Starting fires with patches

Just curious what you all use for lube in "dry grass conditions" on pillow ticking patches. I don't want to be fighting fire instead of hunting.

Watching.

I use a greased cloth patch. When it is super dry and windy in Kansas I either avoid shooting or am very careful about where I shoot. I don’t want to be the cause of a wildfire.

Kansas Jake said:

I use a greased cloth patch. When it is super dry and windy in Kansas I either avoid shooting or am very careful about where I shoot. I don’t want to be the cause of a wildfire.

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Thanks Kansas Jake for the re

Check the Dawn and water post from French Colonial.

As I am pretty sure the 2 times my shooting started a brush fire and it was the muzzle flash that did it...I was shooting with well lubed patches.
I do not shoot my muzzle loaders in dry crispy conditions any more.

Lucky I got both fires put out in seconds. The second time it happened was all it took for me to get the message.
Don't shoot muzzle loaders when it is dry, crispy and hot.

I concur with Cynthia. right now i am jonesing to burn some BP, but am too old to fight fire anymore.
fact is all i have shot in the last month is a 22 I am rebuilding.
But to answer the question, i use bear fat and have never had a smoldering patch. yet.

I have had patches smolder a little. If you are watching for them it can be dealt with quickly. When we used to shoot a lot and it was hot and dry, I always had an Indian Can, back pack, water fire extinguisher close by on the back of my pickup. I always had a shovel as well. The patches weren't nearly as troublesome as revolver wads in my opinion. If you use your head and make good decisions, you can still shoot carefully. Then when you are done, police the area and wait a good 20 minutes to half an hour before you leave. Be advised this was on my own land.
Old Shepherd

Our range doesn't allow muzzle loaders when the county issues burn bans. I use Ox Yoke patches that are saturated in Bore Butter, and even those I've stamped out smoldering patches. In other words, I wouldn't chance it.

Shoot with a partner who watches your shot, and can run fast and stamp out the smoldering patches!

Patches soaking wet with moose milk. We watch new members, and if they have smoldering patches, we have them switch lubes before they can shoot on our ranges again.
Our last shoot until rains come, is this Saturday. It's at our river range, and is damper than other sites. Fire danger extreme, and getting worse. Forest Service hasn't shut down the local forest yet, but I expect them to do so shortly. I usually stop using my home range with even a .22 before they do. Once restrictions go into effect, any explosive is banned, including shooting.
You are in Idaho, with the same fire conditions we have, or worse. Don't be foolish and burn the state down.
We don't have any open hunting seasons except varmints.

borax and water soaked patches then dried....... have worked for me.

camo

Out west we’re dry 3/4 of the year. At most all our rendezvous at shooters meetings it well be announced zero grease patches allowed. Either water soluble oil or spit patches only. Water soluble oil is sold by some traders as 3 rivers or 7 rivers. Also available at most any machine shop. An easy way to hold, soak and pick up patches.
Doc,

Doc said:

Out west we’re dry 3/4 of the year. At most all our rendezvous at shooters meetings it well be announced zero grease patches allowed. Either water soluble oil or spit patches only. Water soluble oil is sold by some traders as 3 rivers or 7 rivers. Also available at most any machine shop. An easy way to hold, soak and pick up patches.
Doc,

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That doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve never had a greased patch smolder. But at local matches I’ve seems lots of spit patches burning.

I wonder if high temp oils like peanut or lanolin might not smolder if used?

Siringo said:

That doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve never had a greased patch smolder. But at local matches I’ve seems lots of spit patches burning.

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Siringo, out west most of our shooting is done on large ranches. We’re shooting trails over dry leaves and twigs. We have lost one site due to a fire which almost got away caused by a grease (bore butter) patch. If a spit patch is smoldering that person is not getting it wet at all. At many rendezvous pre-lubed are also not allowed.
Doc,

camoloc said:

borax and water soaked patches then dried....... have worked for me.

camo

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Yep. That's an old welders technique. Make a "Super Saturated" mix of water and borax, soak your clothing item in that and let it dry. It will not sustain an ember on it's own. The effect even survives a wash or two to some extent.

I have used Crisco shortening for years with no problems of smoldering patches.

We have two main fires here in Southern Utah. One is by us the Silver King Fire and has consumed 18000 acres of forested land. which peaks go to 12000 ft. The other is the Deer Spring fire of 12000 acres and is the winter range for a trophy deer unit. I'm afraid those deer will be decimated as they prematurely move into Arizona which has late deer hunts. I dare not even shoot my muzzleloader at the shooting range because of cheatgrass.

Yes I have had grease patches set the grass on fire as well as fire out of the barrel.

Slightly off topic, we set a range on fire with tracers from our M-60 once. And yes, I pushed the earth for laughing. I was a bonehead then.