). I have 40 rounds through it. Is there damage done or can I clean it and then go through the steps???
I have stopped "breaking in" barrels. I just do load development and shoot it. Do not fall in love with a load as it will change with the barrel speed up.
I have seen plenty CA barrels shoot tight before break in was done or completed. What the break in does is smooth micro machine marks and burs from the reamer, then it burnishes the barrel bore finish. Then there is the slight move forward of the throat angle and the light fire cracking that will occur in the first 50 to 150 rounds before that stabilizes. I believe the burnishing of the finish in the bore, and then some of the fire cracking leads to the speed up. But the bottom line is, things are changing in there. The best we can hope for is a longer period where the load still shoots well. But a good practice would be to measure vertical of a group at 600 yds plus every 100 rounds or so to insure the load is still solid and acceptable. If not, a small tweek in charge weight may be in order.
Those groups are CA barrels. Yes, I have stopped "breaking" in barrels. The big name barrel makers that suggest break in used to claim you were getting the metal chips/burs, that may have been left from the reamer which would be coated onto the barrel as cooled plasma, out of the barrel. I have recorded hundreds of rounds with and without break in. I see no difference in the accuracy, how long a given cartridge/powder combo will stay in tune, or how quickly they clean. I will not waste my time and components with it anymore.
