Rifle lubes

[Diz9000]

Hey all.

Now that I have managed to get some decent .54cal REALs moulded. I'm looking at making my own lube, ( for pan lubing ? ). I have come into possession of some beeswax and some paraffin wax. ( from an ex candle maker ).

So I have googled lubes , and ignoring the non muzzel loading ones , lol. There are a heap of recipes out there , but mostly from our American cousins ( I'm from the UK btw ) and their recipes call for such things as mink oil, bear grease etc.. I assuming that these ingredients are 'what they say on the tin' and not trade names for commercial ingredients.

Anyway , considering my starting ingredients, ( beeswax and paraffin wax ), any suggestions for lube recipes ??

Cheers

Diz

 

[Grenadier1758]

I would prefer to stay with the natural lubrication. That would be the bee's wax and olive oil. A stiff lubricant will consist of one part bee's wax to one part of olive oil.

To prepare the lube, you need two sauce pans or a double boiler. With the water boiling in the base pan, set the pan with the wax and oil in the boiling water. Mix the wax and oil and pour the mixture into a container for use. A few drops of oil of wintergreen will make it smell better, but doesn't improve performance.

I prefer a softer mixture of one part wax to five or six parts of oil. This mix filled the grooves of a 0.54 caliber minie' ball that I used in a test of my 1803 Harper's Ferry rifle. My shoulder is still bruised.

 

[Billnpatti]

Once I have my ingredients mixed and they are cooling, I like to use a fork to start whipping the mixture. I then add about a tablespoon of Murphy's oil soap to the mixture and keep whipping as it cools. This yields a nice creamy mixture. Of course, the viscosity is determined by the mixture but the soap makes whatever viscosity your lube is nice and creamy. The soap also helps in keeping the fouling soft.

Just a suggestion for your consideration. I think it is worth a try and, who knows, you just might like it.

 

[Paul_R]

Google "Emmert's lube"

My recipe is:

50% beeswax

40% mutton tallow (or crisco if you can't get mutton tallow)

10% Anhydrous lanolin (or canola oil if you cant get that)

 

[cynthialee]

Mutton Tallow should be in plentiful supply in your neck of the woods. Works pretty good.

 

[Zonie]

For our friend across the pond, Crisco is the same thing as Trex, Flora White or Cookeen in the UK.

 

[Don Steele]

For pan lubing conicals, I use Emmert's Lube. Works great for muzzleloaded conicals as well as the big 500 gn bullets I use in my 45/70 BPCR rifle.
Over the years, I've looked at a lot of Blackpowder lube recipes. I have yet to see one that used paraffin wax successfully. :idunno:
With beeswax however...you're halfway there. :thumbsup: Stick with that as one component of your recipe-of-choice and you'll be fine. Save the paraffin for making candles.

 

[fleener]

I have had very good luck with equal parts of bees wax and crisco, with a little olive oil mixed in.

I make mine in a plastic one pound coffee container in the microwave.

Fleener

 

[Diz9000]

I'm guessing , that the recipes that use mutton tallow or other animal fats , need to be stored in the fridge ?
Just wondering how long the lube lasts before going rancid ?

Cheers for all the advice 🤠

Diz

 

[JeffG]

My lubes made of beeswax and olive oil have never gone rancid. Stable and fresh after years, in some cases.

 

[Paul_R]

I've had some of my mutton tallow recipe in the garage for a couple of years now and it appears to be fine. I keep the bulk of it in the freezer just because I have plenty of room and it can't hurt.

 

[rodwha]

I use what's known as Gatofeo's #1 lube, which is a historic late 1800's recipe for outside lubricated bullets. This recipe was found in an old gun magazine (1940's?) by Gatofeo who tested it against other lubes as well as swapping the mutton tallow for other types of animals fats and found the original to work the best for him. His conditions may have dictated this. Others named it after him.

By weight it is made in a double boiler and is:

1 part mutton tallow
1 part paraffin wax
1/2 part beeswax

I use this for my .50 cal REALs, pistol conicals, and felt wads. Others use it for lube cookies and patch lube as well.

My mutton tallow is about 5 years old and sits in my closet with my shooting supplies and Gatofeo lube I made a few years ago. No issues unlike some animal fats that I've read about.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'm guessing , that the recipes that use mutton tallow or other animal fats , need to be stored in the fridge ?
Just wondering how long the lube lasts before going rancid ?

Cheers for all the advice 🤠

Diz

I have lubes made from beeswax/peanut oil and beeswax/whale oil. Both have been on shelf for several years and are just fine.

 

[Okie Hog]

Few weeks ago i lubed several hundred conical bullets. i intended to use bees wax and olive oil. Then i remembered the large quantity of Bore Butter bought at a yard sale.

Melted a 2-1 mix of bees wax and Bore Butter. Stood the bullets in the pan and let it set. Then removed the bullets with a metal tube.

Put some of the bullets out in the >90 degree heat. The lube got somewhat soft but did not melt.

 

[smo]

How do you Guys get the Bees wax out of the grooves?

I don't think soap and water will cut it ? Will it ? :idunno:

 

[fleener]

never had a problem or been an issue with the bees wax in the grooves.

fleener

 

[TFoley]

I shoot a lot of big heavy bullets in one of Mr Browning's new-fangled guns that we don't talk about here, using a 90/10 concoction of beeswax and neat's foot oil. We don't have the extremes of temperatures that you have in the US, so it remains the same all year round.

I've never had any lube left in the grooves, and I prolly shoot 40 or more rounds a week, and have done for years.

tac

 

[Turtle Dave]

I am going to get ribbed. I am a newbee. But i use regular olive oil. Cheapest i can find. Its been 2 seasons now, i find the fowling stays relatively soft and easy to clean the barrel.?

 

[mooman76]

I don't use it but nothing unusual about what you are using. I'm sure you are not alone there as there are many more different lubes used, more than you can count.

 

[Okie Hog]

i never had a problem with beeswax in the bore.