I can't believe nobody listed Stumpy's Moose Snot here. I started using it about 20-years ago after the tube of bore butter I took to my target session at a quarry in Vermont froze solid. It was a warm winter day there and the temperature had reached 11°F, still well below freezing. Stumpy was a moderator here and came up with all kinds of helpful things for BP shooting and hunting. I put mine in those little tin cans that mints come in and it is the consistency of paste shoe polish. It never freezes in cold weather and it doesn't melt in hot weather - does get a little softer, but doesn't melt. If you rub a patch in it with your thumb of finger tip until you feel it come through the patch, put the lubed part on the muzzle with the ball in the middle and ram it down on the powder, you won't have to keep running cleaning patches down the bore every few shots. If you have a tough time seating one load, you didn't use enough lube, so just use more on the next shot and you'll be loading easily once again.
This concoction of Stumpy's softens the fouling from the last shot and shoves it down on top of the new powder when you ram the ball home. The next shot creates new fouling and the lubed patch loading the following shot cleans it. I never have to run a cleaning patch when I use Stumpy's Moose Snot. He specifically made it for use with a loading block (typically 3 to 6 patched balls in a board with appropriate sized holes in it. His normal "Moose Milk" was too dry for that and so he developed Moose Snot. If I recall correctly he was a chemist.
Here's the Stumpy's Moose Snot with a conversion table to help you get the right measurements:
Stumpy's Moose Snot
A premium multi-shot between wiping (10+) patch lube stable over a wide temperature range.
SPECIFICALLY designed for use of patched round balls in a loading block
Beeswax 2 oz.
Castor Oil 8 oz.
Murphy's Oil Soap 1 oz.
1/2 oz. = 1 tbsp = 3 tsp
1 oz. = 2 tbsp = 6 tsp
Heat beeswax in a soup can
• set a pot of water. ( A double-boiler. I keep my beeswax in a one pound coffee can and measure out what I need by melting it and pouring it into measuring cups). Add just enough water so the inner can does not begin to float (should be just short of the lube level in the can). Heat the water to a low boil (simmer).
Mix the other ingredients:
• In a separate can, add the castor oil and Murphy's oil soap (cold).
Combine all the ingredients:
• Once the beeswax is melted, swap the castor oil can in the pot of water for the beeswax.
• Add the beeswax to the oils. It will clump up. Stir with an ice tea spoon as the mixture heats up (a wooden chopstick works well for this and is disposable). • • When it fully melts there will be a scum that floats to the top and just won't mix in. Be patient.
• DO NOT COOK THE MIXTURE. Once the solids are dissolved there is no need to heat further. Skim the scum off.
• Remove the mix from the heat and wipe the water off the outside (so it won't drip into the container when you pour it out).
FINAL TOP SECRET STEP: Add a teaspoon of Murphy's Oil Soap and stir vigorously. This last step makes the lube frothy and smooth - really adds to the appearance; though it doesn't seem to matter to the function of the lube. Clamp the can in the jaws of a vice-grip pliers and pour into the waiting tins. Allow to cool a half hour. Cooled consistency should be similar to a tin of paste shoe polish.
Below is loading block if you're not familiar with them. it's an easy way to carry some patched and lubed balls when hunting or plinking. Notice that if you cast your own lead balls, it's best to put the sprue in the middle of the load. I run a long leather thong through the small hole and hang it from my neck. I make sure the thong is long enough for me to load the ball into my rifle without removing it from around my neck or pulling the barrel underneath my chin. Then I use my short starter to get it started into the bore:
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