Crisco over the chambers, pros and cons

[Stantheman86]

Just from observing how beef fat behaves on my cast iron skillets, I think beef tallow would be a good component in a black powder lube. It’s sticky, hard to remove even with fairly hot water, and goes solid at room temp. It’s not very flexible, so I think a mix with beeswax might be good. But it’s protective on my skillets, so it should be protective on a muzzleloader too.

I use it in Minie lube with Beeswax.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Crisco or un-salted lard, bees wax and olive oil it is very easy to adjust the mix to suit the weather just add more or less bees wax also if you want it to smell good a few drops of candy flavoring extract is nice, also works for chapped lips.

 

[Artificer]

Tried it once many years ago, an unnessary and messy step. It does fry up chicken ok.

And absolutely necessary for the flakiest pie crust.

Gus

 

[TDM]

I use Crisco & beeswax at a 50/50 mix but then I add some canola oil too. Maybe 10% for summer and 30% for winter. I use it for wads and over the top with revolvers.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

We use powder, felt wad, RB.
Nothing else.
As long as the balls seat with a ring, flash isnt getting in there.

 

[Stantheman86]

The handiest benefit was when I cleaned them, the bore just zipped clean instead of having to push 3 patches full of black tar like fouling out

 

[springfield art]

Thank You

I love the .44 Navy "fantasy guns", I've owned several of them , both steel and brass framed.

This one is super accurate, along with the new Dance Brothers. Pietta is doing something right because every new Pietta I've gotten shoots like a laser

Pietta Rocks!

 

[TreeMan]

I use cream of wheat over my powder if I’m being serious with targets. Otherwise just powder and ball. Never had a chain fire in 30 years of shooting. Grease over the ball is a melty mess and does nothing beneficial. If you’re shaving a ring of lead when you seat the ball that’s all that’s needed.

 

[earlwb]

I don’t remember having any problems with Crisco as a lube and sealant in my guns. Yeah it tended to get blown out on that first shot in a revolver but some of it stayed in there around the bullets though. Out here in the summer you are not likely going to do much shooting when the temps are exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. So melting isn’t a issue. But if you do shoot out here in the summer using something that doesn’t melt is a good idea.

 

[Stantheman86]

Pietta Rocks!

I used to think they were junk back in the early 2000s , I had them that had out of alignment chambers, over running the bolt stops, peened up wedge slots , etc and Uberti was "the good ones" . But now the tables kinda turned and Piettas are the out of the box shooters now and they also look better, the finish is on par with Uberti now. That Pietta Dance and Brothers shot a baseball sized group at 50 yards , one handed on my very first cylinder with it

 

[TrapperDude]

Lube of any kind over the ball just gets blown out of the bore and doesn't get an adequate opportunity to mix with the fouling that's freshly deposited in the bore with each shot. Lube behind the ball, however, mixes with the fouling as it's deposited in the bore and keeps it soft.

 

[TDM]

Lube of any kind over the ball just gets blown out of the bore and doesn't get an adequate opportunity to mix with the fouling that's freshly deposited in the bore with each shot. Lube behind the ball, however, mixes with the fouling as it's deposited in the bore and keeps it soft.

First off, I’m not trying to be wishy washy since I’ve been agreeing with all the previous post on using over ball lube, which I do. But I also still use a lubed over powder wads and have for 40 years. I don’t shoot my revolvers a lot but I’ve never had any problems with fouling while shooting. But again, I rarely shoot more than 5 cylinders per gun. It’s been about a month since I shot a revolver so I had planned to try a straight powder & ball load with no lube top or bottom. I’m going to have see for myself how that works because I can see merit in all the other techniques. Could be that it really doesn’t make that much difference and could be it does.

 

[TrapperDude]

First off, I’m not trying to be wishy washy since I’ve been agreeing with all the previous post on using over ball lube, which I do. But I also still use a lubed over powder wads and have for 40 years. I don’t shoot my revolvers a lot but I’ve never had any problems with fouling while shooting. But again, I rarely shoot more than 5 cylinders per gun. It’s been about a month since I shot a revolver so I had planned to try a straight powder & ball load with no lube top or bottom. I’m going to have see for myself how that works because I can seevmerit in all the other techniques. Could be that it really doesn’t make that much difference and could be it does.

Take a read of this article on loading techniques and the discussion of fouling management:
http://geojohn.org/BlackPowder/bps3Mobile.htmlBelow is an excerpt from the article. This guy's articles are really engaging:

 

[TDM]

Yes, I like GeoJohn. I believe I actually printed that article out years ago and forgot about it. I have so much printed material like that cataloged away. But I forget I have it!!!

 

[TrapperDude]

Yes, I like GeoJohn. I believe I actually printed that article out years ago and forgot about it. I have so much printed material like that cataloged away. But I forget I have it!!!

You and me, both!

 

[smoothshooter]

View attachment 172118

I figured , after shooting with nothing over the chambers all summer, I'd give this old tub of Crisco I found in my garage another shot

View attachment 172119

Mastering the right amount of "finger dab" takes a little practice. It's sloppy and it gets all over the gun. Plus , luckily I wore "range pants " for constantly wiping my hands off on.

View attachment 172120

30 grain charges in both of these guns, they kept going through 5 cylinders each with the Crisco but still got a little gummy. It did keep the fouling softer. The bore was way easier to clean after shooting too.

View attachment 172121

As a plus it gets all over the inside of holsters and will condition them as you reholster the guns.

I honestly don't know if it's not just simply easier to take a break after 3 or 4 cylinders of "dry chamber" shooting and take a minute to break the guns down and wipe the cylinder face , forcing cone and arbor with a baby wipe. Then relube the arbor.

I have used Tallow before and it's easier to work with, but I only use it with Walkers and Dragoons that foul up quicker

Lube over the chamber mouths is unnecessarily messy, and just not needed.
Cutting or buying some 1/8” felt wads that have been soaked in melted lube with the excess removed works better, and cuts down all the extra grease related stuff you have have nearby when shooting.
Greasing the chambers is mostly a 1960’s thing started by shooters who knew a little about shooting percussion revolvers, but not quite enough.
I would ask the question “ why do you feel the need to put grease over the chamber mouths?”
I think I can anticipate your answer, and already have a couple of reasons to refute it.
This has been discussed many times here.

 

[TrapperDude]

Lube over the chamber mouths is unnecessarily messy, and just not needed.
Cutting or buying some 1/8” felt wads that have been soaked in melted lube with the excess removed works better, and cuts down all the extra grease related stuff you have have nearby when shooting.
Greasing the chambers is mostly a 1960’s thing started by shooters who knew a little about shooting percussion revolvers, but not quite enough.
I would ask the question “ why do you feel the need to put grease over the chamber mouths?”
I think I can anticipate your answer, and already have a couple of reasons to refute it.
This has been discussed many times here.

Go up three posts, and you'll see something you and I might have already said on the issue.

Edit: Four posts

 

[45D]

Hmmmmm . . . My bullets have lube in the grooves . . . Lol!!!!

Mike

 

[TrapperDude]

Hmmmmm . . . My bullets have lube in the grooves . . . Lol!!!!

Mike

Cheater!

 

[armoredman]

Eons ago when I had my first BP revolver, a no-name .31 Baby Dragoon copy, I did the Crisco over the chamber because the guy who knew more, (barely), than I did said it was necessary. Now all I have is a lubed wad behind the ball, and a shaved lead ring after seating the ball, and it seems to work quite well so far.