Bad tin of mink oil

[Eric Krewson]

Crazy, unexpected, never seen before, I got a bad new tin of mink oil from TOW, it locks the ball in the bore.

I was using a new tin I just bought, with the same load I used last year, I had to pound the ball down. I got a patched ball out of my possible bag from last year, lubed the patch with Hoppes #9 and I could slide it down the bore easily, I got another ball out of my ball block, tried to get it down the bore with the same pocket drill patch and the new mink oil, no go, the ball stuck just past my coned muzzle, I even had a time getting it out with a ball puller.

I have been doing this M/L stuff for 60 years, building rifles for the last 15 years so I have the process down. Using this mink oil, I have the same loading problem in my TC with a GM barrel as well as my TN rifle in .40 with the same l loads as I have always used.

Anybody else have a problem with a recent order of this patch lube?

 

[Frontier's]

My lube doesn't go bad... still shooting patches I lubed over a year ago.

 

[Antelope Pete]

Eric,
I am almost done with one tin of that lube and have another in the fridge but wondering if the new lube looks, smells, and feels the same as before?

 

[hanshi]

Never heard of anything like that happening before. I no longer hunt and so my need for mink oil, which was a favorite, no longer exists. I still have some left that I bought years ago so it does get occasionally used at the range. I like and rely on Hoppes for the most part.

I've never heard of this problem with mink oil. Was it possible to tell if it was in fact something else other than the mink oil in the tin? That would be my first thought.

 

[ZUG]

I would call TOTW and ask if anyone else had this issue. Maybe they have a bad batch of the stuff? Ask if they would send you a new tin (for the price of shipping only). Worth a try?

 

[IanH]

I bought a tin earlier this year that was very rancid, stunk my whole garage up when I opened it and the smell lingered for over a week. Mentioned it here, got told it cannot be true, the stuff has no odor ever, and got laughed off the board. However, I did air it out outside for a few weeks in a covered area and it performed flawlessly in my rifle. Sounds like you got shoe polish instead of mink grease, I'd call and inquire.

 

[Frontier's]

I bought a tin earlier this year that was very rancid, stunk my whole garage up when I opened it and the smell lingered for over a week. Mentioned it here, got told it cannot be true, the stuff has no odor ever, and got laughed off the board. However, I did air it out outside for a few weeks in a covered area and it performed flawlessly in my rifle. Sounds like you got shoe polish instead of mink grease, I'd call and inquire.

Had that happen years ago and it was just waved off lol.

 

[Eric Krewson]

It looks and feels just like the stuff I have bought many times before from TOW.

 

[bldtrailer]

might want to try mutton tallow does NOT go rancid I can shoot a long time before wiping , not as slippery as bear grease
( I don't like wax of any kind in my lubes, I found it makes a crud ring for me, )

 

[Eric Krewson]

I tested everything today and found that I had jumped to the wrong conclusion on the Mink Oil, I tried it in an un-coned rifle and it worked just fine. When I get a patched ball to the end of the cone it hangs up for some reason and doesn't want to transition to the full rifling.

Any Mod reading this please delete this thread so as not to confuse people with my impulsiveness.

 

[Sorry Dude]

Once you open up a tin of mink oil, how long will it last before it goes rancid?

 

[SDSmlf]

Once you open up a tin of mink oil, how long will it last before it goes rancid?

I imagine a container of TOW Mink Oil, whether opened or not could go rancid, but I have yet to experience any going bad even after quite a few years. Not something I would be concerned about, but don’t let me stop you from worrying it, we all need to keep our minds occupied.