Every gun is different and will like different patch lubes. The only way to answer your question is to try differnt lubes.
The Mad Monk likes Lehigh Valley Lube, and he is the expert, so you probably won't go wrong with Lehigh.
Others swear by Hoppe's No9 PLUS BP Solvent & Patch Lube.
Windshield wiper fluid mixed with an equal amount of Murphies oil soap is supposed to work wonders, though I have not tried it.
Windshield wiper fluid works pretty well by itself.
Any dilute soap and water mixture should work, for that matter.
The least expensive and most readily available patch lube is simply spit. Just stick a few CLEAN patches in your mouth and suck on 'em as you shoot. I found that spit works well for target shooting, but dries out my mouth...not to mention that there is no telling where my patches have been.
For hunting and trekking, situations where the gun will be loaded for some time, I prefer a wax based lube. Liquid lubes tend to soak into the powder if the gun is left loaded for several hours.
Some oil based liquid lubes, allowed to dry prior to loading, work well for hunting too.
Any quality of olive oil will work well enough, as long as it does not contain salt. Some other additives to beeswax are Canola oil, castor oil, crisco, real neatsfoot oil, not the synthetic, mutton tallow, or nearly any natural oil or grease.
Crisco and mutton tallow, used alone, work very well, but they can be messy without the stiffness of the wax.
Mutton tallow is availabel from Dixie.
The mix is usually some where between 1 part beeswax to 2-4 parts of oil, depending on the thickness of oil and the temperature one expects to be shooting in. A 1-3 mix is a good palce to start.
A thinner consitency is thought to be better for cold weather, while a stiffer consistency is usually used for shooting in hot weather.
The rule of thumb is that the consistency of the mixture is about that of shoe polish.
Since there are no hard and fast rules, the only way to find out what works best for you is to experiment.
J.D.
The Mad Monk likes Lehigh Valley Lube, and he is the expert, so you probably won't go wrong with Lehigh.
Others swear by Hoppe's No9 PLUS BP Solvent & Patch Lube.
Windshield wiper fluid mixed with an equal amount of Murphies oil soap is supposed to work wonders, though I have not tried it.
Windshield wiper fluid works pretty well by itself.
Any dilute soap and water mixture should work, for that matter.
The least expensive and most readily available patch lube is simply spit. Just stick a few CLEAN patches in your mouth and suck on 'em as you shoot. I found that spit works well for target shooting, but dries out my mouth...not to mention that there is no telling where my patches have been.
For hunting and trekking, situations where the gun will be loaded for some time, I prefer a wax based lube. Liquid lubes tend to soak into the powder if the gun is left loaded for several hours.
Some oil based liquid lubes, allowed to dry prior to loading, work well for hunting too.
Any quality of olive oil will work well enough, as long as it does not contain salt. Some other additives to beeswax are Canola oil, castor oil, crisco, real neatsfoot oil, not the synthetic, mutton tallow, or nearly any natural oil or grease.
Crisco and mutton tallow, used alone, work very well, but they can be messy without the stiffness of the wax.
Mutton tallow is availabel from Dixie.
The mix is usually some where between 1 part beeswax to 2-4 parts of oil, depending on the thickness of oil and the temperature one expects to be shooting in. A 1-3 mix is a good palce to start.
A thinner consitency is thought to be better for cold weather, while a stiffer consistency is usually used for shooting in hot weather.
The rule of thumb is that the consistency of the mixture is about that of shoe polish.
Since there are no hard and fast rules, the only way to find out what works best for you is to experiment.
J.D.
