The explanations I have heard and read is that when the barrel tubes were "married" at the foundry in Belgium or England, the tubes were taken from piles probably separated by direction of twist but they were not finished in any way so the pattern was not visible to them. When the barrels were finished by Parker Bros., or whoever the gunmaker might have been, the mismatch was then discovered. If a customer had a complaint a discount was likely given or the gun taken back and replaced with a gun with matching barrels. The gun with mismatched barrels eventually (obviously) was sold to someone...
This is all hearsay - simply what I've read and heard.
I wonder if there are any records of such discounts given on guns with mismatched barrel patterns. Check your letters, those who might own such a gun.
I have never seen or heard of composit barrels 'blackened' by Parker Bros.
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