A gun gets 'seasoned' by use, but the patina gained is not, IMO, a bad thing.
My main bird gun - my Fox 16 - has been used hard for about 15 years. It is well cared for - cleaned after every use, kept in a hard case locked in a safe, lubed before each assembly for use, etc. The CC is wearing off the bottom of the action bar, the blue is polished off the guard tang, and the rust blue is getting thin on tha barrels where my hand is placed when I carry it. The stock has a couple fo tiny nicks. Not bad for a chukar gun, really.
It fits and shoots so well for me that it is still beautiful.
