Stumpkiller-
Speaking of patches, what is the main difference between shooting patches lubed with oil vs. wonder lube?
Advantages/disadvantages?
Thanks
`swamp
The main difference is the nature of the oils and the way they are carried. Some oils have a tendency to bead up on metal, so they need a "carrier" to emulsify them and smear across surfaces. Penetrating oils, like Rem-Oil & sewing machine oil, have esters from the petrolium process that do it, but the downside is that those products can leave tar in the barrel as a byproduct of firing.
20 some years ago "Wonder Lube" was a different formulation (was white and seemed to have tallow in it) and I didn't like it a bit. Then I got a tube of T/C's Bore Butter and found it was much better. I used Natural Lube Plus for several years and liked it, but didn't like the yellow fingers, grease on everything, and on my clothes from where I carried pre-patched balls in loading blocks.
Do a search on "Lube Wars", "Moose Snot" and "Moose Milk" for background and formulas. I began a quest for a less messy home brew that would give me multiple shots without wiping.
Cut to the chase:
Thicker grease lubes bind the oils in waxes that are exposed in loading and firing. Beeswax melts away to become a great lube - it's what I use in the hinge of ball moulds. Easy to use if you carry a small tin of the lube, can be smeared on patches and loaded in blocks ahead of time and stay pretty stable when exposed to air. Some better than others. Natural Lube seems to evaporate off a bit and become more wax-like, but it still works. These also are good for protecting the bore in storage. Downside: waxy lubes can cause stringing in some rifles, I suspect due to build-up and inconsistant amounts on each patch and from patch-to-patch.
Liquid lube with oil is also messy, but cleans the bore with ever ball loaded. The water and alcohol help as much as the oil in keeping the fouling soft and squeegying it out of the grooves. They seem to be easier to gain consistancy of lube. Disadvantage: too much will leach into the powder and "kill" it so it burns slow or not at all. Not the best choice for loading blocks.
My latest trend: cotton patching twice dipped in moose milk and allowed to dry between while lying down on wax paper. Advantage: the castor oil/murphy's oil/witchhazel oils are less volitile than some and soak into the weave after the alcohol and water dissipate. Gives a very consistant, light application of lube and seems to produce the best accuracy. Not messy to handle, no bottles or tins to fumble with when shooting, stay ready indefinately in a loading block (I've used two-month old pre-patched blocks as a test). I carry a six-foot strip in a waxed deerskin bag in my hunting pouch. Disadvantage: less fouling softening ability, so these require a spit-wipe every five shots or so. Or, adding a drop or two of moose milk when loading lets me shoot without the need to wipe.
Never used a pre-lubed commercial patch, so I don't know how these compare. I'm not one of those who advocate "seasoning" a bore with lube. I want it clean when I start and cleaned and oiled when I put the gun away. I run an alcohol patch before I shoot and wipe with a lubed patch to coat the bore before I load for the day's shooting. When I'm done I scrub with hot soapy water until I get patches that come out looking like they went in, then I dry the bore and use a protecting oil (Rem-oil or Sheath).
I've been playing around with bear oil, but it is not common and I got some rust in the bore so it is not the Grand Unification Lube & Protectant that I was hoping for. I didn't find any advantage over moose milk, but it is an authentic and accurate lube. Probably if I slobbered it on thicker and left a "seasoned" bore it would work. Still work to do before I decide.
