TOTW Mink Oil

[harleysboss]

Has anyone had luck lubing a conical with this product or is it more of a thin patch lube. Mink Oil from Track Of Wolf?

 

[azmntman]

Patch lube IMHO

 

[Don Steele]

Unless you smeared it on a conical immediately prior to loading, OR...only used it in cold weather I suspect it wouldn't be a suitable choice.
Too many other excellent options for lubing conicals. Track's Mink Oil has an excellent reputation for patch lubing.

 

[BrownBear]

Unless you smeared it on a conical immediately prior to loading, OR...only used it in cold weather I suspect it wouldn't be a suitable choice.

Zackly my experience. It works just fine for the intended purpose. But lordy, is it hard to keep it where it belongs. Fortunately it's an excellent leather treatment, cuzz it gets all over your bag! :wink:

 

[Ames]

Great on PRB. My go to lube in the cold hunting season.
On the range, multiple shots, it does tend to get onto other things if you don't clean your fingers. I clean my fingers off on the warm barrel. Waste not want not.

 

[harleysboss]

Thanks for the insight. Just what I wanted to know.

 

[hanshi]

I use it as my patch lube out hunting; that's what it does best.

 

[SgtMaj65]

I would say patch lube only. It's outstanding for PRBs.

 

[mcritelgmail.com]

I concur with the hordes, as a Patch lube, it is great. I make up a batch at the house, where my cans stay. When I get home, I also use it as a leather treatment. It has a better viscosity than Mink Oil sold in shoe stores!

 

[Rifleman1776]

I concur with the hordes, as a Patch lube, it is great. I make up a batch at the house, where my cans stay. When I get home, I also use it as a leather treatment. It has a better viscosity than Mink Oil sold in shoe stores!

FWIW, I have a can of Kiwi mink oil. It is labeled as mink oil only. No additives. But, I use it on leather only. No reason why I don't use it for patch lube, just haven't tried.

 

[Jimbo47]

I just recently started using the TOW Mink Oil.
When I lube my patch with the TOW mink oil, I only lube one side (opposite the ball) and it starts to soak into the patch immediately.
I get excellent accuracy, and I will probably get more shots from a can.

 

[SgtMaj65]

Agree, TOW mink oil soaks a patch really well, and it works just as good in cold weather as warm, although it gets pretty soft on our July and August 100-degree days and I have to be careful not to carry a can of it to the range on edge. Now I just lube my patches before I go and keep them in an old 35mm plastic film canister.

 

[SgtMaj65]

The TOW mink oil does tend to get everywhere when it's warm outside ... and I have two pretty dirty range rags in my bag to keep the hands relatively clean. The rags used to be white ”“ now they are a greasy, really dingy grey-black.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Too thin IMHO (and too expen$ive) for lubing minie balls. Just make up a 50-50 mix of beeswax to olive oil for your minies ... works and is cheaper!

Now don’t me wrong, I just love the TOW mink oil as a ”˜patch’ lube whilst hunting, but when I pull the Zouave out of the closet, good old wax/oil lube works slick, no pun intended.

 

[harleysboss]

I'm now convinced to avoid mink oil as a conical lube. I was fooling around with making different bullet lubes the other day. I have a good supply of Ballistol and Beeswax. I read a recipe of 50-50 mix. Was on a BPCR forum. Anyhow, I'm close. 50-50 was a little to soft for my liking. Going to remelt and add a little bit more wax. I thought about the 50-50 beeswax and olive oil but I thought that since the Balistol is a good BP fouling cleaner that it would work in the lube as well. I shot 10 shots today with the first attempt. Just a little to thin and the heat of my finger was enough to set it to melting. Accuracy was sure there. I will still pick up a tin of the mink oil to use for PRB shooting.

 

[dsayer]

Agree, TOW mink oil soaks a patch really well, and it works just as good in cold weather as warm, although it gets pretty soft on our July and August 100-degree days and I have to be careful not to carry a can of it to the range on edge. Now I just lube my patches before I go and keep them in an old 35mm plastic film canister.

I leave the full cans at home to avoid leakage. I pre-lube patches and store them in old #11 cap tin.

 

[Rifleman1776]

There is a new mink oil product on the market. It is 'SOF' brand. The can does not list any ingredients other than mink oil. Their website is no much more help but they will send a copy of the MSDS. I have asked for one and am waiting for it.

 

[azmntman]

Who makes it and what is it marketed to do?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Who makes it and what is it marketed to do?

Company is SOF. Sold for leather care.

 

[nuttbush]

Being a War Between The States re-enactor for many years, as said you can make your own for minie ball groove lube with beeswax and olive oil and some even use crisco and beeswax. You can play with the ratio to your likeness, but a thick paste consistency that you can smear on with your fingers and stays in place is what works best. Just enough to lube the grooves, some lube then run them through a sizer to take off the excess and some put them in a pan nose up and melt lube in the pan to the top groove, let them cool and just lift them out. Good luck.