bubdog
Senior Member
Can someone please tell me the proper procedure to break in a muzzleloader barrel, or tell me a website that lists the proper way to break one in. Thanks in advance.
Once in a while, the topic of "seasoning a barrel" comes up. Anyone with a basic understanding of modern steels realizes that they are non-porous compared to a cast-iron skillet, and they cannot be seasoned one way or another. One can long for the return of primitive metallurgy and the return of Damascus barrels with porous welds on twisted steel, but I'm not one of them. Your local Ryerson's can educate you on the properties of modern steels, if you have any real interest.
The subject of corrosivity comes up from time to time, and as far as I'm concerned all of these propellants are corrosive, though markedly less so than blackpowder or Pyrodex. Sulfur salts have long been the main culprit.
The ascorbic acid based propellants aggressively attack and corrode brass. My impression is that they are somewhat less corrosive than Triple Se7en to barrels, but I'm not willing to intentionally ruin any rifle barrels to find out. The gluconic acid salts and alkali metal nitrobenzoate salt based Triple Se7en, with some carbon added to give it a little color, remains the best available solution for today's modern muzzleloaders that cannot use superior, non-corrosive, smokeless propellants.
With modern steel that muzzle loader barrels are made of today, 'seasoning' is pretty much a misnomer.
Read this and make up your own mind.
That quote is from this article...
http://www.chuckhawks.com/black_powder_substitute_roundup.htm