Patch lube

[norfolk shooter]

i was wondering if you could get away with just using spit as a patch lube or even petrolium jelly??

 

[rabjr]

Spit is fine at the range or informal shooting but you really want some sort of a lube when hunting or the gun is loaded for a long period of time.

 

[buford87]

Spit will work okay as a patch lube if it is not left loaded long enough to dry out , also if left in the barrel it can cause the barrel to start to rust . I would avoid petroleum jelly because petroleum products when mixed with black powder fouling make a tar-like substance which is very difficult to clean out of your barrel . You can use any cooking oil, shortening, or lard for a patch lube if you haven't any firearm specific lube handy. A lot of members on the forum use some type of cooking oil or grease as thier favorite lubes..................watch yer top knot.................

 

[Zonie]

Many people use spit to lubricate their patch right before loading. It is especially useful if the bore is lightly fouled because it wipes the fouling off nicely.

Most (including myself) do not recommend using spit if there is going to be over a minute before firing the shot. Left sitting in the bore for any length of time can cause rust to start to develop.

As for petroleum jelly I can not say I've tried it or heard of others trying it.

In theory it should do a good job of lubricating the bore but there is the "petroleum" question.

Things like straight petroleum motor oil tend to combine with the debris left by black powder to form a very hard fouling. Not only is it hard but it is somewhat waterproof thus it is difficult to remove from the bore when cleaning.

Ballistol on the other hand is primarily made from "mineral oil" which is a highly refined petroleum oil and many users of Ballistol claim it works well and doesn't form hard fouling.

Perhaps its secret is there is something in it which makes it water soluble?

There are many shooters in America who use a product called "Crisco".
Crisco is a "vegetable shortning" used in cooking which looks like soft lard.
Crisco does not produce hard fouling and works well however it is a bit messy to use, especially on a hot day.

 

[ebiggs1]

i was wondering if you could get away with just using spit as a patch lube or even petrolium jelly??

If you are looking for a cheap around the house patch lube, since you mentioned petroleum jelly I assume you are, I found that olive oil works as well as any lube there is. Give it a try.

 

[nkbj]

I used spit forever (OK, maybe the first twenty years) for field cleaning and lube and never had a problem. But we hunted in the rain and didn't know any better too.

 

[FFF]

I use Olive oil as well
Wash about 2 yards of pillow ticking,without fabric softener.Tear into caliber specific strips and roll tightly into rolls
Put in shallow bowl and drizzle olive untill slightly moist this usually take a couple applications.
I store them in a tupperware bowl,and take the rolls I need shooting in a ziplock bag.
I can shoot 15 shots without cleaning with this type of patch

 

[vern faulkner]

I started out a long time ago using spit patches and have never seen a reason to change. The accuracy from my rifles is, and has been, "minute of squirrel" and that's good enough for me. Haven't had a rust problem either.

Vern

 

[paulvallandigham]

Do Not use Petroleum Jelly in your barrel. The temperature at which black powder burns simply is NOT HOT enough to burn up the oils and tars in Petroleum products, and you are left with a sticky Tar-like Gum in the barrel, that can only be removed by first dissolving it with alcohol, or some alcohol based product. Even then, it takes a lot of scrubbing to get it out of the barrel.

Olive Oil, once called " Sweet Oil", is an excellent lubricant. Some mix it with beeswax to make a thicker lube with the consistency of lard, and change the formula a bit, from 50:50 mix, to either more or less wax, depending on how warm t4he weather will be when you are shooting. IN very cold weather, using more oil in the mix will give you a lube that that is not so solid. On hot summer days, you will probably want more wax, than oil in the mix. I personally like a lube that has the texture of soft shoe polishes- not the hard polish made by Kiwi, and found in flat tins, that were very hard, and required a lot of rubbing to get polish onto your brush or cloth to do your shoes, and boots.

Spit works, but I limit its use to the shooting range, when I know I will fire the gun within seconds of running that spit patched ball down the barrel. If you leave it longer, the spit can foul the powder charge, or dry out, and rust the barrel where the PRB touches the bore. You don't want that to EVER HAPPEN in your barrel. Water can also be used as a patch lube. Again, "damp" is better than WET!

Some kind of Non-petroleum based oil- processed mineral oil works, as do vegetable oils-- softens the fouling in the barrel after the shot, yet keep the fouling from grabbing the pores of the barrel, making cleaning the barrel easier. The oil lube fills the fibers of the cloth fabric quickly, and sufficiently to provide a better "SEAL" against the gases created by the burning powder, while giving the fabric a bit of "Stretch" to wrap around the ball, AND, fill the grooves completely and tightly.

 

[norfolk shooter]

what the general view on pre lubed patches??

 

[ebiggs1]

what the general view on pre lubed patches??

They cost too much and work no better!

 

[David W.]

what the general view on pre lubed patches??

They cost too much and work no better!

Besides that, they will "go stale" after a while. Pre-lubed patches can be made at home, and much cheaper, in controled quantities. NAPA cutting oil or Ballistol works great for home spun pre-lubed patches. I will also use pre-soaked Old Zip (Dixie Gun Works) greased patches in cold hunting weather. Mink oil (Track of Wolf)grease works great too.

Some advocate "spit" patches, but I shy away from that because I do not want to chance rusting the bore of my expensive match grade barrel. Stay away from petrolium jelly!

 

[paulvallandigham]

The problems I see with Pre-lubes, is that you have to use them up or keep them in a freezer, to prevent mildew from eating at the cotton fibers, and destroying the patches. Fine, when you are shooting a lot- but if you store patches over the winter, and forget to put them in a freezer, throw them away, IMHO.

I failed to store some lubed patches properly, over the winter, and when I opened my tin for our April Shoot, the patches were covered in mildew, and they could literally be pulled apart with my fingers. These were Pre-lubed, .015" thick patches, with Wonderlube on them.

If you want to have lots of "pre-lubed" Patches lying around, I recommend using a lube mix of vegetable oil and beeswax, because the enzymes in Beeswax are an anti-septic, and keep mold and mildew from forming on the lubed patches during storage.

If you can seal the pre-lubed patches using one of those vacuum sealers, in plastic bags, all the better. Bacteria need Oxygen to multiply. And that is how the cotter fibers are eaten. If you don't own one of those vacuum sealers, then freezing the patches slows bacterial growth of all but a very few bacteria that can grow in ice. And, So, far, those bacteria are not found to eat organic fibers for sustenance. Using beeswax, instead of the paraffin wax found in Wonderlube, will offer good protection, even without freezing.

 

[norfolk shooter]

well the good news is i have got my licencse. the bad news is i havnt got it through the post yet!! it should be with me by the weekend. well seeing as all i will be dong is range shooting im going to go for spit. i think it will raise a few eyebrows at the club mind!

once again thanks soo much for all your help.

 

[longcruise]

Pre-lubing your own patches is another thing altogether though. I always pre lube my patches before a match or range visit unles planning to use spit or other liquid type lubes.

You can lube them up sparingly with some everyday lard or vegetable grease/oil and put them in a plastic bag.

Your spit plan is a good one.

 

[hanshi]

Spit patch is about as good as anything out there but shouldn't be left in the barrel too long. Use Bore Butter or Crisco for your FIRST load of the day in the woods. Spit patch (or Hoppes, etc) will be fine for any follow-up shots. And if you do not fire your rifle it won't hurt to leave it loaded till the next time.

 

[Ben Athens]

Anyone ever tried Murphys oil soap? I use on my patches and it seems to work just fine. It is also one of the componetes of Moose Milk.

Ben

 

[William O.]

what the general view on pre lubed patches??

They work quite well and for a beginning shooter they eliminate a somewhat confusing aspect of shooting a muzzleloader which they can focus on later once they have gotten more experience and are a little farther down the road to developing the most accurate load in their own rifle. It also gives the newbie a feel for what different thicknesses of patch material look like and how that may affect accuracy.

 

[airmansteve]

Definately stay away from Petroleum jelly! Used it back in the day when I didn't know any better. got a ball stuck in the barrel about 8 inches down. :redface: Olive oil, crisco and spit all work well. Haven't tried ballistol or any other machining or cutting oil. I think next time I cook bacon I might save the grease and soak a few patches in that and try it.

 

[dckcrk]

Whoa! Bacon grease is a bad idea. It's full of salt. Salt in barrel bad.