What lube?

[appalichian hunter]

Coinneach, the mixture I start with is a 50/50 mix of bees wax and crisco in a double boiler (actually a old soup can set in a pot of hot water) once melted I add the olive oil too the mixture until I get the desired thickness ( if hot weather less olive oil, if colder weather more olive oil) think paste wax or shoe polish thick, this mixture will melt from the heat in your fingers as you rub the lube in to the patch.

 

[hanshi]

As for shooting long sessions without having to wipe the bore there are a fairly large number of lubes that one can use successfully. More important than a specific lube is the preparation to use it. Tight loads shoot (generally) more accurately and also keep the bore "cleaner". This requires that the rifles crown be smoothed. Torn patches usually get that way by being started in an uncrowned muzzle. Sandpaper and a thumb can get this done in as little as 30 minutes or thereabout.

Once the muzzle preparation is completed the patching material should be addressed. Self-cleaning loads need a strong, adequately thick patch. I highly recommend not going so tight that the guns wooden rod can't safely handle the seating pressure. There needs to be some patch compression in the rifles grooves; this can be easily calculated.

Example: A .50 with .016" grooves. First is the .500" bore, which with grooves is .500" + .016" + .016" = .532" diameter that must be filled just to have a simple fit. But the patch needs to compress into the grooves at least a little. So we'll start with a .490" ball then add a .023" patch for .500" + .023" + .023" = .536". The compression in the grooves is then .004". Square cut grooves of .012" allow even more compression to wipe the bore/grooves as the next prb is seated; in which case one gets .013" of compression.

 

[Gvilleddie]

Mink Oil...

 

[tenngun]

Much of fouling is weather related. Humid air fouls much faster then dry. What you can get away with in the high desert ain’t the same as drizzle it the tall timber.
But I don’t find a quick wipe with a damp patch to add much time to loading

 

[Crockford]

I have used my kids baseball glove conditioner with really good results. It has lanolin & vitamin E . I figured since vitamin E is an antioxidant it will help with rust too.......

 

[Art Caputo]

My have gotten good results with un-wiped consecutive(accurate) shots using TOTW Mink Oil. The number of shots I generally expect with my rifles seem to run 12-15 shots, but the smoothness and ease of loading can vary given the barrel/ball/patch combo with a couple of my rifles. With these rifles I can as much as double this number depending on weather conditions(temperature/humidity).Have said that, I rarely shoot more the 20 shots at a session.
I more then satisfied if a rifle can achieve this:

 

[Tradbow]

Good shooting Art

 

[sidtrog]

I guess my question about spit patches was shut down because of the bad boy responses, so now I'm here and glad to learn more about patch lube preferences. I guess I'm now obligated to try the mink oil lube, question is how do you store it in the field/range, and is it practical for use in a hunting, "one shot a day" kind of situation?

 

[French Colonial]

I guess my question about spit patches was shut down because of the bad boy responses, so now I'm here and glad to learn more about patch lube preferences. I guess I'm now obligated to try the mink oil lube, question is how do you store it in the field/range, and is it practical for use in a hunting, "one shot a day" kind of situation?

Make sure it is 100% real mink oil not fake stuff, real stuff is available from TOTW.

Storage of mink oil is still open to speculation and my search of small 18th century storage vessels continues, but for modern purposes an old primer tin works and we have a thread going on storage.

For hunting, load it up with mink oil and I have left the gun loaded for quite some time with no issues, if possible I like to unload at the end of day but not absolutely needed.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

OK, can you give us your mixture ration Beeswax and Oil percentages

So for me it is dependent on the temp when you're going to shoot, and what you're shooting.

Conicals, need a harder lube, so 3/4 beeswax and 1/4 cheepest olive oil. The melted product is applied to the conicals by placing the bullets butt down in a pan, and pouring the product in until the level of the melted lube is above the last lube groove in the bullet..., then allowed to harden and the bullets are removed.

Patched round ball in summer..., some folks like 50/50 beeswax to cheepest olive oil, some folks like 1/3 beeswax to 2/3 cheepest olive oil. Others will go with unsalted lard instead of olive oil in the warmest weather as the lard tends to be soft but still grease while the oil is a liquid. I've never had a problem with the olive oil once the beeswax is added...

Patched round ball in winter..., some folks use the 1/3 : 2/3 mixture of beeswax to olive oil in winter, some like it a bit softer when it's really really cold so go with 1/4 beeswax to 3/4 cheepest olive oil.

I know folks that put food grade wintergreen oil as a scent as they worry about scent in the woods, and one fellow that I know puts corn-scent-oil in his as he hunts adjacent to harvested corn fields. He figures since he likely will have some of that on his hands when loading, it doesn't hurt for the deer to smell food...

LD

 

[hanshi]

I've had a tin (just a little left in it now) of TOW mink oil for going on a decade with no particular care being taken with it. Tins of it simply remain in my "shop" but I don't keep it where it can get summertime hot. Smells the same as it did years ago. Still works great. It's time I order yet another tin of it I suppose.

 

[Art Caputo]

I guess my question about spit patches was shut down because of the bad boy responses, so now I'm here and glad to learn more about patch lube preferences. I guess I'm now obligated to try the mink oil lube, question is how do you store it in the field/range, and is it practical for use in a hunting, "one shot a day" kind of situation?

I like it for both target and hunting. I found it works fine for “one shot per day”. I have also left the charge loaded for as long as a month during our deer season with no issues, Same goes for my loading boards. As it has been mentioned, Mink Oil is quite stable.

 

[French Colonial]

I guess my question about spit patches was shut down because of the bad boy responses, so now I'm here and glad to learn more about patch lube preferences. I guess I'm now obligated to try the mink oil lube, question is how do you store it in the field/range, and is it practical for use in a hunting, "one shot a day" kind of situation?

Contrary to what it's name implies it is not really an oil at "normal" temperatures. More like paste shoe polish consistency. Using a double boiler or similar mild heat source you can melt it and pour it in to a suitable container or dip patches in it and then let them cool for range use or whatever.

 

[Okie Hog]

All kinds of stuff makes good patch lube: The original Go Jo hand cleaner (without grit] is great patch lube. So is Mink Oil and other boot dressing.

IME: Pre saturated patches are often problematic: You only need lube on the underside of the patch. . It's best to wipe the underside of the patch over the lube while loading the rifle. When hunting my patched round balls are carried in a tube. The patched round ball is pushed out of the tube directly into the muzzle using the short starter.

These are the first seven shots from my .54 Navy Arms rifle re-bored and rifled to .54 caliber by Mr. Hoyt.

Patch lube is Leath-R-Seal. Distance is 50 yards. First shot was right of the target and i adjusted sights. Second shot was high and i adjusted sights again then fired a five shot group.

 

[Frontier's]

How well do you trust your lube to keep rust away?

 

[hanshi]

I hunt with prelubed patches, usually just one patch for each of the 4 extra balls I carry into the bush. Any leftovers get shot up long before any "deterioration" takes place.

 

[Freedom]

Frontiers lube is really nice stuff!! I use it for everything now. It has such a nice feel and its aroma mixes so nicely with blackpowder fouling. Give it a try before you buy a bunch of random grease.!! You will not regret it, He is local too...

 

[oldwood]

My preference for hunting is a simple bullet block , with prelubed grease patches . Rifle is just as accurate with bullet block grease patch round balls . as w/ hand loaded patched balls. .................oldwood

 

[Cattywompuss]

The lubes and their efficacy depends on other criteria in the mix. The patch thickness, type material, barrel condition and other variables. Spit patch works very well but Hoppes BP Patch Lube does too; and Hoppes is what I use at the range. Using Hoppes I've never had to wipe a bore before cleaning for the day. In the bush after game, large or small, I use mink oil. I'm lazy nowadays and won't use anything I have to mix together myself.

That Hoppes BP lube and cleaner really is good stuff. It's probably replicable with a home concoction but I've had one big bottle for years and never had to replace it yet. So little goes a looong way.

 

[hanshi]

That Hoppes BP lube and cleaner really is good stuff. It's probably replicable with a home concoction but I've had one big bottle for years and never had to replace it yet. So little goes a looong way.

Years ago I managed to order this drum of Hoppes and it lasted me for years. When we moved nearly 4 years ago there was a little bit left in the drum so I gave it to a friend. Can't for the life of me remember where I got it. It is great stuff!