How long do "pre-lubed" patches last?

[Art Caputo]

Cotton is superbly biodegradable with or without the presence of oxygen. The composition of the lubricant will determine the rate, but.it WILL eventually decompose. Whether the level of decomposition effects your shooting may be dependent on your particular shooting standard, but I personally would consider pre-lubed patches the equivalent of a compost pile after a season or so and not use them for serious work. I have had dry un-lubed patches that are stored in a sealed, dry package last 20+ years. IMO.

 

[Grenadier1758]

We'll, I guess I made a huge mistake. On a rainy day yesterday I greased up a lot of .015 natural linen patches with homemade sheep tallow and mineral oil combination.
Will the sheep tallow make any difference in the longevity of the natural linen patches compared to over the counter stuff?
Help!

I have them in a sealed tin and long strips in a tube. I guess I can always rejuvenate them with the tallow if they dry out. Thanks LME.

A lot depends on how air tight the tin is sealed. You used linen patches and a natural lubricant and put the patches in a sealed tin. Linen will not deteriorate as quickly as cotton. You made no mistake. Do keep the patches sealed between taking some out.

 

[Mark Herman]

I think the type of lube does make a shelf life difference but I feel more strongly that the container makes more difference by sealing up the lubes patches.

 

[Colterkid]

The only problem I have experienced is when patched balls are left in a loading block for an extended period of time. After a few weeks the patch becomes fused to the ball.

Glad you told me that. I just realized that I did that too. I remove the ball and the patches were dried out.
I'll only load it when I get ready to shoot.
Thanks a bunch.
Aj

 

[shorthair]

I have pre-lubed patches purchased over twenty years ago. They work fine.

I also have some old mid 80's ox yoke prelubed wads that have been stored well sealed and in the dark that still group like new.

 

[Siringo]

I have found that the older they get the lube looses its “slipperiness”. What happens to me
In a tight patch/ball combination the patch will tear either upon loading or seating on the powder. Next time I’ll try the trick of “freshening” the lube in the microwave.

 

[Josephg]

I also have some old mid 80's ox yoke prelubed wads that have been stored well sealed and in the dark that still group like new.

Mine are ox-yoke also. Normally I use spit patches but all they had was the prelubed. Ox-yoke knew/knows how to make prelubed patches. Don't know if they're still in business. These are .010 for my .38 rifle.