Seasoning a barrel?

It's far more likely that you've just gotten more used to the gun and your accuracy has improved.

Most rifles shoot better after 100-200 rounds have been through the barrel. Is probably less noticeable with handguns, but I don't see why it wouldn't apply too. Of course the more you shoot, the better YOU get too, so it is likely some of both.

Wait, season like a Dutch oven? No.

In a rifle barrel where you expect to get sub MOA performance, seasoning will improve the performance according to some gurus. I have found my bolt guns to perform slightly better after an initial 200 or so rounds.

A pistol that will shoot 2" groups at 25 yards translates to 8" groups at 100 yards, or 8MOA.

The marginal gain in seasoning a pistol barrel is likely to be well within the normal variations in the bullet's flight because of barrel heating, bore fouling, differing load vibration levels and so forth. If done correctly, it can't hurt anything, but it's not going to turn a combat gun into a target gun.

You warm up, the gun warms up. The more you shoot the better you get.

You get better at aiming, and voila! YOU are seasoned for the gun, not the other way around.

be safe

I think it much more likely that you got better.

barnbwt said:

Wait, season like a Dutch oven? No.

Click to expand...

I wonder if you can bake a barrel in ballistol to let it get seasoned like a nice Lodge iron skillet.

I saw an interview several years ago (and I sure wish I could find a link to the video) with a shooter from the Army's marksmanship unit who shot rifle. He said that they found that barrels got more accurate to a point as copper from the bullets filled in any imperfections in the barrel and that they had, therefore, reduced their copper-removal cleaning interval to once a year. Of course, the barrel itself would eventually wear out and they'd have to replace it.

In any event, there's a small chance that the barrel has been basically been lapped by firing, with high spots worn down and low spots filled in with copper. But, as suggested by others, the most likely explanation is just that you're better, or at least better with that gun.

mgmorden said:

It's far more likely that you've just gotten more used to the gun and your accuracy has improved.

Click to expand...

I agree with this.

Many of the Ruger revolvers that I've owned over time have had their triggers smooth out via live or dry firing. Helps to mate the parts to one another. For me, a smoother trigger pull will assist me in achieving greater accuracy.

There is only a little over three inches of actual rifled bore in the barrel, the bullet velocity is less than half that of centerfire rifles, and the barrel is also not even fixed to the receiver. I just don't think this "break-in," "seasoning" or whatever is a factor in a pistol barrel.

Seasoning a barrel was an old black powder (muzzle loader) myth. You used pure unsalted lard to grease the patches used with round balls. Then the only thing you used to clean it with was hot water. The theory was that once the barrel seasoned (like a cast iron skillet) fouling was minimized.

I use the lard on patches and hot water as described above, mainly because that's the way I was taught over 40 years ago. Does the seasoning really work??? Probably not, as far as I can tell - but it was a good story.

Lemon pepper with Cholula sauce. Let stand overnight to season.

Practice aside...
Parts burnish and polish together, springs get a little more consistent, and yes, the barrel breaks in. The inconsistently sharpest edges of rifling and any burrs, pits, scratches, and marks smooth out. It's just a machine thing.
Aside from a 1moa target rifle, there's no trick to it. Just enjoy shooting it.