RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

I have a new Pro Hunter & the DVD that came with it from TC goes into a whole review of how and why to "season a barrrel". THey recommend Bore Butter.

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

Mauser06,
I do exactly what you do exceptI never thought of the alcohol. That makes perfect sense for evaporation. I only use that procedure on side hammers blued/browned barrels. TC bore butter imho is excellent. The older TCmanual as I remember states most of the same things. Since they have doing castings and have a full metal engineering staff their procedures must make sense. When I'm done for the season I bore butter all my bores and wipe all my rifles down too. I have yet to put a petroleum bases product down my Hawken barrel but it did take about 250 rds before it shot right. The reason for this was my ignorance. I started back in early 80's w/ RS/ RS Selectand #11 w/ conicals and it just would not shoot right. Evently I switched to Goex BP and the first 3 shots grouped like what you would expect a real rifle to do. After that whenI use # 11's I only use BP. I save the substitutes for 209's. Never tried the musket caps.
I think that brown patch dealmight the barrel wasn't totally devoid of alpowder and not totally dry before application. When that barrel is so hot to touch all mositure dissappears and then when you recoat w/ butter it stays sealed like the cast iron pan and very slick.....
Just my take on blued barrel seasoning.
Not sure what really happens w/ plastic fouling in SS barrels. So far I have used a bronze 50 call brush and scrubbed hard to remove plastic w/ Hoppes #9. Don't know if it really helps for not. My older Omega is a great shooter and have only scrubed it hard twice in 4 yrs. Probably have shot 400 rds out of it. Never keep records except on the bottom of targets. I do wipe the bore @ the end of the season w/ bore butter just out of habit.
Curious what you all do on the SS barrels!
SHills

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

Thompson Center sells bore butter. I think it would only make sense that they promote it as well. Again, if you use bore butter make sure you use it properly. I've used it for years, and had my share of problems. I decided it is not for me. I will stick with a nice clean dry bore when I shoot.

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

I don't believe in the seasoned bore thing and treat my ml's just like any other fire arm except I use water and dish soap for the original cleaning in a bucket. I wash out all the fouling with a patch or two followed by some dry patches until they come out white. I then run a real wet patch with regular gun solvent thru it and scrub with a bore brush. I put it back in the bucket and wash all that out and again dry with patches. I stand the barrel up muzzle down in a corner for a couple of hours to dry and polish the bore with some more new patches. Then I run an patch with gun oil down it a few times.

Before I load it next time I run denatured alcohol patches thru it to get the oil out and dry it with dry patches. Load her up and she's ready to go.

I don't like bore butter in my guns. I use criso for lube but even that leaves some heavy fouling sticking to the bore. I get this fouling sticking to the bore even with a spit patch so I am somewhat certain that it's coming from the powder itself. I have only used Goex so I don't know if other powders do it as well. I really kind of feel it's the graphite in black powder.

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

I've used Bore Butter for years in all my muzzel loaders,and never had the first problem with any of them. I have a new Prohunter and since "seasoning" the bore ( I don't like that term,I think conditioning the bore would be a better term) itloads and shoots like a dream. Also you don't have to worry about cleaning it up as soon as you shoot it. I think most that have rust problems aren't getting the bore dry,before applying the BB. I still use Hot soapy water to clean my side lock,but with the in lines I just use solvent(rusty duck) and dry them then apply the BB. No problems yet,after 15years of using it!

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

Mauser06 described my cleaning process I use with my flint and percusion rifles using BP. My old TC Hawken is 30 years old and look like the day I bought it. As for inlines using 777 I am still not sure what is best. I pretty much treat them like my center fire rifle. I am finishing with bore butter but I am not totally sold on the stuff.

What do you use one the outside of a stainless steel barrel to prevet rust.

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

i use remoil on my SS barrel. inside and out.

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

I had problems with hangfires in my White Mountain Carbine sidelock until I ceased using borebutter and scrubbed it all out. I'm thinking that the borebutter was building up in the breech area and causing me problems. Needless to say it took me FOREVER to completely clean the crap out of my gun.

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

I guess I might as well put in my 2 cents worth too.
I have use BB ever since they first put it on the marketin PRB traditional muzzle loaders I would not even consider using anything else; also for breakaway sabots.
Acombination of polishing[ not lapping the process is the same but you use a compound called jewelers rouge instead of a grinding compound and it only smooths the surface to a high polish] and using BB the way Sabotloader does has allowed me to use 777 without "crudring" and I had the worst case of that you ever seen.
As for the people that dont use it right, I never seen anything that someone could not come up with a way to miss use. Lee

RE: Seasoning a barrel ??
 

I think the seasoning theory is a unch of horsecrap. I've noticed no difference with the Borebutter. It doesn't prevent rust either and I have gotten rust in my barrel as a result of trusting that junk. The only thing it's good for is a patch lubricant for round balls and stuff.