Best Animal fat for lube?

[Treetop]

My blend is bee wax, olive oil and a scoop of critter shortening/lard. Not only is it great bullet lube, it works miracles on dry hands and lips.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I just use bear fat. No salts in the fat to cause corrosion to the metal. It works in hot or cold weather. That bottle is a life time supply.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[wiscoaster]

I just use bear fat. .....

Where did you buy yours?

 

[Mogadishu Meanderer]

Mutton tallow, it never goes rancid. Unless you have access to the highly coveted Unicorn back fat!

 

[Billy Boy]

I see all kind of concoctions for patch lube. I’m currently using home made “Barrel Butter” of beeswax and olive oil.

I’ve heard people talk about some animal fats, mostly mutton/sheep.

What other animal fats do people use? Beef tallow? Clean pork fat?

What will rendered (clean) pork fat do to my rifle? Bacon fat is always the one thing I have lots of.

Thanks, Andy

Mink oil is the best, doesn’t run in the summer and doesn’t freeze (like next weeks opener), my longstanding favorite.

 

[Greenjoytj]

Part of the rendering process other than removing solids (meat) and gelatine is to any remove salt.
By stirring the fat in the boiling water salt is dissolved into the water.
The water must be changed out several times to get rid of the salt in the solution, each time the fat is boiled the salt quantity in the fat is being reduced. But the problem is you don't know if you got all the salt out. Therefore is best to start with fat or tallow that doesn't have any factory added salt in it which rules out the use of grocery store bacon fat which is saturated to near lethal levels because it is the cheapest preservative known to man.

Mutton fat or tallow is highly regarded for use as a bullet lube ingredient because it contains lanolin.
So adding a bit of lanolin to any other animal fat/tallow or vegetable fat will bolster the lubrication qualities of that lube.

 

[sturmkatze]

Since I stumbled onto a stash of Lehigh Patch Lube, I’m set until I croak. Then I will have them mix what’s left with my ashes.

 

[Nor'Easter]

Legit question.
Olive oil is the most expensive oil on the grocery shelf.
Can other 100% 'pure seed oils' be used? They are a third the price.
Corn.
Soybean.
Canola.
Sunflower.
Peanut.
There's more I think I'm forgetting.
Thanks.

 

[rp77469]

Several will be just fine. e.g. bear, mink, lamb and more. But, absolute worstest (DAMHIK) is chicken.

Methinks there is a Good to Great story there...

 

[Terrier]

I've been using lard for a long time on patched roundballs. Used to use Crisco shortening, but it tends to melt when it gets really hot outside, and haven't found that to be the case with lard. Very simple, cheap and it works well for me.

For my 1858 Rem revolver, I use a vegetable fiber card over the powder. a beeswax/olive oil soaked felt wad, then roundball to keep the innards of the pistol lubed up. Not counting a touch of marine grade grease on the cylinder pin to keep it from seizing up with fouling.

 

[oldramrod]

When using any animal fat I recomend removing the salt by boiling the fat with water, letting it cool and scraping off the fat after it cools leaving the salt in the water. Usually it will take two or three times to remove all of the salt.

 

[1950DAVE]

Talk to your butcher and ask for pork fat trimmings, tell him you want fat from fresh meat. Cut into small pieces, place in pan at medium heat, do not scorch. When the chunks turn medium brown you will have rendered your lard. Strain thru several layers of cheesecloth when it has cooled to about temp of hot water from your sink.
The solids left are cracklings, a nice addition to cornbread.
Same for beef tallow making. Ask for beef trimmings. The cracklings remaining from rendering your tallow are less than desirable for eating though.
Avoid using trimmings or fat from cooking because of the salt and nitrates used in the curing process.

 

[Taevers]

Talk to your butcher and ask for pork fat trimmings, tell him you want fat from fresh meat. Cut into small pieces, place in pan at medium heat, do not scorch. When the chunks turn medium brown you will have rendered your lard. Strain thru several layers of cheesecloth when it has cooled to about temp of hot water from your sink.
The solids left are cracklings, a nice addition to cornbread.
Same for beef tallow making. Ask for beef trimmings. The cracklings remaining from rendering your tallow are less than desirable for eating though.
Avoid using trimmings or fat from cooking because of the salt and nitrates used in the curing process.

That’s how I do mine too. The best lube I’ve found was mountain goat. It’s really clean and white, with the perfect hardness without adding wax, yet has a waxy feel. I was lucky enough to have one of my young fishing friends who hunts haul it off the mountain.

 

[TechMoron]

Talk to your butcher and ask for pork fat trimmings, tell him you want fat from fresh meat. Cut into small pieces, place in pan at medium heat, do not scorch. When the chunks turn medium brown you will have rendered your lard. Strain thru several layers of cheesecloth when it has cooled to about temp of hot water from your sink.
The solids left are cracklings, a nice addition to cornbread.
Same for beef tallow making. Ask for beef trimmings. The cracklings remaining from rendering your tallow are less than desirable for eating though.
Avoid using trimmings or fat from cooking because of the salt and nitrates used in the curing process.

And the cracklings make the best cornbread you'll ever eat. Wish I had my Grampaw's recipe and his knack.

 

[fire bear]

I have used olive oil / deer tallow mix with success but am now using raccoon / deer tallow mix. I liked them both and adjusted the mix for thickness according to the predominate weather.

 

[longcruise]

Morrell snow cap lard. Pure, no salt, Muslims hate it so I use it in my lube if I don't have bear fat.

Cheap and at your local food store.

Yup! Saves me the trouble of finding and killing one of those exotic animals or tracking down their fat at the local meat department. Morrell does all the dirty work for ya.

It's one of three lubes I use depending on what I'm up to.