tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7938074.post4918591176024391249..comments2024-03-23T17:01:56.780-04:00Comments on Blog O'Stuff: Shot My Cabela's Traditional Hawken TodayDave Markowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00543441083086479631noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7938074.post-52373093662026764432015-08-23T21:56:09.208-04:002015-08-23T21:56:09.208-04:00One problem with trying to season a rifle bore is ...One problem with trying to season a rifle bore is getting a uniform coating. So, even if you could season a steel rifle bore with something like flax seed oil or linseed oil, I doubt you could get a coating as uniform as you'd want for maximum accuracy. A better way to keep black powder fouling in check is to ensure that the petroleum products are removed before shooting, then use a suitable patch lubricant, and wipe the bore every so often with a wet patch followed by a dry patch.<br /><br />AIUI, Thompson-Center used to be a big proponent of rifle bore seasoning in their manuals, but have dropped it in more recent editions.Dave Markowitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00543441083086479631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7938074.post-48189861186439996292015-08-23T21:37:47.169-04:002015-08-23T21:37:47.169-04:00Ah, but the seasoning doesn't depend primarily...Ah, but the seasoning doesn't depend primarily on the substrate, it depends on the oil. (Though the substrate is important of course). In seasoning a cast iron pan or steel, what you are making is a very early, brownish version of a baked enamel finish by polymerizing an organic oil with heat. I've done it with mild steel by simply cleaning it, coating it with linseed oil, and baking in the oven; made a beautiful hard rust-resistant coat for a costume component that I forged and then wore and sweated on. (Flaxseed is supposed to be really good too as far as food oils go.)<br /><br />In a black powder bore, I image what you are creating is a constantly worn and renewed, thin baked enamel coat on the inside of the bore. In that case, linseed might be best there too because it makes the hardest enamel; but it might be not be as good at cutting powder fouling and stuff.<br /><br />Another component of seasoning a black powder bore will presumably be burnishing; you can polish a steel with a somewhat softer material and slowly polish the tiny pores closed, which hugely reduces rust. I've done this with a steel wire wheel brush on carbon steel knives; it takes a long time and it's hard to know when you're done. It gets a slightly greyish tone. Doesn't work the same polishing with a harder material like an abrasive no matter how fine because that makes tiny scratches instead of smoothing them.EgregiousCharlesnoreply@blogger.com