Thompson Center states that you should season your barrel. They further say not to use any petroleum based products to clean your barrel. My question is this: I use plastic jacketed lead sabots in my barrel and as you know there is a plastic build up from the jackets. How are supposed to clean this out of your barrel?

I shoot saboted bullets out of my T/C using Triple 7. Clean-up is simple with a little dish washing liquid and water. After its dry, I follow up with a patch saturated in bore butter. Not everyone likes the stuff, but I haven' t had a problem yet.

You can still season your barrel before shooting it... it helps on cleanup because it keeps fouling soft, improves velocity and reduces friction! However, if you shoot sabots & copper bullets, you need to use a nitro-type solvent to remove it.

Major gun oils are not petroleum oils. Good ones like Breakfree CLP, FP-10.. etc inhibit barrel rust and keep fouled actions working longer. I recommend removing the seasoning when you clean... re-apply it before shooting. Store your rifles with gun oil... not the seasoning agents out there. Bore butter will hold-up in a climate-controlled, humidity-controlled environment, but I wish good luck in doing so to shooters who live in a 4-climate atmosphere with up & down temperatures & humidity like here in Michigan and continue to store their rifles with bore butter in the barrel.

I' ve had some serious rusting problems trying to preserve a bore with Bore Butter. I now use Break-Free or Birchwood Casey Sheath for preserving metal. The only projectile I have used that has a plastic component is the PowerBelt, and it does not seem to leave any plastic in my guns. I clean with boiling water.

It may seem out of this world, but Murphys Oil Soap cleans my barrel very well, hot or cold water, and leaves enough behind to keep it from rusting. It is an all natural plant-based cleaner and cheap!

Chubber

I tried this seasoning business. I decided it is best left for frying pans, not guns....[X(]

Chubber, I think I' ll try the Murphy' s Oil Soap treatment you suggested!! Thanks for the tip.[8D]

Geronimo ,
seasoning a barrel is a holdover from the old bp days , but still holds true in guns firing substitutes because of the corrosive nature of the propellents . It is mainly a rust preventative measure that keeps moisture at bay by sealing the surface . Petrochemical based rust preventers should not be used in any ml since they can increase fouling , all ml mfrs reccomend against them . Ordinary lard will season a barrel nicely if it' s salt free , and prevents rust on the outer surfaces as well , but can go rancid over time if not cleaned off and replaced occasionally . It also makes an excellent patch lube . Muphy' s Oil Soap will both clean and season a barrel . Bore Butter has been around so long because it does work well , it' s all I use . Improper(lazy) cleaning technique and humid storage conditions cause 99% of all ml rust problems . Dehumidify your gun cabinet and clean your smokepoles regularly and rust won' t be a concern .

If humidity & temperature changes occur in your home/rifle bore... don' t store guns with bore-butter type agents in them.

I read lard reports before & how the salt in lard will rust a barrel, but I never heard of salt-free lard... anybody try this salt-free stuff as a lubricant?

No, and the old-timers used bear' s oil or sperm oil as a rust-preventative. Both work well, but are hard toget these days. Have to shoot a bear to get bear' s oil, and real sperm oil is illegal. However, DGW has a synthetic sperm oil. Haven' t tried it, though.



" It seems very difficult to impress most reloaders with the fact that every rifle is an individual, and what proves to be a maximum load in one may be quite mild in another, and vice versa." Bob Hagel, GAME LOADS AND PRACTICAL BALLISTICS FOR THE AMERICAN HUNTER, 1977