Be brother just bought a tikka t3x supperlight 30-06, SS flutted barrel, synthetic stock. I’ve talked to people who swear by breaking in a rifle with the first couple dozen shots a certain way. I’ve also talked to people who say it doesn’t matter. What are your thoughts, and if you use a break in process, what is it?

General hunting, overated. Match shoots probably worthwhile

the big question is are you trying to do it in as few rounds as possible
that is what the match guys are trying to do

this is what shillen has to say about it

How should I break-in my new Shilen barrel?
Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. Shilen, Inc. introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal. All our stainless steel barrels have been hand lapped as part of their production, as well as any chrome moly barrel we install. Hand lapping a barrel polishes the interior of the barrel and eliminates sharp edges or burrs that could cause jacket deformity. This, in fact, is what you are doing when you break-in a new barrel through firing and cleaning.
Here is our standard recommendation: Clean after each shot for the first 5 shots. The remainder of the break-in is to clean every 5 shots for the next 50 shots. During this time, don't just shoot bullets down the barrel during this 50 shot procedure. This is a great time to begin load development. Zero the scope over the first 5 shots, and start shooting for accuracy with 5-shot groups for the next 50 shots. Same thing applies to fire forming cases for improved or wildcat cartridges. Just firing rounds down a barrel to form brass without any regard to their accuracy is a mistake. It is a waste of time and barrel life

I clean the barrel with standard solvent , go sight in , come home clean copper , 2-3 range trips to develop a load or just enjoy shooting and clean copper again.

it doesn't need to be hard of identical but fire some rounds clean copper
how long it takes to clean the copper depends how many rounds you fired first
on the flip side cleaning at the range every 5 rounds can be a pain , so 20-40 rounds clean is where I do it then again around 100-120 after that it depends on the round but 150-350
this is just my opinion and I am not a bench rest shooter this is what I do for a hunting and or pleasure shooting center fire rifle.

I first take apart the rifle and give it a real cleaning. I reassemble it to manufacturing spec. to ensure everything is correct before going to the range. Which is in my backyard.

I use Tri-Flow with Teflon for what I call a diy magna fluxing of the barrel.
5 shots then I put a cork in the end of the barrel and spray copious amounts of Tri-Flow in through the chamber with the muzzle pointed down until it fomes out the chamber. I let it set for a half hour or so and remove the cork and swab the barrel clean. I repeat this 4 times and then do 10 shots and plug and spray the same as with the 5 shots. I do this twice.
I usually gain a few feet a second on the chronograph and copper fouling becomes almost a non-issue.
To me this stuff is magic

Most important thing is to NEVER let the cleaning rod touch the rifle Crown.
Or all your efforts are for not.
Just how I like to do it

Tikkas are CHF barrels, no need for break-in..I think they even mention that on their website. If it makes him sleep better, go for it....

Pretty much how I feel about it.

I bought an E.R. Shaw barrel which they don't hand lap, and an X Caliber that was hand lapped. Big difference in the first 5-10 shots on copper fouling.

Most cleaning rods are either coated with some sort of plastic or made out of aluminimum . either way if you can damage a crown of a barrel with an aluminum cleaning rod, You have bought a real crappy barrel.
Heads up,...... using butter out of the fridge will not dull your butter knife either

I use the Shilen method on all new rifles and believe the hand lapping to be the easiest and most important part of the process.

I use J-B bore paste on a slightly oversize mop and lap the barrel around 4 to 5000 strokes before any rounds are fired through it, this will take care of any sharp edges or microscopic burrs from the rifling process.

I also add a few drops of Kroil to the mop along with the bore paste and change out the mop a couple times during the lapping process.

I know 4 to 5000 strokes sounds like a lot of work but this can be done in the comfort of your house or garage on a rainy or snowy day and really only takes a few hours with the end result being a bore that looks like a mirror and free of those little copper grabbing sharp edges.

Just now seen Scuba1's post.

Yes carbon fiber cleaning rods are the only way to go!

Well I have a different opinion on the cleaning rod issue.
I have steel and brass rods, all are one piece rods.
I see the cleaning rod issue on the crown from time to time. After shooting a rifle that won't group less than an inch at a hundred yards with handloads I question the owner of the rifle and go through a q&a about the rifle, most of the time it comes down to the way it was cleaned. From the muzzle.
Only one time did a recrown not fix the issue.
Cheap multi piece cleaning rods are the worst.
And if you think an aluminum rod can't do damage to the crown
You just haven't handled enough other people's rifles

Maybe I should re phrase that. Non Anodized aluminum rods are fine. If you buy anodized ones, sand the surface off before using them. brass is fine as is. I never had to re crown one of my rifles yet and that half a centuries worth I have had to do it when I got one from someone else but don't know how or why those crowns were damaged. So that would be just spitballing

Scuba, I don't reply to often on firearms post's because you or GCP and others usually have it covered
I reload and shoot more rounds from other people's rifles than my own in a years time.
Just what my experience is

Hear ya wet dog. As I said I have re crowned rifles for other folks and ones that i bought from others. Why and how those crowns were not up to snuff would be just speculation on my part. All I can tell you is that I do not use steel cleaning rods and that I have not managed to damage a crown with either aluminum or brass rods thus far and I clean from the muzzle down as well as from the breach end.

Just my opinion but I think you would need to rub aluminum a LONG time against steel to damage the steel. Maybe that is why they don't make files out of aluminum.

I just got the 'almost' same Tikka this spring, mine is in the .308. Ordered the CDS dial and put on the Leupold. Dialed it in at 200 zero, then shot 2 shots each at 3,4 and 500yds. My 2 shots at 400 were exactly 1" apart on the right side of the bull. The 2 at 500 were about 3" apart again on the right side of the bull. All this with less than 1 box of ammo. With those results, I can't imagine all the wasted ammo and cleaning to do any type of break in. Then again, I'm a hunter, not a shooter.

What about a cheap multi piece aluminum rod that doesn't align quite right?
How long then?

I agree, and to this day use those old hoppe aluminum rods.

if possible , like on a bolt action , clean breech to muzzle

or use a barrel bushing on your rod so you just make it a non issue

you buy the one for your size rod , I use a 22 call rod for nearly everything one long tipton rod usually from breach but some things like a 10/22 you have to clean from the muzzle
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1014846677?pid=322277

Down the road is POSSIBLY where you'll pay the price in copper build up.

Its kinda like the thread about engine break in. Some got away without and several posted they didn't.
They don't recommend it for grins and giggles.

Agree

But once a 22 barrel has shoot more than 100 of the same ammo and it shoots good, you never clean the inside of the barrel.
Learned that from Jim Charmichell (sp) many years ago.