lube question

[david eye 10882]

I make my own lube. I used to use Crisco ,Beeswax, and Vegtable Oil and the lube on the bullets would get stickey within a couple of weeks. Now I use Armour brand Lard and beeswax and Olive Oil-which works well, but my gun seems much dirtier by the time I am done shooting. My question is has anyone ever used Mineral Oil in their Lube(The breakdown for the oil part of the recipe is about 3 tablespoons per 48 oz batch) Any suggestions or information for improving the lube recipe would be appreciated! Thanks, Allen

[RaiderANV]

Never used anything but Crisco/Beeswax. 50/50 mix. Works good all year round. Lil fouling. 10 zillion recipes out there.

[Phillip Kearny]

David,
The following is an old BPCR lube formula that I've used for many years.
It is stable, does not get sticky, with 3f powder little or no fouling as I never clean between relays.

Emmert's Lube
50% beeswax, 40% Crisco, 10% canola oil

Works for carbine, musket, repeater very well.
Phil Kearny

[jonk]

I use a slight variation on Emmeret's, namely olive oil instead of Canola; a little more olive oil for cold weather, a little less for hot. It is, however, in my experience, still slightly sticky which I think is just part of the nature of the beast; a lube that is soft enough to keep fouling soft IS going to be sticky.

As to the question, I've never used it in a mix for civil war era guns, but that's all I use on patches for round balls in my Kentucky style rifles. Seems to work well, keeps fouling very soft, doesn't turn to tar- so I think you could give it a try.

[Eggman]

Yeah I don't participate in lube debates anymore. I remember the last time I got involved in one of these I took the position that that beef suet in and of itself was most effective, and most authentic. Some guy countered that a combination of beeswax, fresh Crisco, and lanolin was far more effective. He would not relinquish the point even when I sort of indirectly inferred that he was more or less an idiot. He then posted this:
So now we again have the advice of that besotted hill person, howling the usual absurdities, and denigrating the tone and tenor of muzzleloadeum with his imbecilic braying, turning the air putrid with exaggeration, slander, flasehoods and fecklessness. Suet lube indeed! Take your five size hat, and your size nineteen neck, and go back to your ramshakle hovel and boil your bovine lard to your blighted delight, leaving the rest of us of the respectable Minnie ball community with our civilized lubes in peace!
The guy was obviously a skilled writer, but his tone tended toward the phlegmatic.

[MR. GADGET]

Yeah I don't participate in lube debates anymore..

You just did....

[Scott Kurki, 12475]

I don't know the recipe for it, but MCM lube has been very good to me. I used to get it at Nationals from John L. DeWald Sr. of North East Trade Company, http://www.northeasttradeco.com/. The phone number was (570) 546-2061. John recently had a fire that consumed his home so I am not sure if he is still in business. One thing to keep in mind is that the whole load combination will change the point of impact if any part of it is changed. So it might be best to find what your gun likes and keep it until you NEED to make a change.

[Michael Bodner]

John is still up and running. He just called me last week to fill my order for a sizing die.

-Mike

[Lou Lou Lou]

Good to hear. He is a keeper. Best of luck to him.

[david eye 10882]

Well, I figured that when you grease a dutch oven or a cast iron skillet, it doesn't get sticky for a long period of time. So that is why I thought mineral oil might be better than cooking oils.

[Phillip Kearny]

David,
Mineral oil is highly refined Vaseline. A great polymer if you are using candle wax. In 30 years of skirmishing I guess I 've tried everything that will slip,slide, or stick. There is even another formula which uses a bar of soap. I had no luck with lard, auto transmission fluid or Mobil Oil.
Emmert's , while not perfect, will do the job. I have seen a formula which replaces the canola with olive oil and even tried it. To me the canola mixture is best.
Regards,
Phil

[david eye 10882]

Thanks Phil for your information that what I wanted to here.If it woun"t be so high I would use spg lube in everyt gun I shoot and I still do in my henry.

[hawkeye2]

I recently asked about the use of mineral oil (Squibb's or a similar brand) as a lube or in a mix with other substances for a lube over on the Muzzleloading Forum and found no one there had tried it though many swear by Balistoll which is a mineral oil.

[Jack C., 69th NY]

Just add these additional lube formulas to the mix. This web site has a lot of interesting information. Read & enjoy.

http://castpics.net/subsite/Lube/LubeFormulae.html

[Fearless Frank]

Didn't the Board pass a By-law stating that this topic could never be brought up again? Bootsy would know.

[hawkeye2]

I think lube as a topic is OK, the bylaw only stated that Lefty wasn't allowed to reply. :D