What is the purpose of patch lube?

[djb]

Hey guys, this is my first post. I have been shooting muzzleoaders for years and decided to build one for myself (Lyman GPR 54). In looking for examples of Hawken stock finishes I stumbled across this site. Now I have 'hawks, possible bags and all sorts of stuff on my wish list... I digress.

I have taken one deer with a roundball, just to see if it could be done, with My Lyamn Deerstalker. Then I have primarily shot conicals. MY GPR will be strictly rb. I use a moose milk recipe (water soluable oil, murphy's, and water) for patch lube and barrel swabbing. Question is what exactly is the purpose of the patch lube? Is it to lube the patch while seating the ball or is the lube needed during firing? Or is it both? I used to just use spit patches with my fathers 45 T/C but the taste of bp is not so good, and it is probably a good way to get more than your daily recommended allowance of pb (lead). Thanks in advance for answering a silly question. Hopefully I can ask some better questions or provide some 'knowledge' of my own in the future.

 

[brushbuster]

let me start by saying it tastes better with blue bonnet on it :haha: :haha: :sorry: i couldn't resist
seriously patch lubes serve both purposes ,each time you run a lubed patched ball it not only lubes the bore but i also keeps the fouling soft so you are in essence cleaning the bore while ramming the ball home.when the rifle is fired i acts as a heat shield for the patch since this is what is sealing the bore during ignition as the ball travels out the bore. :imo: :thumbsup:

 

[djb]

Thanks! That is what I figured. I've been trying to figure out what to use for lube when hunting. I don't necessarily want to seat a wet patch on a powder charge but I know there is benefits to lube. I am not a fan of greases or the thick patch lubes. I may just mix my moose milk with a greater portion of water suluable oil and Murphy's, then when the water evaporates the oils will be present to act as a lubricant.

 

[jrdavis]

have you tried the Dutch Shultz method?

 

For hunting, I use a wad, either tablet backing, or a dry ox-yoke woven cloth wad between the power and patched ball. This is merely to keep the lube from saturating the powder and spoiling the shot. I have switched to Stumpy's Moose Snot(grease) as a hunting lube and will be trying LeHigh Valley lube(oil) soon, if it ever warms up enough to go shooting. I may even try Castor Oil by itself or with Murphy's alone, no beeswax. That should make a nice non-freezing thick, fouling-softening oil-type lube.
: For targets and plinking I use spit for lube & it has always given me the tightest SD's and best groups with easy loading without swabbing or having to clean during shooting.
: The primary duty of the lube is to soften the fouling so the next shot can be loaded without having to swab the bore. A rifle will actually shoot quite accurately without any lube at all but will foul terribly. If the lube doesn't doesn't allow continuous loading and shooting, the lube is improper for BP fouling, or there isn't enough of it. Some guys say they have to swab between shots - I've never done that in over 30 years of shooting Black Powder muzzleloading rifles. I swab or clean AFTER the day's shooting. In trying different lubes for hunting, I've had to swab or clean the bore before trying a different lube, but never as a regular shooting sequence.
: I have tried cleaning between shots in testing for accuracy, but have always found tighter Standard Deviations in velocities (closer shot to shot velocities) as well more consistant accuracy when shooting 'dirty'- that is, not swabbing between shots. Some rifles 'throw' the first shot from the clean bore, some don't. At 50 yards, I've found the 1st shot is usually within 2" of the subsequent group(off the bags), so I generally disregard it and just shoot.
: As Robert's (approximately) said in his Book, The Muzzleloading Cap Lock Rifle, 'when you load the next you clean the last'. The combination I use, gives the same velocity with or without a wad, proving this ball & patch combination seals the pressure behind it. In my .45 barrel, I use either the .440 or .445 ball with a .020" denim patch. They load almost identically, using the 3/8" hickory rod after being started 6" down the bore with the short starter. I cut patches on the muzzle, as well as use pre-cuts - dry for spit for target or pre-lubed in a loading block for hunting.

 

[djb]

Thanks - good information and it mirrors some of my experiences. I have never had a fouling problem shooting with spit patches or my moose milk as lube. I've shot 50 times in a row without cleaning, and had no problems seating a ball. When shooting with my deerstalker I use Powerbelts (sorry if this is a bad word in this forum) for hunting; I have to swab out the bore after 4 or 5 shots or accuracy falls off.

My main concern with a wet patch over a hunting load is the moisture affecting the powder charge by dampening (is this a word?) it. The wad sounds like a good idea, but does it affect your point of impact or accuracy?

I have two nice pieces of curly oak that my father cut out a fallen tree 20-some years ago. It has unbelievable fiddle-back to it. I have been waiting for the right project to use some of it, and think a matching ball starter block and patch knife may be in order. I'll have to experiment with the block when done and see how round balls seat after sitting in the board for a few days with different lubes.