. " Bullshit". Most of the channels on RU-vid cater more to the sponsors and the products (advertising) than they do the consumers that need that extra little bit of information to make them more assured about what they are doing. I have never bought a new gun before, but I have owned many used. But as a young boy, I don't ever remember my father telling me to shoot-clean-shoot-clean-etc, when we went shooting. It was "be safe, have fun, mind your target and surroundings, and when you are done, clean and oil your gun so it is there for when you need it." Kudos to you Sir for putting everyone that sees this, back on the right path! God bless you and yours!

Simply awesome! Love the idea for the oil cloth... Thanks so much.

GunBlue490 for President!

This is one of the best hours I've spent learning about firearms. Thank you.

He reminds me of a friend of mine who had a wealth of knowledge. It was fun to just listen to him speak about guns and reloading.

I clean my barrels with round copper plated lead beads

when the first rifle you picked up was a Model 70 Featherweight - I knew I'd be watching the whole video.......

I got so blessed excited and tickled to death when I heard “I want to go over this with you in great detail.” I could listen to these lessons for hours at a time.

Watched one of those high end barrel makers say basically same thing.. break in procedures wear out barrels faster so they sell more barrels... So hell yeah love this guy!!!

Enjoy all your videos. Keep them coming. Thanks!

Very well taught and accepted. Thank you for your precious time in sharing your personal knowledge with all of us who genuinely care. God bless you and Merry Christmas sir.

This is the most informative video that I have seen. This gentleman is extremely knowledgeable and just plain enjoyable. "No need to break-in" Thank You.

Thank you for my continuing education courses in firearms. I have been shooting for over 60 years and still learn something from each of your videos.

Thanks a bunch for this information. Your video sessions are always informative and helpful.

Thank you so much for the awesome video!

Thank you for passing this on.

Thanks for all of your great videos. I just purchased my first bolt action rifle in 308 Win caliber. I wanted to make sure I would not screw up the accuracy. I contacted the manufacturer (Thompson Center) and they told me that their barrels DO NOT need a break in. You are absolutely correct in your assumptions and recommendations. Thanks again, and Happy New Year to you and yours!

Thank you for this valuable information !

Simple, logical & practical approach. Thanks in my experience, a bit of fouling in the barrel, does give better groups till it gets too dirty.

Hi Sir, I totally agree with you 1000%,my guns shoot sub MOA with hand loads, with out all the fancy preparation suggested by time wasters. Like you said, instructions by the manufacturer are important to follow but that is it. In one of the comments I have read that you are a blessing to USA, I can’t agree with that, I think you are a blessing to the world! With your vast knowledge and kindness you really are a blessing to the world shooting fraternity . Thank you once more and God Bless you for many years to come. Mario from Sydney Australia

So right. I never break in barrels. I have multiple rifles that will shoot .1, .2, .3 moa constantly.

Great video great advice, My favorite Hunting Rifle is a 1953 FN bolt action 30.06 given to me by my brother Rip, I shot a many Deer with it, Its my all time favorite rifle ...Thanks for sharing your experiences and expertise

Superb!!! I always look forward to your lectures!!!!! I have learned volumes about all things firearms. Thank you sir!

You are spot with there being no need to use a specific break in regimen for a firearm, that myth went out long ago. The late and brilliant John Noveske specifically stated that specifically after his extensive testing with his own manufactured firearms. Thank you for another great video.

Thank you sir for reinforcing a common sense approach to use and care of a new rifle. Unsurprisingly the information provided in the owners manual also states what you have eloquently imparted. Thank goodness for intelligent critical thought.

Awesome video, i would listen to a guy that has been around guns and used them most of his life compared to some younger guy that thinks he knows every thing... keep up the good work 😊

This contradicts so many of the other guntubers. I believe this video. Thanks for the good information!

Thank you Sir! So refreshing to here again from one who has been there, done this and has the tee shirt to prove it! As Dad, Grandad and Great Grand Paw used to say... Why in the Hell would you want to scrub the seasoning off a cast iron frying pan! All three were expert marksman in the military, civilian life and taught clean the carbon leave the gold , copper! Have a well used and loved S seral number Marlin 336 in 30-30. 60 years ago bought for me when I was born. Yep. Us kids started out on the men's rifles. Gets about 60 or so rounds a year fired. Jag, cotton patches and Hoppes #9 till clean, dry patch from bore. Never used a copper solvent or brush. Then another patch very lightly oiled, 20 weight machine oil coating the bore well. Grannies Singer sewing machine oil back in the day! Sorry it is not the same oil today. Dry patch till no oil prior to firing. Shoots 1.5" ish today at 100 yds. All my rifles and hand guns are treated this way. No problems. Rowan Patricia's hubby.

As a former Marine I love this guy, pure no nonsense advise on how to care for firearms, good job brother!!

Thank you so much for your wisdom Sir, it was a big help.

I've been enjoying your videos and thanks for sharing your years of experience in the field and your wisdom concerning lubrication and when not to. Keep 'em coming! I also love your apron from Central Grocery in NOLA; you must've bought that as a tourist because your workshop is obviously in a basement and there are no basements in southern LA.

Your lack of bullshit is much needed in today’s world & very refreshing! Thank you Sir..

Same here! Never did a break in on any firearm I've ever owned. Accurate with normal use. Another great video!

I recently bought a Sig handgun and was surprised that the manual states to only use oil to clean the gun.

well done I had a Marlin XT-22 , $150 gun / non floated barrel / no break in...it would put CCI minimag HP's into a ragged hole that could be covered by the hollow point opening of my 9mm, I don't have electronic calipers, but we're talking Sub 1/4 MOA.....Now I will say that the gun shot consistently better with the barrel dirty rather than clean; up to a point...then the process had to start over If another company's gun (or barrel maker) cost 5-10 times as much as that little Marlin, I would demand that it perform just as well Without an over laborious procedure and just for reference...I had a Mosin 91/30 that hated 147gr military ball--but--203gr Silver Bear softpoint would do 1/2-3/4 MOA after I put in the Huber Concepts trigger....$100 gun, $100 trigger, .50 cent ammo

I love this guy!!!! He recognizes all the things I know about metallurgy!

One thing to mention, when you shoot your rifle getting ready for hunting season remember if you clean the bore and put oil in it your first shot after cleaning is going to be off

Sir, Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. I feel educated as by family.

Thank you for your sharing of your experience... I really like your philosophy that you don't need to add products all the time... In today's high marketing society, they try to find everything they can sell you... Yes, a gun is made of metal and just needs to be cleaned. Just like you wont wear out a hammer or wont wear out your knives and forks....

Thanks for your honesty and your experience

"brushing your teeth while chewing your corn"!!!!! A Classic! I'm very pleased I discovered your channel! 30 Yr USAF CCM Retired/Disabled Combat Vet.

Thanks GunBlue. Your wisdom is legendary. One sad thing about the US firearms industry and hunting/shooting-media is the pathetic collusion between the two. It's hard to find any real criticism of manufacturers! Try finding anything but a cheering section in gun magazines or on the internet. Any thoughts on this? Your work is so refreshing. It's why I admire and trust your advice.

thank you, I've argued with people about using brass cleaning rods because they say a segmented rod will damage the bore. really? me pushing brass down my bore at 1fps does more damage then a 175g hpbt at 2600fps? lol

When I was a teenager, I helped my father clean out the crawlspace under a house of an old man who had recently passed away. His younger brother paid us to remove everything and we got to keep what we found if we wanted it. The rest went to scrap, was thrown in the trash or burned. He was a bit of a hoarder so we probably pulled about 20 tons of material out including wood, brass, copper, lead, aluminum and whatnot. We got a few thousand dollars out of the metals and used the money from what we scrapped to pay for a bear hunt up in Northern Quebec. The coolest part of the story for me is that I was fairly young and the only gun I had was a single shot 12-gauge that I paid $60 for when I turned 14. Towards the end of that scrapping job I located an old single shot Remington 514 .22LR rifle with nothing but iron sites, just haphazardly sitting in there among some wooden boards. My father said I could keep it since I found it, and he and my brother both already had several .22's, so I took it home and cleaned it up. Other than some damage to the stock finish and some rust pitting on the blueing, the rifle was in okay shape and the bolt operated fine. Bringing home one of the last loads of scrap from that job, at the end of the day, I spotted a rabbit about 40 yards away out in the back yard. I went in the shop and I picked up that .22, chambered a round, rested the gun over the truck hood and aimed for the eyeball. When I fired I thought my eyes had played a trick on me because it looked like the rabbit turned into a piece of stray firewood and when I shot it, it flipped over and lay there, not moving at all. When I walked out to make sure of what I was seeing, I found a dead rabbit with a hole in his head just forward of the eyeball. I figure I missed my point of aim by less than a quarter inch. My mother cooked it up with a pheasant under glass recipe the next night for dinner and it was some of the sweetest, most tender meat I've ever eaten. I got really good with that gun that summer. At 100 yards when I had my holdover dialed in I could consistently hit a 2 inch target with it, and that's including flyers, using bottom of the barrel bulk ammo, with iron sites. My brother and I would have competitions where we would set up quarters at 40 yards and see who could get the most clean holes through them. That rifle would consistently hit close to dead center of that target. I put thousands upon thousands of rounds through it. That was over 25 years ago. I continued to abuse the hell out of it uncased behind the seat of my pickup truck bouncing around for years, and it's a tack driver to this day and so much fun to shoot (I take better care of my guns these days lol). That gun was last produced in 1970, so it's quite old and quite beat up by both of its owners, but it is as accurate as any gun I've ever shot within its effective range. Moral of the story is that you don't need to spend thousands on a perfectly manicured rifle to go hunting or get very good accuracy. Even a beat up old hunk of iron will do in most cases.

Years ago while working as a fireman for a local department in California, I decided to clean one of my guns on the kitchen table of the fire station one evening. Of course I had towels and rags out. Who doesn't like the smell of Hopes #9. Well the old Captain I was working with that day was one of the few who did not. He was quite angry that I stunk the whole station up with Hopes #9. It was late in the evening and quite cold outside, in spite, all the windows got opened…. Cleaning your guns at the fire house… The good ole days… Now days you wouldn't even consider bringing a firearm to the station. Where have we gone… EXCELLENT Video!!! I learned so much… THANK YOU!!!!

I find myself coming back to your videos and watching again. Too bad we can't hit the "like button" twice.

Thoroughly enjoy your video's. For 50 years I have used Hoppe's and Remoil on all my firearms.... I have a Savage Model 66 .22 bolt action that i bought when I was 12 (I'm 57).... it is in pristine condition (the stock has some nominal signs of use); another one of my firearms I inherited from my dad... a Wincherster Model 12 12 guage (serial number dates it at 1929) and it is in excellent condition.... Hoppes and Remoil. About 4 years ago I switched all my firearms over to Frog Lube and so far I have had very good results. Do you have any experience with Frog Lube?

THANK YOU! I was at the range and I saw a guy doing the shoot one clean shoot 5 clean ect. and I asked why he said breaking it in RIGHT. I thought crap I never do that. Glad I don't have to. I clean the new gun then shoot and usually clean it after shooting but not every bullet! Glad to hear!

I stumbled across this video this evening while searching for a "barrel break in " video. Wow! Was I ever surprised! You answered the very question that I have asked myself. How does a soft bullet affect hardened steel rifling? You answered my question. The bottom line is that it's all common sense, and physics of course. I appreciate your common sense approach to things. Thank you for sharing your experience (and your way of thinking). I relate to it.... You took the mystery out of it. Thanks so much.

Best advice I've ever received. Thank you GunBlue490 and God bless.

Lets get this master to 100 k subs. He never really pushes that but he's worth it! He's needs only like 5k !

I just took out my .22 LR Mossberg bolt action model 320BB I bought when I was 16 back in 1976 or so. Today it shot 1 moa with its original iron sights using Lapua Standard Plus ammo.

The depth of your knowledge is astounding. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!

"It's a little like brushing your teeth while you're chewing your corn"....love it! (As a new AR builder, I am particularly interested in this discussion and love the educated, experienced, no b.s. knowledge here).

You sir have a PhD. in Gunology. Thanks for the no nonsense approach to sharing your knowledge.

If it comes to knowing something about rifles, i will follow this man to the ends of the Earth!

I remember in 1968 on our NATO rifle team in W. Germany (PPCLI-Prix Leclerc) I never cleaned my FNC1A1 for 6 months and after 15, 000 rounds it was a little sticky to open, but for sure the FN worked well clean or dirty. I'm not Catholic, but that's my confession.