Lube Question

[Chuckster60]

Just for grins and giggles has any one ever tried moly coating lead balls for a BP smoke pole? Might it increase the number of shots between swabbing the barrel? One other factor may be better or worse accuracy?
Now if Ya'll wanna laugh and poke fun just have a ball.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Do you mean a smoothbore or a rifled gun?

For a patched round ball rifle I don’t see how lubing the ball directly would be beneficial. For a patch lube, people use all kinds of things, but I prefer to avoid petroleum products with black powder and like the more traditional animal or plant based lubes. But who knows, it might work?

 

[Chuckster60]

Just for grins and giggles has any one ever tried moly coating lead balls for a BP smoke pole? Might it increase the number of shots between swabbing the barrel? One other factor may be better or worse accuracy?
Now if Ya'll wanna laugh and poke fun just have a ball.

I should have added by Moly I meant non traditional lube like Molybdenum Disulfide Dry Lubricant. My apologies for being out off period. I just wondered, I know it has a small following with modern day handloads.
Plus you are 100% correct BP off times will not work with man made untraditional lube.

 

[Zonie]

Like Smokey Plainsman said, for a patched ball, the coating would do nothing. The patch is between the ball and the bore.

Loading a smoothbore with a coated unpatched ball would let the Moly contact the bore but because it is a "dry lube", it wouldn't do anything to soften or to reduce the amount of fouling that's left in the bore after firing. If the fouling isn't softened and there is still the same amount in the bore, swabbing the bore would still be needed.

 

[Chuckster60]

Zonie, yep kinda what I thought.

 

[rdlowe]

What about putting this kind of coating on something like a Maxi ball or a REAL bullet? Anyone tried that?

 

[Art Caputo]

Oh no!!! Getting away from this neurosis is the reason I shoot muzzle loaders in the first place!

 

[Carbon 6]

What about putting this kind of coating on something like a Maxi ball or a REAL bullet? Anyone tried that?

Think it through.

 

[rdlowe]

Think it through.

Stop. You’re ruining my fun.

 

[Carbon 6]

Stop. You’re ruining my fun.

Oh, sorry! Proceed then.

 

[tomm9903]

NO! Being a gunsmith on primarily modern firearms I can tell you it WILL embed into the rifling and is a pain to flush/clean out after only about 10 or so rounds. It was all the rage about 20 years ago but because of that issue has pretty much dropped from favor. I can only imagine the mess one would have in a BP firearm. Save yourself!

 

[Carbon 6]

NO! Being a gunsmith on primarily modern firearms I can tell you it WILL embed into the rifling and is a pain to flush/clean out after only about 10 or so rounds. It was all the rage about 20 years ago but because of that issue has pretty much dropped from favor. I can only imagine the mess one would have in a BP firearm. Save yourself!

Yes, moly has a strong adhesion to metal and is virtually unaffected by solvents. As a lubricant for muzzleloaders it's useless because maxi balls and REALs both are made of soft lead and the rifling is engraved at loading. Being a dry lubricant it does nothing to remove fouling.
Moly was just a passing fad.

 

[mooman76]

Even most modern shooters have long given up on it because it didn't live up to expectations so they consider it a waist of time.

 

[Chuckster60]

Thank you! All of you have convinced me that Moly would be bad news with BP. I will just use it for door knobs an such.

 

[nbforestiv]

Do you mean a smoothbore or a rifled gun?

For a patched round ball rifle I don’t see how lubing the ball directly would be beneficial. For a patch lube, people use all kinds of things, but I prefer to avoid petroleum products with black powder and like the more traditional animal or plant based lubes. But who knows, it might work?

I have some 60 year old Crisco vegetable shorting in my shooting box that is just right for lubing the patch!

 

[hanshi]

I also used a lot of Crisco before I found mink oil and Hoppes BP Lube.

 

[Scott]

How about a parafin based lube recipe. Does anyone use one.. Beeswax has gotten real expensive.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Oh no!!! Getting away from this neurosis is the reason I shoot muzzle loaders in the first place!

Why not? That is the way the original mountain men did it.

 

[Kansas Jake]

How about a parafin based lube recipe. Does anyone use one.. Beeswax has gotten real expensive.

Try to find a local bee keeper and buy direct. Parafin is used in some mixtures but many folks don’t like to use petroleum based stuff.

 

[RB POWELL]

Try to find a local bee keeper and buy direct. Parafin is used in some mixtures but many folks don’t like to use petroleum based stuff.

Why not petroleum based stuff? Hope the reason isn't political correctness...