accuracy increased by seasoning a barrel

[chrissiegrist]

It's and old question and discussed on many forems but I have never seem the items of mink oil/lard as a lube/seasoner. whether modem steel needs seasoned is debatable BUT nothing other than real natural non petroleum fluids are to ever be used in a black powder rifle. This is agreed to in most foreums.Has anyone used the above in shooting BP in there longrifle ball as a patch lube and or seasoner? I believe in the old saying "if it ain't broke do fix it' which brings me to how they served 100's of years without all these new chemicals. What is your imput/

 

[oldwolf]

Well...I use natural ingredients for my wad and patch lubes...BUT...I use petroleum based oils for storage.

I haven't had any problems...yet.

 

[bart_anastasi]

FWIW I season my barrels and am very happy with the shooting I get. And never use any chemical, oil, silicone in my guns and just use Bore Butter but any natural lube will work.

Your point is well taken that people in the old days did not have these lubes and made out OK. (ala Lewis and Clark)

I do not think a barrel NEEDS to be seasoned. There as many shooting styles and methods out there. Some work one way and some work another.

You need to remember that you should not just mix and match processes. If you are going all natural than do that. IF on the other hand you want to shoot dry sabots do that. IF you want to use some of the advanced petro chemicals that works as well OKAY.

Again all of these systems will work with more or less work on your part. You will need to try them all and chose what works for you.

 

[bioprof]

Just to play the role of the devil's advocate :nono: , if seasoning helps increase accuracy, then why don't gunmakers just brown the inside of the barrel to begin with. Wouldn't this save you a lot of work? Not trying to be smart, I'm just wondering.

 

[sidelock]

Me to. BB for lube and 3 in 1 oil for storage. works fer me. :thumbsup:

 

[smallmouth]

It's bore butter for me in bp for lube and seasoning and storage and everything. Only at it for 20 years but so far so good.
sirjohn

 

[Dphar]

It's and old question and discussed on many forems but I have never seem the items of mink oil/lard as a lube/seasoner. whether modem steel needs seasoned is debatable BUT nothing other than real natural non petroleum fluids are to ever be used in a black powder rifle. This is agreed to in most foreums.Has anyone used the above in shooting BP in there longrifle ball as a patch lube and or seasoner? I believe in the old saying "if it ain't broke do fix it' which brings me to how they served 100's of years without all these new chemicals. What is your imput/

It is impossible to "season" a barrel and still have it be clean. Its not a cast iron skillet after all.
I use SPG bullet lube or sperm whale oil (now scarce), pure neatsfoot or bear oil for patch lube.
I use petroleum for preservation.
Using certain petroleum products as or in patch/bullet lubes can cause hard fouling.
There is a lot of voodoo BS about shooting BP on a lot of sites by people repeating things they have heard.
Many use water based patch lubricants which I gave up on decades ago since its a great way to have a ring at the point where the ball is located when loaded normally.
Basically use some BP compatible oil or grease for patch lube. Clean with tepid to cool water with some soap in it. Rinse, dry and oil.
Many people got to great lengths to overthink much of this and never think about looking to the past to see what was used then.
Granted petroleum was not used in 18th and early 19th century or at least not much. But I see no reason to rot my gun for the sake of being period correct.
Dan

 

[kevthebassman]

I can't say I put much stock in that whole "seasoning" theory. A seasoned cast iron skillet is not a smooth surface, but a very rough one, comparatively speaking.

I think it's more of a marketing tool to get you to buy something different from what you use to clean your other guns.

I really don't believe that a "seasoned" bore would shoot any better than a bore cleaned with normal products and then purged with alcohol to get the oil out.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I shot PRB using several different non-petroleum lubes (lard, rendered coon fat oil etc.) for years and they did well. I switched to Go-Jo white hand cleaner and seems I shoot a little better, it sure is handy for clean up/wipe down too. seasoning? I don't know 'bout that. since I have been experimenting with the REAL slug I've been using a mix of boot grease and synthetic toilet ring to lube the slugs, haven't tryed anything else so far.

 

[MikeChapin]

Seasoning probably made sense when barrels were made of iron. These days they are made of steel. I really don't know anyone who has had any success seasoning a steel frying pan.

Any "seasoning" with a steel barrel is just firing it enough to knock the sharp areas off the inside. The same can be done with a green pad and a little elbow grease.

The marketing hype for some of the lubes acually make the barrel shoot worse from having buildup goo up the barrel.

 

[bart_anastasi]

Just to play the role of the devil's advocate :nono: , if seasoning helps increase accuracy, then why don't gunmakers just brown the inside of the barrel to begin with. Wouldn't this save you a lot of work? Not trying to be smart, I'm just wondering.

Beleive me since I started to see pre seasoned pans from Lodge I have asked myself that a lot. But I do not think season and Browning or Blueing is the same stuff also.

However In a factory situation chemically striping and applying a smooth seasoned finish to the bore would probably cost a bundle. If a process could be done).

FWIW
Seasioning and the descriptions of it in the T/C owners manual is unfortunate though natural.

The finish (if you wish to call it that) is not (exactly what you get on a skilit). But if you go to a local Chinese Restaurant and look at his Steel Woks (that is steel as in steel) you might get a better idea of what we are talking about. Those woks are being coated with hot oil, subjected to rigirous friction both in the food cooked and cleaning impliments being used (stainless or brass pads, bristle brushes )and you get a dark shiny surface. Remember here I said similar not exactly. In a gun barrel we are talking micro thin due to below).

Every time you shoot a lubed bullet a number of things happen.
The patch polishes the bore at something around 7,000 psi and 2,000fps
The patch deposits a small amount of hot oil into the pours of the steel. (remember polish above cotton is very coarse)
The heat and pressure of the shot cooks some small portion of the oil into the pours of the steel.

Now when you use petrolum based products that hot oil is cooked into tar.
Now when you use any natural animal/plant grease or oil the oil when cooled turns back into simple oil.

This is why for some of the fellas here trying to season their barrel they never succede. After a days shooting one of our fellas goes to the kitchen sink and grabs a bottle of his wifes dish detergent (well know for its grease cutting ability and cleans the barrel down to the bore) .

Then he looks at me and says seasioning does not work when he just rinsed a whole days effort down the drain.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Granted, the old timers didn't have our modern gun care products but you should also know that their barrels didn't last very long. Re-cutting or freshing out gun barrels was a major money maker for old time gunsmiths. Just try to find an original rifle or shotgun with a usable bore, they're scarce as hen's teeth.
For patch lube one can use whatever they like, it will seldom be in the barrel long enough to matter. I mostly shoot spit lube for target and plinking.
But when I clean a barrel and put it away, even if just for a day or two, I want a good rust preventive in the bore and none of the natural lubes, animal or vegetable are good for that. Now one fellow does insist Nature Lube keeps his bores spotless, but his technique is to nearly fill the bore with the stuff, which of course means a mess to clean out before shooting. To me that seems like a lot of bother just for the sake of being able to say "I use only Nature Lube".
I much prefer to clean my bores with warm but not boiling water and detergent, clean well, dry well, then oil the still warm bore with Rem Oil, Break free, or any good "petroleum based" rust preventive. I don't pour the barrel full, a light coat does as well as a slopping coat. Then just one dry patch before I load. I have never encountered any problem with fouling from petroleum but I have seen plenty of bores damaged by rust. :grin:

 

[cptleo1]

I am not sure about the seasoning thing, BUT

My GPR didn't really starting shooting well till I had over 300 rounds through it.

I am told by other GPR owners that this is pretty common, although most say it takes about 200 or so shots.

The difference after 300 shots was quite noticeable.

I just finished up a Jaeger that is being cranky.

It has a round bottom .62 Cal Rice barrel on it.

I talked to L.C. Rice about it and he said to put a couple hundred rounds through it and use a lot of lube.

He believes that the entire gun needs to settle in, not just the bbl. before you really know what you have got.

That being said, the .40 cal round bottom bbl. I got from him was a tack driver from day one.

Anyone who would offer some advice on making a .62 rifle perform the info would be appreciated.

Thanks

Leo

 

[chrissiegrist]

is mink oil compatable with BP? Agree that the only way to clean AFTER a days shooting is warm soapy water. Forget I posted seasoning as another was right in passing on old tales. Some still believe but I am only looking for a lube that is not petrolium based. Read wonder lube will cake in and cause damage as it is not truely non-petrolium. I was using wonderlube patches and in my 8 groove, square cut barrel it fouled out in 2 to 3 shots. Accuracy was 3 inch groups at 25yds. :surrender:

 

[chrissiegrist]

Thank you for your reply. I am trying to work up my patch/powder charge load and need to keep each shot under the same conditions. Basically cleaning the barrel to a point after each shot. Wonderlube severely gave me HEAVY build up. Could not get more than 3 shots off without lenthly cleaning in my 8 square cut barrel. This was far less evident in my 6 round grove barrel which will shot 5/6 rounds before any sugnificant pattern change. Looking for advice as I would appreciate not having to go through a long trail and error. Was hoping to learn














'from expireance" what to avoid the mistakes of others.

 

[Walks with fire]

I got out a can of Trappers Mink Oil lube that I had in my tub of black powder stuff and gave it another chance over the weekend. I set up my 6" pie plate at 50 yards and setteled into my shooting bench ready to drill some shots off. I used the same load I always do with the exception of going from Crisco to the Mink Oil patch lube. I didn't even hit the plate out of 3 shots. I changed back to my Criso lube patch and shot a three shot all touching group. Criso was recommended by TC back when I first started black powder shooting back in the early 70's. I have never used anything that compares in my rifle.

 

[chrissiegrist]

do you mix bees wax in with the crisco?

 

[shortbow]

I ain't wanna argue, this here's just my experience, works for me.

I have a cast iron frying pan I've used for thirty years. It has never seen soap or anything other than hot water, nothing ever sticks, works better than Teflon(which is toxic) and is smooth as a baby's bottom.

I have five old sheet steel frying pans. They get the same treatment, and ARE well seasoned and non-stick.

I have used olive oil/beeswax lube in my barrels for years, they ARE seasoned, NEVER use soap or detergent, only hot water to clean, can shoot all day without cleaning, accurate and use same stuff for preservative, never had a problem with rust.

And, my opinion on why you so seldom encounter pristine bores in old guns is a)mercuric priming, b) leaving bores fouled and uncleaned for long periods.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :blah: