[overlord7]

I just purchased my first AR15 - a Ruger 556 ESC (yep - I live in N.Y. and have to accept my state's permanent gun ban provisions). I have been toying with the idea for 20 years and finally gave in. Prior to now all of my experience has been with the M1 Garand, M1A, and historical bolt actions such as th 1903 and Swede 96/38.

Can anybody out there let me know what the proper break-in procedure is for the Ruger 556? Thanks for any help that you folks can give. I'm excited about getting started with my new rifle!

 

[Therealmfngrinch]

I have sr556 fb and the owners manual said nothing about it. I fired bout 90 American eagle tactical55 grain.got it Christmas 2011 and have fired well over 1500 rnds so far. I also use some rorg 5.56 NATO 90 grain I use also. Go let 'er rip but I would check out PWS enhanced buffer tubes. All castle nut buffer tubes on short stroke systems have carrier tilt. Check buffer tube b4 you shoot then check afterwards and you will see where bolt has hit tube by detent. PWS enhanced tubes ELIMINATES THIS. 60 -100$ online. Only flaw of gun once fixed this is the best bang for your buck under 2k market. Photo of rifle and tube in photo section. Happy shooting

 

[Sr40ken]

Yep, clean and shoot it. Or you can try these guys ideas. http://www.accuracysystemsinc.com/Barrel_Break-In.php

 

[Redleg]

I have an SR556E and I have shot about 1500 rounds through it. No issues whatever. If there is a "break in" procedure other than firing and zeroing the rifle, I am unaware of it.

 

[benjammin]

I've read a lot of articles about barrel break-in; granted I'm no competitor or expert. However, most seem to boil down to watching for abnormal metal fouling. On mine I just shot 3 magazines when new, a patch run through the bore just had powder gunk, and the barrel looked nice inside. If yours tends to get copper on the patches, maybe clean more often until the fouling is reduced. I'm not sure on the OPs rifle, but most models of 556s have chrome-lined bores, and should be less likely to foul.

 

[Spike12]

I guess the serious competition shooters practice this but with today's better metals and manufacturing methods there isn't a need for 'barrel break in'. Probably why there's no mention of it in the manual.