rifled musket at the ready?

[Nueces]

How can I keep my 1863 Springfield .58 loaded and ready to shoot for indeterminate periods? I'm using minie balls. What if you needed to be loaded and ready for a day or two or more? You sure couldn't use a sloppy lube like Crisco. And certainly not in the hollow base next to the powder.
I know this is not traditional, but did anybody ever try something like Lee Liquid Alox?

 

[boar]

I would use deer tallow. It stay real good in my tins. Hasn't run out of tin in 80&90 degree weather this year. I beleive this is what they used in the grease holes in the stocks. I use it for everthing,gun leather. Its free. Dilly

 

[paulvallandigham]

In most states, the gun is legal to carry or transport if the cap is removed from the nipple. Don't take a loaded gun indoors if the outdoor temperature or humidity is higher or lower than the indoor temperature. Leave the gun in the truck or on a porch out of the rain. As long as it is dry, the powder should be able to stand being in the barrel a couple of days. Same with the lube. As long as it does not heat up, it should not melt or run.

Before re-capping, always check the nipple with a wire, or ' nipple pick ", to make sure the flash channel is clear and dry. If thee is moisture in the flashchannel you will get a tiny bead of moisture on the wire when you take it back out. Use good light to inspect the wire. If its dry, you are ready to go. If moisture is even possibly a problem, get some of the pencil erasers that you put over the top of a worn out eraser, and keep them in your kit. You can put one of them over the nipple and lower the hammer to hold it on, and that will keep moisture out of the nipple, flashchannel, and main charge. Or, get one of those stick erasures, rectangular in cross section and about 3/16 by 3/4 by 2 inches long, and simply use the hammer face to clamp that rubber eraser on top of the nipple to seal the nipple from moisture. The main spring will be heavy enough to keep that erasure firmly on the nipple, and no moisture will get in. If you can find a cheaper, and thinner scrap of rubber- wish we still had rubber innertubes- use it instead.

 

[Tumblernotch]

The original Minie Lube used by the Army was a 8 to 1 mix of Beeswax and Tallow. The bullets were placed on a solid based tray and dipped into the melted mix to a point just above the top cannelure (grease groove), removed and set aside to dry. For neatness and for loading into paper cartridges, it's best to run the bullet through a sizer which will strip the excess lube off, leaving the grease just in the grooves. You are right, you don't want the grease in the base cavity. If you don't have tallow, you can substitute Crisco for it in the same ratio. The beeswax will keep it from getting runny. If it's hot enough to make it melt, it's too hot to be out shooting. Of course you want to keep it or any lube out of direct sunlight. They'll all melt. If you're shooting in real cold weather, you can go a little heavier on the Crisco/Tallow and lighter on the Beeswax. It won't get as crumbly or hard in extreme cold weather.
:thumbsup:

 

[CrackStock]

Always keep your guns away from foolish children and teach children to not be foolish.

I strongly suggest that you uncap the gun as a first step.

As to some suggestions for keeping a load ready. I know that some people use an unlubed felt wad over the powder to keep the patched ball (I would assume that this would work for a bullet) lube from fouling the charge.

Some lower the hammer down on a BB lubed patch to keep moisture out of the charge from that end. A tompion or a few patches can be used to seal the muzzle end, but you want it to be visible enough so that it is surely removed before use.

Some will rack the gun sideways so that any moisture from condensation from the air inside is less likely to be drawn by gravity past the bullet to the charge. Other place it muzzle down and some do not give it that much thought.

The biggest problem for me was failing to clean oil from my breach area when loading once. This cost me a fine buck. After a day or two, this bit of oil fouled my charge badly. I blew the load out with CO2 and examined it. Not one of my better moments.

CS

 

[Nueces]

Thanks y'all,
Good advice.
Looks like I'll lubricate the grooves with (undecided yet, probably beeswax/crisco} and give that a try. And the seal over the nipple, held in place by the hammer. No cap of course.
Still wondering about the Liquid (dries quickly) Alox.
C.E. Harris used it on R.E.A.L. bullets in his percussion revolver to good effect.

 

[Runner]

I have used LA for years on conicals. I have used it on the Lee Target Minnie. I have even thinned it down and soaked patch strips in it. It is ok, but can be a little harder to clean. The patching will get pretty stiff with LA on it, so it is a pain to use. I used it on 45 REAL's that I loaded in my revolver. It worked very well for that application.

 

[Tumblernotch]

I'd like to add to your comments about Liquid Alox making patches stiff. The Beeswax/Crisco mixture will also make patches very stiff and next to impossible to use in cold weather. I've used them in a smoothbore in hot weather with some success, but not in Winter. Liquid Alox works well on a Minie, but can be messy. It seems that hardened Alox, Javelina Lube and Beeswax/Crisco lubes work about the best in Minie grooves. It just takes a bit of messing around and experimenting to find what works best for the individual shooter I reckon! After years of trying different lubes on patching, I'm getting my best shots with good old fashioned SPIT. (With a little bit of tobacco juice additive). I don't know if that helps...it just happens to be there! :hmm: