Any point in "breaking in" a new Finn M39 rifle barrel ?

[sumway]

As Above...

I have had my newly purchased Finn M39 checked out by my local gunsmith.

After checking with a bore-scope he has advised that the barrel is pretty much un-used.....or has seen very little use (so I'm happy about that). He said you could still see the machine marks in the barrel from when it was made.

When I go to shoot it for the first time...is there any point in me "breaking in" the barrel ? I.E...shooting a round then cleaning....repeating the process a few times ? Or is this more suitable for higher-spec and bench rest rifles rather than milsurps like the M39 ?

I have a No4 Lee-Enfield and never bothered breaking it in....as I hadn't heard about barrel break-in until recently. It shoots fine....and is certainly a more accurate rifle than me :-(

My own opinion is rather not to do this (just shoot as normal at the range and clean when I get home)...simply because of two reasons...

A. Its an older design of rifle where the tolerances were not as high as modern manufactured barrels....and "breaking it in" won't make any difference

B. I'm new to shooting....and for me there might be higher chance of damaging the barrel through improper cleaning rather then by shooting normally....and as its pretty much a "new" barrel...I don't want to ruin it

Am I going in the right direction or is it really worth my time to break it in ??

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Information

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[fernleaf]

You probably wouldn't see the benefit of a barrel break in procedure on a military rifle - I wouldn't bother.

[Patrick Chadwick]

He said you could still see the machine marks in the barrel from when it was made.

You could use the NECO lapping paste for fire-lapping. This will polish off any microscopic sharp edges from machining, which could lead to fast "leading" (actually jacket metal deposition) if not treated. Shooting and cleaning for a couple of hundred rounds will have the same effect. Here in Germany VFG make a bore cleaning paste that looks just like blue toothpaste. In fact, some people have actually used good old chalky toothpaste to polish up a barrel. Just make sure that you ALWAYS clean from the chamber end, NEVER from the muzzle.