Stumpy's Moose Snot and the Loading Block

[Desert Ratxx]

Ok this may sound like a stupid question but I've never seriously messed with loading blocks before. How do you load up the patch material with the snot? Do you get the snot hot and into a liquid state and soak the patch material in it, then load into block with ball? Do you load ball and patch into block and then smear lube on? I have some snot cooling now and I did soak a strip of patching in it while it was still hot and it seems like it is just going to be a big gooey mess. Any help or input is apperciated.

Thanks

 

[twotoescharlie]

the moose snot that i use is a 50/50 mix neatsfoot oil and MOS. do not use neatsfoot compound as it contains mineral spirits. I presoak patches and shoot as is for target shooting. for hunting or extended loading I put a dry felt wad between powder and patched round ball.


TTC

 

[paulvallandigham]

First make sure the loading block is sealed with a good wood sealant, like shellac, so that the wood does not absorb your Moosesnot. Then soak the patches before putting them and the ball in the block. don't leave this for a long time storage, as the patches deteriorate in the air, and the lube does tend to dry out a bit. Load your block before going out the day you are hunting. If you hunt a weekend, or a couple of days in a row, I would not worry about the PRB in the block. But If its going to be a couple of weeks before I get back out in the field, I would take the PRB out of the block, throw away the lubed patches, keep the lead balls, and use them again with new patches, just to be sure of the quality of the patching.

Try using something simple like olive oil and beeswax in a 4:1 mixture. The wax is the thickener, and it will hold the oil in the cloth. If you have castor oil, or ballistoil, or some of the other oils recommended ( NAPA makes and sells a water soluable oil) use that instead of going to the store to buy a bottle of olive oil. Check the member resources on the index page for Stumpy's Moose milk and Moose snot, for mixing forumlaes. We are fortunate to have the man who spent so much time fiddling with this stuff as a moderator of this forum, so it would seem wise to use his talent to our best use, and not go wandering off thinking we can invent a better wheel! The actual mix often varies depending on what part of the country you live and hunt in, and how cold or hot it is. You need more wax, for instance, when its warmer out, and much less when its below freezing.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I treat most of my blocks with Minwax (I like the Provencial stain) followed by several rubbings with paste wax.

To use a patch I take a strip of cotton (ripped ahead of time into 1-1/2" wide strips - depends on caliber) and pull it across an open tin of Snot under my thumb, running it across the edge to squeege off the excess. I then lay that on the block lubed side down, set a ball on it, and push it down flush. Then hold the tick up in a bunch and slice it off flush with a sharp knife.

I encourage everyone to experiment with lubes. I started in the early 80's with sheep tallow and beeswax and variations on Crisco. The Moose Snot and Moose Juice are the end result of a lot of trial and error in between. One thing I recommend is that anything you try you experiment on bare steel and steel that has been flashed with blackpowder before deciding. Try your current store-bought lubes, even. It is surprising what rusts and how fast and what prevents it longest. Hint: start with the beeswax for a stiff lube

 

[Desert Ratxx]

Thanks for all the replys. Stumpkiller you hit on the head what I was looking for. I figured to start with moose snot to see how it works and to take advantage of of the time and research already done on it. I typically load and shoot so I've just always used a spit patch but now with a hunt coming up I figured to load a block for a quicker second and not be worried about a ball of the first shot in the barrel all day.