Best Animal fat for lube?

[Mogadishu Meanderer]

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.

Sadly, with Bidenomics I feel your pain but you should look into highest flashpoint and lubricant ability. I have my own mix of food grade beeswax, lamb tallow and coconut oil. I feel like I am in the Caribbean every time I pull the triggah!! It makes awesome chapsticks too!!

 

[Bucks Co]

I have used mutton fat in the past - found it worked well but my 'rendering ' may have been wrong because it did go quite rancid after a while.

 

[ETipp]

I use bear fat because i have 10 quarts of it and have no need for anything else. Generally mixed with different percentages of bees wax depending on the temperature.

A good friend recently sent me some bear oil. I mixed it with real beeswax. The consistency is just about like TOTW Mink Oil that I have been using. I haven't tried any of it yet, probably wait until spring. The friend that sent it to me stated that its about like mink oil.

Personally, if I find that bear oil and beeswax produces good results, and if I can obtain more bear oil, then that's what I will most likely change over to. Its worked well for several hundred years.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

Where did you buy yours?

I acquired a big chunk of fat from a hunter in colorado. I cut thin slices from the fat and rendered it down in a pan over low heat. I still have a chunk of that fat in the bottom of my freezer.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Ohio Rusty]

A good friend recently sent me some bear oil. I mixed it with real beeswax. The consistency is just about like TOTW Mink Oil that I have been using. I haven't tried any of it yet, probably wait until spring. The friend that sent it to me stated that its about like mink oil.

Personally, if I find that bear oil and beeswax produces good results, and if I can obtain more bear oil, then that's what I will most likely change over to. Its worked well for several hundred years.

Your bears oil/beeswax mix makes a very good leather dressing for knife sheaths, shooting pouches, etc.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Daveboone]

He said he would render it first. Doesn't that get rid of the salt? If not, ya, you wouldn't want to use that!!

Rendering does NOT get rid of salt, and trying to filter it out doesnt work. You could certainly use pork fat trimmings off fresh pork roast, etc. (non processed/unseasoned, etc).

 

[Crow Choker]

Mutton/sheep fat (tallow) has always worked well for me over the years. Also great for making lube for bullets, mix it with the proper paraffin and olive oil. I'm not interested in trying to be 'old timey' and get raw bear, deer, sheep, or whatever fat and mess around rendering it down. Buy the sheep tallow in tubs and free from all of the mess. There were sheep in the 1700/1800's and those boys made use of the fat, if they had access to the rendered fat in tubs they would have taken advantage of it I'm sure.

 

[Sorry Dude]

I'm new and shot my 1851 Navy for the first time last week. I used TOW Mink oil on wads under the ball, fouling was minimal and cleaning the revolver was very easy.

 

[Captndan]

Skunk tallow. If you can’t find a skunk try hummingbird.

 

[Harry Marinakis]

Beef tallow is easily obtained in the grocery store, and it doesn't go rancid.

I mix 2 parts beef tallow to 1 part bear oil. Heat it sightly until it all liquifies and mixes. Let it cool, and it's a very soft paste. I keep a tin in my rifle bag.

I wouldn't use wax in my rifle, gums up the barrel in my experience. I used bear oil/beeswax on my leather but not my rifle.

 

[gustrolland]

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

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

They all work. I've used or tried them all and had no bad luck. I now use bear lard only because I have a lot of it. Heard that it was the best, but my guns don't know the difference. They all work, just DO NOT USE BACCON GREASE due to the salt in it.

 

[nhmoose]

Skunk tallow. If you can’t find a skunk try hummingbird.

Also makes a great cover sent.

 

[rp77469]

Mutton/sheep fat (tallow) has always worked well for me over the years. Also great for making lube for bullets, mix it with the proper paraffin and olive oil. I'm not interested in trying to be 'old timey' and get raw bear, deer, sheep, or whatever fat and mess around rendering it down. Buy the sheep tallow in tubs and free from all of the mess. There were sheep in the 1700/1800's and those boys made use of the fat, if they had access to the rendered fat in tubs they would have taken advantage of it I'm sure.

Rendering bear is a PITA when I first started, but I am getting better and quicker at it each year. Last one was about 40 pounds of fat from my neighbor plus a very nice roast for "tromping through yer land". I gave him half of the rendered oil back for treating his bald spot and baking biscuits.

I may try a little bear oil mixed with some very hard mutton tallow I bought from Dixie a few years back. Glad you mentioned that as I had forgotten about having the mutton tallow. LOTS of things work well as you noted. Heck, Lube 1000 works well in several of my rifles if I slather it on.

I am a proponent of pure bear oil/grease because:

1. It is the only lube I found that shrunk a ~4" 50y three shot group to a one hole clover leaf in one very special, sentimental and extremely finicky custom rifle. I spent days at the range and had zero success reducing the group size until I switched to pure bear grease and finally got great groups. Being able to shoot this rifle accurately is reason enough for me to switch lubes. (I'd rather spend range time shooting off hand than working up loads from a bench.)

2. It works well in every other rifle I frequently shoot. No change in POI or need to clean between shots AFAICT. I did not spend hours at the bench verifying this. I just shot my normal off hand.

3. I know exactly what is in it unlike any of the store bought concoctions.

4. It is essentially free for a little of my time and a bit of electricity. It takes more effort to can it than make it. I prefer grease over oil, but that depends on the bear's diet...and the temperature that day.