What Would A Mountain Man Think About Lube?

[Alden]

Or any woodsman "back in the day"? I was thinking yesterday that if I gave an original hunter/trapper some production lube like Wonder or E-Z Lube, how do you think they'd react to it? Would they like it? Would they pay any attention? An obtuse question, but, if you think of certain reagents not being historically correct it made me ponder what they'd care about.

What's your thoughtful interpretation?

 

Obviously, no one knows, because it could never happen.

What would a mountain man think of anything from today? Are these questions serious, or are they designed to stimulate debate? These questions are really designed to illicit what people TODAY think of these things.

 

[FishDFly]

Or to increase their number of posts.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Seems like I remember reading that (I think ) the Indian government rejecting a bunch of musket ammo because it was lubed with beef tallow and NOT vegetable oil as requested......beef tallow was verboten in India.

 

[tenngun]

I have not found any commercil lub to give me better results then naturals. Would some one have bought an expensive lube from st lo when deer or buffalo tallow was avalible not to mention bear fat and bear oil. Sperm oil was popular back then but I dont remember it on a list of itams going west until after the start of the gold rushs :idunno: It was on sale in st lo during the MM times and if you could buy it there you might find it in the mountians.
If we expand from a few hunndred MM to every one west of the mississippi in that time frame you may have found people who would swear by some expensive product. I'm thinking the gentleman hunter with a rifle worth 2-5 mo normal months wages might buy bore butter or some such wonder product, more then one shooter on our forum will buy that over a cheaper natural product...and get reported better results.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I have not found any commercil lub to give me better results then naturals.

Can't argue with truth like that... :thumbsup:

 

[longcruise]

Why would anyone be interested in increasing their post count??

Is there a prize? :haha:

 

[Jim C]

I suppose that a lot of them would be just like a lot of us are today, eager to try anything new just for the sheer convenience it might offer. On the other hand I highly doubt that any of them would also be like a lot of us are today and choose to follow the old ways because their way was the old way and it wasn't old to them. :wink:

 

[coloradoclyde]

A Mountain man would probably say that he already had an endless supply of beaver tail oil, bear grease and deer and elk tallow.

I'm not sure if charlatans and snake oil salesmen went to rendezvous.....but if they did.... peddling such wares, few may have returned. :grin:

 

[M. De Land]

Probably spread it on their Johnny cakes and keep right on using the bear grease for there shooting needs.
That wonder lube smell would alert every game animal and Indian in the forest you were about.

 

[tenngun]

Why would anyone be interested in increasing their post count??

Is there a prize? :haha:

The one with the most post when he dies is the winner.....Of corse we will all have to wait until were all dead to find who it is. :haha:

 

[azmntman]

dunno bout commercial lube but I bet they would like a straight line capper?

 

[coloradoclyde]

Thanks....I couldn't remember the specifics.
It does give some small insight into thoughts on lube by some back then though... :grin:

 

[Jim C]

:haha:

 

[longcruise]

Given the demographic of our members, that could be next week :haha:

 

[mooman76]

I think he probably try it if you gave it to him but if it was for sale he would probably say why when I have all the lube I need for free.

 

[roundball]

That wonder lube smell would alert every game animal and Indian in the forest you were about.

Evidently you've never used it for hunting ?

 

[nkbj]

Golly, can't help but wonder what they used.
Kinda figger they heaped up globs on pre-lubed patches because loading the next shot meant getting the shot off.

 

[Vaino]

I dunno! Never met one.....Fred

 

[galamb]

Since they were making their living and protecting their lives with their rifles, I think they would "quickly buy in" to many of our (modern) conveniences.

They would use the speed loaders (the tubes that hold the patch, ball, powder and cap).

They would probably love the pre-cut/pre-lubed patches - so much less "hassle".

And they would probably search high and low for the tree that provided them with the nearly unbreakable "delrin" ramrod.

We may sit around thinking constantly about or rifles as some technical marvel, or piece of folk art or whatever, they probably thought of them the same way we see a screwdriver or a hammer - just another tool on a rather messy bench.