Smokey Plainsman said:
Is lard as good as the mink's oil for a patch lube?
It could be - some people use it. Much depends on your particular gun, ball, patch and powder/load combination. The lube is one of those
moving parts that needs to be figured out with experience. Since you are planning on doing some testing, it might be something you wish to try. My personal favorite and the one I currently use to lube patches is Bear grease (the oil can also be used) and Bear oil to lubricate my lock and barrel. But I also started out using Bore Butter/Wonderlube and used it for years with success (my gun brought home meat).
But to be honest, people currently seem to be enthralled with the magical mixes that are either made at home (Moose snot/milk and others) or those sold by vendors. What many newcomers aren't familiar with are the many options for traditional lubes used for centuries (Olive and other plant oils, animal greases/oils) with great success, none of which required special ingredients or a chemistry degree to mix.
I was attracted to this hobby by the traditional aspects and skills. In my impressions, I try my hardest to stay within the boundaries of the knowledge/skill and materials they had. I've never used the "
If they'd a had it, they woulda used it" approach. I view this as a learning opportunity to understand the challenges they had by using what they had. I've been too hot, cold, wet, thirsty, exhausted and practically frozen (Beaver-trapping in February in Montana - that water is cold without rubber waders). The more I learn, the more I find I want to learn.
The personal metric I use is:
If I were to be transported back to 1760 - would I look out of place?
I have come a long way and feel I can continue to improve...
