Seasoning a Flinter?

[flyfisher76544]

Lately I have seen a lot of topics on seasoning a barrel on a flintlock. Lately I have developed a bad case of "dirty" barrels a few days after the cleaning. Tried both hot water and cold, CLP and other lubes. So how do you "season" the barrel?

 

[Zonie]

I "season" my barrels by keeping them as clean as possible and protecting the bores with Birchwood Casey Barricade.

One doesn't have to use Barricade. Any good rust preventing oil will do but if it is a petrolium product it should be cleaned out by using alcohol or some other fluid that breaks down oil and removes it.

Years ago, Thompson Center in the ads for Bore Butter made a claim that it would "season" the bore, just like the old fashioned cast iron frying pans are "seasoned".

This hokus pokus has lived on for years and it is totally untrue.
Modern steels are not like cast iron and they do not absorb any appreciable amount of oils, grease or similar things. In other words, they cannot be seasoned by Bore Butter or anything else.

Ironically, Bore Butter has been known to some to actually stay on the surface of the bore and damage the accuracy of the barrel.
The answer these folks have found is to clean it out and get the barrel back to a very clean condition.

 

[Dphar]

Lately I have seen a lot of topics on seasoning a barrel on a flintlock. Lately I have developed a bad case of "dirty" barrels a few days after the cleaning. Tried both hot water and cold, CLP and other lubes. So how do you "season" the barrel?

It is impossible to season a barrel. ANYTHING left in the bore is bad.
It will eventually build up to the point it will effect accuracy and be really hard to remove. Assuming it does not cause corrosion.
Try some Hoppe's #9, a good penetrating oil or maybe some spray carb cleaner from the auto parts store. Don't get it on the wood though.

Dan

 

[rabjr]

Lately I have seen a lot of topics on seasoning a barrel on a flintlock. Lately I have developed a bad case of "dirty" barrels a few days after the cleaning. Tried both hot water and cold, CLP and other lubes. So how do you "season" the barrel?

You want to "season your gun", shoot it as much as possible. :grin: :thumbsup:

 

[flyfisher76544]

Appreciate it guys :thumbsup:

Just seen a lot of folks saying "stay away from petroleum products etc etc. I just wasn't using enough oil after the cleaning. Oh well, time to get back out in the woods!!!!! :hatsoff:

 

[MikeChapin]

Petroleum products work fine for protecting the barrel. The only problem with them is that they gunk up a barrel badly when they burn in a barrel. A patch with alcohol before shooting will take them out of the barrel.

Some of the synthetic oils don't have this problem but still protect the barrel.

 

[Billnpatti]

My personal experience is that most of the claims for various products that they will "season' your barrel are, for the most part, bunkum. When someone speaks of a seasoned barrel, he usually means that it is more resistant to fouling and corrosion. You can get your barrel to this condition two ways (that I know of, anyway). First, you can shoot your gun a lot keeping the bore extremely clean after each range session and well oiled with one of the really good products such as CLP. After you have shot your gun a lot, the bore will become polished from wear. This polishing will smooth and minimize the surface area for fouling and corrosion to occur. You can speed this process up by polishing your bore using two to three grades of valve grinding compound. Put a little of the coarse grade and a couple drops of oil on a tight fitting patch, using a rod with a muzzle protector (extremely important) and give the bore about 25 strokes. Add a little more grinding compound and oil and give it 25 more strokes. Do this until you have given the bore 100 strokes. Then use a fresh tight fitting patch and repeat the procedure using the medium grit. Finish up by repeating using the fine grit for a final polishing. Now thoroughly clean all of the grit from your barrel, oil it up and it should now be "seasoned" :thumbsup:

I don't know if this is the only way nor if it is the absolutely best way but it is what works for me and has done so for the nearly 40 years that I have been building and shooting muzzleloaders. Just remember, my advice is absolutley free and it's worth every dang penny of it. :haha: :hatsoff:

 

Lately I have seen a lot of topics on seasoning a barrel on a flintlock.

Must be on other forums?

You season cast iron cookware, not rifle barrels.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Lately I have seen a lot of topics on seasoning a barrel on a flintlock. Lately I have developed a bad case of "dirty" barrels a few days after the cleaning. Tried both hot water and cold, CLP and other lubes. So how do you "season" the barrel?

To season a barrel:
Make up a marinade of finely minced onion and garlic and avocado in a nice merlot with a dash of cayenne. Salt and pepper to taste. Immerse barrel overnight and then saute lightly and serve over linguini. Yum Yum! :thumbsup:

Note: You can just lick the marinade from the seasoned barrel if you prefer, but do not do this out of doors in very cold weather as your tongue will freeze to the barrel and everyone will laugh at you and the doctors will make lots of money.

 

[tg]

". Immerse barrel overnight and then saute lightly and serve over linguini. Yum Yum! "

Only one thing you forgot Russ, you need to put the gun in a dark closet for the overnight soak. :v

 

[ohio ramrod]

I season my cast iron cooking utensils by making french fries with lots of lard. So I supose you could just fill the barrel with lard and stuff a potatoe in to it and heat. This makes as much sense as other methods of "seasoning" a steel barrel. Now if you have an old origional barrel made of soft iron that is another story and should be taken serioously.

 

Now if you have an old origional barrel made of soft iron that is another story and should be taken serioously.

Not then either.
You season cast iron so the food doesn't stick. There's no point in trying to season even an iron barrel and then scrape it with a lead ball every time you load it.

Just shoot the gun and keep the barrel from rusting and forget the old wives tales. IMO

 

[Stumpkiller]

Petroleum products work fine for protecting the barrel. The only problem with them is that they gunk up a barrel badly when they burn in a barrel. A patch with alcohol before shooting will take them out of the barrel.

Some of the synthetic oils don't have this problem but still protect the barrel.

I use B-C Sheath (now "Barricade") for last wipe after cleaning and storage and wipe it clear with an alcohol patch before loading.

One trick I have found to work is to clean the rifle and wipe the bore with a penetrating oil. Then wipe again with a lightly oiled patch the next day. This seems to prevent any "dry" spots where the oil may have missed.

 

[kherring]

I agree with most of the posts here. Modern steel barrels cannot be seasoned like cast iron cookware. Keep your gun clean and shoot alot. Over time this will polish off all the rough areas and burs in the barrel and she should become a real shooter. On my rifles I like to take some 0000 steel wool on a cleaning jag to speed up the process. This "breaks in" a new barrel alot faster.

 

[MSW]

don't want to flog what's already a 'dead horse,' but this barrel seasoning thing is in the same 'old wives' tales / urban legend' catagory as the notion that flintlocks are so slow that you could easily jump out of the way if someone pointed one at you (i've yet to see the perpetrator of this one want to hold out a sheet of paper and have him drop it when he sees me shoot) or the ever classic but more modern 'head shot at a klick with an AK47'

you needn't season anything except your food. instead of spending a bunch of time worrying about this, go out to the range and make smoke. be happy. launch lead. it's what the great flintmaker in the sky wants us to do, you know...

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

don't want to flog what's already a 'dead horse,' but this barrel seasoning thing is in the same 'old wives' tales / urban legend' catagory ..........

MSW, you are correct. Also, I will always follow and agree with Russ T Frizzen's opinions as well. Thanks to you Russ for your always excellent comments, I support you. :thumbsup:

 

[Semisane]

You can, however, season any game you take with it.

 

[tg]

" Thanks to you Russ for your always excellent comments, I support you."

I second that, though it seems that someone does not.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Yep. :shake:

 

[flyfisher76544]

Well I appreciate, saw a lot of posts on here about seasoning and a few others that I can't locate.Thought I was missing something. Been working on her since March and got her hitting a 3 inch circle at 50 yards and didn't wanna miss out on taking care of my rifle. Right now I have been chasing a 4 point and a few does that have been lucky. :hatsoff:

Right now, all of my success has got to be credited to you fine folks on this forum! Can't seem to find anyone near me who shoots a flinter , even haven't seen a caplock this year. So thanks folks!! :hatsoff: :hatsoff: :hatsoff: