Which revolvers for the holy black?

[Driftwood Johnson]

Driftwood I think they reason BP firearms become easier to clean after being shot several times is that takes any "roughness" out of the bore. I used to firelap my ML's and the bore would be as shiny as a mirror. I have a stainless '92 that took close to 30 patches to clean the first time I shot it, now 3 patches and it is clean. WM

Well, I have to disagree. Simply because I have so many different guns that I shoot Black Powder through. Some of them are relatively new, some of them are really old. As for pores in old iron barrels being larger and taking up oils, I have guns that are well over 100 years old. I have a few Smiths that were made in the 1880s, and my Russian was made in 1875. This is the time period when Colt was still using malleable iron for frames and cylinders. I dunno exactly what the alloy content is of these old Smiths, whether it is iron or steel, but they are old and are certainly not modern steel. My point is, with the oldies, or with a relatively new gun like a Ruger, they all seem to clean up better after having been through the firing and cleaning cycle a few times. The oldies and the new ones.

Call it seasoning or call it metal preparation, but I am pretty convinced that a few cleanings with Murphy's Mix, and more importantly a few swabbings of Ballistol, does make them easier to clean than the first time around.

[Slowhand Bob]

I once viewed a video on gun cleaning that was put out by the AGA outfit.  Though their thrust was modern guns, they pretty much made the same statement concerning the use of Simple Green and Breakfree.  Though they never used the term seasoning they did describe it in the same way, the more often the gun was cleaned and oiled with these products, supposedly, the easier cleaning becomes over time!

There was a time that the more dedicated muzzle loader shooters were very careful in what was used for cleaning the barls.  It absoloutly could not be a product that woul affect the seasoning process.  I never travelled in such circles but do wonder if one looked down their freshly cleaned barls, would they would have been shiny?

[Steel Horse Bailey]

barrels

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

barrels

Beer comes in barrels as well.   Boy I love that SHINERBOCK that my brother-in-law sets out for me at lunch.

ALERT; Hijack!

[Steel Horse Bailey]

That's a nice Brother-in-Law, Sir. Chas.!

As to the seasoning: what Wildman says and is touched on by SlowBob, a smoothed out barrel is undoubtedly easier to clean because less roughness traps less garbage.  But I can't argue against Driftwood or any other proponent of "seasoning."   If it works for some it probably simply isn't noticed by others.

ANY extra care, lubing, or just general TLC is good for all precision machinery or firearm (generally) because a well cleaned & oiled firearm is a happy firearm!