Amazed, somewhat skeptical, and seeking advice.

[Richard Allen]

I

 

[Rebel]

Have you checked out the threads about Stumpkillers Moose Milk and Moose Snot lubes? Everyone seems to agree that they work real well.

 

[Stumpkiller]

What Rebel said. :crackup:

I set out to find a lube that works without inter-shot wiping, was made from materials available in the Americas prior to the Revolution, didn't require a short starter (and I'm on my original wood ramrod on my 20+ year old .54 Renegade).

From what I understand regarding Dutch's System, mine is similar except for ingredients and I use a much thinner patch, and it's also free to all readers here. My patch lube appears to be very stable as I have used dry patches several months old, and the cotton is not degraded by the castor oil as the NAPA oil seems to.

Search on Stumpy's Moose Milk in the archives. There are hundreds of posts to read through.

Stumpy's Moose Milk - Click here

What's your favorite lube (Links to the Moose history) - Click here

This is three shots offhand at 50 yards with a T/C New Englander and 82 gr. FFg and an 0.018" patch. The same load in the same gun took a 4 pt. buck for me this fall.

I've been using the same lube on 0.010" patches and they still hold up, but the accuracy is slightly less (I shot a 28-2X three shot offhand group at 25 yards last Sunday, and at 50 yards all shots were still in a 6" bullseye). These load with a single push right through the ball block so they are WELL worth a slight drop in accuracy to me. I keep three in a small ball-block suspended from my horn strap for fast follow-up (and fun plinking) shots. No wiping between shots was necessary for a dozen such shots. I'm hoping to get my flinter happy with these for snowshoe biathlon next winter.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I have found in the past an easier combination was a smaller ball and a thicker patch. I have a theory this was the combination used in the older guns. Common cloth, woven for clothing use I beleive was thicker that cloths of today. Most of our material is machine woven and the thread, threads per inch and thickness is all precise. Cotton or linen hand scutch, broken and woven into thread buy hand or a wheel, then made into cloth on a homemade loom would be less precise, and consequently thicker, say maybe in the range between 15 to 20 thousands in thickness. I do know of one thickness test of 3 original patches found in an early 1800's firearm patchbox. Two were .16 thous, and the other was .17 thous. The thicker patch was against the wood inside the patchbox. I have used in my .40 rifle a .380 ball with a .20 thous. patch. It loaded easily without any short starter, yet was firm as it went down the barrel filling the lands and grooves with the thicker patch. The ball shot well with a reduced charge.
The answer may well be a smaller ball and a thicker patch to answer your question.
Ohio Rusty

 

Osborne Russell mentions,.... be'n close enough to see the "blanket" patching in the air, from the enemy's guns,.... dur'n a fire-fight with the Blackfeet!!

Thet's some purty "thick patch'n", I figger!! :haha:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[blksmth52]

I have found in the past an easier combination was a smaller ball and a thicker patch. I have a theory this was the combination used in the older guns. Common cloth, woven for clothing use I beleive was thicker that cloths of today. Most of our material is machine woven and the thread, threads per inch and thickness is all precise. Cotton or linen hand scutch, broken and woven into thread buy hand or a wheel, then made into cloth on a homemade loom would be less precise, and consequently thicker, say maybe in the range between 15 to 20 thousands in thickness. I do know of one thickness test of 3 original patches found in an early 1800's firearm patchbox. Two were .16 thous, and the other was .17 thous. The thicker patch was against the wood inside the patchbox. I have used in my .40 rifle a .380 ball with a .20 thous. patch. It loaded easily without any short starter, yet was firm as it went down the barrel filling the lands and grooves with the thicker patch. The ball shot well with a reduced charge.
The answer may well be a smaller ball and a thicker patch to answer your question.
Ohio Rusty

O R
It would be reasonable to assume (yeah, yeah, I know all about assumptin' :crackup the same for a smoothie. Yes?
sparky

 

[nit wit]

Richard:
I use a homemade lube made from bear oil and beeswax. Simple to make,period correct,cheap. The hard part is talking the bear out of the fat.
NIT WIT :redthumb:

 

[boar]

I started out with groundhog oil and beewaxs now using deer fat rended down. groundhog,bearand skunk all stay oil unless frozen I mixed the beewax with groundhog so it won't run in hot weather deer fat gets soft but don't run out of tin Dilly

 

[Slamfire]

I started out with groundhog oil and beewaxs now using deer fat rended down. groundhog,bearand skunk all stay oil unless frozen I mixed the beewax with groundhog so it won't run in hot weather deer fat gets soft but don't run out of tin Dilly

And when some newbie asks where you got the oil, you tell 'em "griz". :crackup: :crackup:

 

[Richard Allen]

I'm definitely going to try Stumpkiller's lubes.

Unlike some folks I ocassionally associate with, I don't mind sharing whatever information I have or benefiting from someone else's hard earned knowledge.

Richard/Ga.

 

[Richard Allen]

I appreciate everyone that took time to respond. I have learned some things and am anxious to try some of the lubes and loads y'all shared.

Richard/Ga.

 

Ya might try a .490 ball. I used to shoot .445 balls and relatively thick patches in my .45. Very accurate but I had alot of difficulty loading this even on first shot and HAD to swab between shots. Recently I tried going to .440 ball and .015 prelubed patch (Wonder Lube1000). Surprise! the rifle loaded much much easier, did not require swabbing between every shot AND was still more accurate than I can hold. In fact I won two local matches with the new load combo. I use a .490 ball in my .50 Colerain barrel rifle, but I know that different brands have different needs! Often, however, a smaller ball helps loading and you just need to find the right patch material/powder load :m2c: to get optimum accuracy.