Plain 'ol Olive Oil...

[TexasMLer]

I use olive oil, all by itself, to lube my pillow ticking shooting patches. It works well, is cheap, and is readily available. I have had no blown patches and no burned patches. The patches look like they could even be reused.

A guy at the range where I shoot said that olive oil isn't a good patch lube. When I asked, "Why not?", he gave me a blank stare for a moment and then replied, "Well, it just isn't.".

Can you think of a reason not to use olive oil as a patch lube for target shooting and hunting? Do you think that a lightly olive-oiled patch would contaminate the powder if left in the barrel all day while hunting? Thanks!

 

[roundball]

If no one happens to have an answer about the contamination, next time you know you're going to go to the range, load up a charge 24 / 48 hours ahead of time and you'll see first hand how it does when you go to the range.

You might want to tape over the vent (or nipple), and hang caution signs on the rifle so it's obvious it's charged while sitting in your house, etc

 

[buckknife]

If it works good fer you thats all that matters.I have a homemade borebutter receipe that sum use and say its very close to the real stuff....4 parts olive oil-1 part beeswax.
The beeswax i suppose is to help in loading and help in stopen patch burn.

 

[jtmattison]

From what I've heard Bore Butter is nothing but beeswax and olive oil as already said.
I don't see any reason why not to use olive oil as a patch lube.
I make a lube out of beeswax, Crisco, and canola oil.
Bottom line is if you like it and it works for you, use it.
There are no right and wrong answers to questions on muzzleloading.
What works for one may not work for another.
Good luck and good shooting.

Huntin

 

[Zonie]

"From what I've heard Bore Butter is nothing but beeswax and olive oil as already said....."

I heard the reason for using Olive oil is it is one of the few non-mineral oils which will not go rancid.
When I thought back, I thought of several bottles of other vegetable oils that got a little "tasty" and of course animal oils can get downright ripe but I've seen olive oil sit in a cupboard for years and still taste fresh.

Can it be used for a patch lube? Sure. As was asked, "why not".

 

[TexasMLer]

Thanks for your replies! I feel the same way as you guys. If it works, use it. I just wonder why you never hear of anyone else using only olive oil as a patch lube. Maybe it sounds to simple to be a good lube?

I haven't had a single burn-through shooting 90 grains of Goex so I think olive oil performs well. The only thing left to do is what "out a huntin" recommended that I do to find out if olive will contaminate the powder charge. Thanks out-a-huntin! If olive oil won't contaminate the powder charge, I will consider olive oil the ultimate patch lube.
Simple engineering + desired performance or better= perfect solution.

 

[jtmattison]

I can't take the credit for that suggestion.
That was roundball's.

Huntin

 

[TexasMLer]

Sorry 'bout that! But thanks anyway for the posts "out a huntin"! :: And thanks for catching my mistake. I could have swore it was you that made that post!

Roundball
Thanks for the good idea! I will load her up and leave it that way for a day or two and see what happens.

Thanks again for all your replies! Geez, this a helpful place!

 

[vanstg]

I used olive oil as patch lube many times. Worked for me. I used it while hunting once. Loaded the rifle before dawn and shot it after dusk, before going back to camp (empty handed). It fired normally. So I figure a patch lightly lubed with olive oil won't contaminate the powder if left in barrel all day.
Vanstg

 

[Zonie]

I think vanstg brings the key point to the forefront when he said "...So I figure a patch lightly lubed ...".

Patch lube is another place where more is not better.
Of course the patch needs to be lubed enough so it serves its intended purpose of lubricating the bore, imparting spin (in a rifle)to the ball, sealing the powder gas and not burning thru but this does not take a lot of lube.

To my way of thinking, putting more lube on the patch with the idea that "more is better" will only contaminate the powder charge and get your fingers greasy.

IMO, if you want to see an example of a patch which is correctly lubed, check out some pre lubed ox-yoke patches sometime. No, I didn't say you should buy some (although they are very good), just examine how much lube comes off of them in their little plastic bag.

 

[TexasMLer]

Vanstg and Zonie,
Good points! I completely agree that the patch should be lightly oiled. When I lube my patches with olive oil, I lube only the outside edges of the patch and I lay them on a cookie sheet. After an hour or so, I check the patches. Usually at that point the oil has worked its way from the outer edges to the middle of the patch leaving the patch lightly oiled. I did look to a package of Ox-yoke prelubed patches for an idea of how much lube should be used. The prelubed patches are so lightly lubed that you can barely tell that are even lubed.

 

[Claude Mathis]

When I asked, "Why not?", he gave me a blank stare for a moment and then replied, "Well, it just isn't."

It's hard to argue with evidence like that. :haha:

During Colonial times, olive oil was called "sweet oil" and it was used for just about everything. It's true that it is the only vegetable oil that does not turn rancid.

I mix it with bee's wax and use it as a lube, a lubricant and a rust preventative. Oh yeah, and I cook with it.

 

[TexasMLer]

Claude,

It IS hard to argue with evidence like that. :haha:

When I asked the guy why olive oil doesn't make a good patch lube I was honestly hoping to learn something. He is much more experienced with muzzleloading than I and I thought he had a good reason and was going to tell me. Instead, I think he took my question the wrong way. He acted a little ticked at me after that and didn't speak to me again. I honestly wasn't questioning his knowledge or trying to test him in anyway.

I didn't know that olive oil does not turn rancid until Zonie's reply to my post. That is a definite plus.

I have heard of people mixing it with bee's wax. What benefit does bee's wax provide? I have never really seen bee's wax or know what its properties are. Thanks!

 

[jtmattison]

Beeswax will stiffen up oil per say. Melted, it will mix with your olive oil and make a thicker lube that you can apply to patches or conicals with you fingers. Parafin wax will also work but not nearly as good. Beeswax is much softer.

Huntin

 

[Deadeye]

Olive oil is great for many things. I also make holsters and other leather gear and use olive oil to oil the leather.
If you have doubts about contamination put an overpowder wad between your powder and ball.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I have heard of people mixing it with bee's wax. What benefit does bee's wax provide?

Depending on the mixture, you can make it as soft or hard as you like. I mix the two until I have a very firm paste that will stay in a tin container without running out. If you rub it a little it gets warm and starts to melt, so you can use it for patches. Oil by itself is too thin and the wax alone is way too hard.

Wax Oil Mixture and Pure Bee's Wax

 

[TexasMLer]

Thanks for the information on beeswax, guys! And thanks, Claude for the picture! I think I will give that a try. The mixture would surely be less likely to contaminate the powder because it isn't as runny as olive oil would be by itself. And, the solid mixture would be easier to carry.

Now, how many bees' ears have to be cleaned to get a block of wax that big?!? Those must be very patient bees and the q-tips must be tiny!
:haha:

 

[Zonie]

Just a thought about melting wax.
It EXPANDS when melted.
My first time with it, I was working with a little pan and thought, 'if I put the oil in with it, the oil will pick up the heat and flow around the wax and speed up the melting'. I was right about the melting. The only trouble was I put in a lot of oil into the pan, so when the wax started melting the level in the pan started rising fast.
I was lucky that it didn't overflow onto the stove and set my house on fire.

I am not suggesting you should melt the wax without any oil in the pan.
I am suggesting that you leave a lot of room for expansion.

 

[TexasMLer]

Zonie,
Thanks for the heads-up! I was wondering how I was going to go about mixing the olive oil and bee's wax. I've probably asked too many questions already so I didn't want to push it. ::

I was looking in the Photos section and saw the guns you make.
:shocking: Wow, those things are ridiculously beautiful! I'm almost afraid to ask how much you charge for something like that. What is your company's name and do you have a website?

 

[Zonie]

TexasMLer: First off, don't stop askin questions. They are what keeps this whole forum site moving and interesting. Sometimes the same question asked a different way will bring out a whole bunch of new answers so keep on askin until you feel you know what the answer is.

Thanks for your comments about my guns.
At the moment, I don't have a burning desire to sell any of the guns I've built. Part of the reason for this is after selling one of them, when the gun buyer walked out the door it felt like a piece of me went with it. Wierd, I know.
There may come a time when I change my mind, who knows?

I don't have a company, I have just built them as a hobby for the past 9 years. I've been asked many times by people if I would build a gun for them and so far my answer is "no, that would be too much like work!"
When I retire, I may start building and selling but that's down the road a ways right now.
Thanks again.