Seasoning a barrel

[Jblk]

A buddy of mine has some of the most beautiful seasoned cast iron skillets and pots that I have ever seen.When I questioned him about his procedure in obtaining the seasoning he laughed and revealed his procedure.He has a smoker type grill that looks like a thirty gallon barrel laying on its side with a smaller barrel which is the firebox on the left side. He simply cleans and oils his cast, and then places it in the smoker[url] drum.In[/url] about an hour you have a perfect seasoning job.Why couldn't you do the same thing with a rifle barrel?It seems to me a tube the id size of the barrel could be brazed into the smoker drum, and this used to vent the smoke into the interior of the rife barrel that had been treated with hot oil or lard.The barrel placed in an upright position shoud act as a small flue.If this works it would sure make seasoning a snap.What do you guys think?

 

[BS]

:youcrazy: :youcrazy: :youcrazy:

 

[hcook]

Maybe you could hang Christmas (can I say that?) lights on it :winking: .

 

[Mike Brooks]

You'd never be able to load a patched ball thru the soot.

 

[roundball]

JB, IMO, I think the notion of seasoning a barrel is outdated now, and way overstated considering today's modern steel barrels.

In addition, seasoning is a form of buildup and I do everything possible to prevent any type of buildup in my bores at all.

And BTW, all I ever us is Natural Lube 1000 bore butter, often referred to with regards to seasoning a bore drawing comparisons to a cast iron skillet, but I leach it all out after every shoot with steaming hot soapy to keep the bores in a pure clean metal state...then relube fresh each time...no build up.

 

[tg]

I think that comparing the treatment/care of a cast iron skillet and a steel barrel is like comparing the method of treatment/care of oak and marble...

 

[Bob Riegl]

:grin: Hell, a little salt and pepper before pan-frying my steaks makes a good seasoning---why not???After all, like chicken soup, it couldn't hurt :rotf: :hmm: Chicken Soup??? :rotf:

 

[dwarvenchef]

I think that comparing the treatment/care of a cast iron skillet and a steel barrel is like comparing the method of treatment/care of oak and marble...

This is more accurate discription of what is called seasoning the items in question.

To season a skillet you want the fats to polamerize(sp) and harden in the pores of the cast iron. The problem with doing this in a rifle Bbl would be a build up of hardened deposits of fats that would hinder loading.

Seasoning a Bbl (older) with a skeptical bore, may be simmalre to the seasoning on a skillet but not the same application. I've read that hand lapping the bore was a way to season the bore, seems the auther figured the lapping compound helped smooth the erregularities and may penetrate the pores to seal them.

Washing the bore in hot soapy water does the same thing as washing a seasoned skillet. Removing the seasoning quite well.

Bore Butter is how I "season" my bores now days, after the hot wash and dryed out I run a patch or two through my bore. I have not had any trouble doing this. I would be interested to see what others use. Will have to add that to my searches of the back posts :winking:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I think that if you cooked a mix of sulphur, charcoal and saltpeter in those pans that the seasoning would eventually pick up enough acids and salts to be corrosive. Same as with barrels. I'd rather clean my gun and start fresh instead of collecting a coating of burnt oils and fouling mix.

 

[Gary]

The late great barrel/sniper rifle builder Gale McMillan once said, "just shoot it." Do a search at The Firing Line website if you want to read his exact words.

 

[Landngroove]

I also don't take the "seasoning" approach to ML barrels seriously. I too clean my barrel in hot soapy water after a shooting session, totaly removing any residue. I then preserve the bore with Clenzoil, which has petroleum distallates in it. But before shooting again, I make sure I wipe the bore, removing any traces of oil. This works for me.

 

[Pittsburghunter]

I would trade the word "seasoning" with breaking in.

I have found a good dose of near abuse will help break in a new barrel. A box of maxiballs with good high power charges, another cleaning, another box of maxiballs, then clean again.

I guess it is now "seasoned".

Just seems to smooth everything out.

But hey I'm just a shooter not an expert hunter or reenactor. The one thing that amazes me is the more a rifle is shot the better it shoots.

My oldest rifles shoot the best. Even if they look beat. They shoot better than new rifles.

 

[Zonie]

As others touched on, the operative words are "cast" and "iron".

Because it is cast, the frying pans etc have a very large grain structure which is somewhat porous.
The cooking oils flow into these pores and are changed into carbon deposits by the high heat the pan is subjected to during "seasoning".

The steel your gun barrel is made from has gone thru many hot rolling processes which creates a very fine grain material without significient gaps between the grains. This, basically prevents the material from absorbing the oils so any oils which are applied and then turned to carbon will just rest on the surface of the material.

This of course changes the size of the bore and creates a surface which is rough enough to cause the patching to wear/tear.

IMO, stick with just cleaning your gun and applying a good rust preventative. :

 

[Mulebrain]

Seasoning a barrel is a pipe dream. That is why my pans stay seasoned because I never use soap to clean them. A gun barrel gets cleaned with soap and or other cleaners which will remove seasoning.

You can however season the outside of the barrel with some decent results.

 

[Jdzara]

Since the concensus is that modern steel can't be seasoned, what about an original barrel of low carbon steel or iron?
Jerry

 

[pathfinderifh]

Fire lapping is what we refer to "seasoning". I lube the patch with a fine valve grind compound for the first 10-15 shots then use a fine polishing compound as a "lube" for the next 10-15 shots. I totally clean between shots[simple green] The barrels are slick as snot and clean like a dream. Works for me IMHO. The thing I find most interesting about this hobby is the many different ways to get things done. Even though I have my ways of doing things,I always attempt the other methods to see if they work better,some do some don't. Its fun and it gives ya somthing to do. :v Pathfinder