Brad,
Sorry to hear about the pits! You should be able to tell if they are pits. Next gun show go and I'm sure you can find a dealer who has those dental picks made in India. There area bunch of differnt shapesand you will see one you can use to ride the bore and if it indeed is a pit it will stop and drop in. If its crud it will slide around it. What the others said is great. That area where the load is will not effect accuracy but you will have to keep on it to help prevent the spot from spreading. That pick I just mentioned is awesome for cleaning the threads inside the breech where the breech plug screws in. That final seating surface is a real pain @ times and that pick is sweet.

There are two ways to foul a barrel IF is is even necessary. ONE is to fire a squib load of the powder you are using but that load must be the same every time to get consistancy. Now that powder and bullet load should be shot out and cleanedTHAT day as now you just started the corrusion process upon ignition of the squib load. SECOND, If you must dirty your barrel WHY not just shoot one or two primers? They are not corrusive and that barrel fouling will NOT react to any powder sustitute to cause corrusion until you ignite the full load. I talked to hogdon about this and I have sold thousands of pounds of powder for the past 6 yrs. What I have said is per the factory. I have left my powder loads in my barrels from the beginning of the firearms regular season through the BP season in FL and NY in very wet conditions and have NEVER had a load not go off in a hunting situationor had a corrusion problem. I always use a finger cot, cut off fingers of a glove to go over the barrel every time I go out no matter if good or bad weather. Think about it, if you get moisture of any kind down the bore it now must be swabbed outand now you changed the impact point and have to fire the loadand start all over. Just more usless time stealing work.
I also am very very careful of whatI do w/ the rifle when loaded in cold conditions. I always put it in the thick case and allow a very slow warm up process unless I'm shooting the load out. This will prevent any condensation on the powder grainuals against the bore so you won't have wet powder. I'm sure you have heard all the bad stories about wet powder..
For anti seize I use the small tube of Super Lube. TC sells it as well as good fishing tackle stores. Best I have ever found.
Best of luck,
Steve