Crisco for hunting patch lube

[FRJ]

I use WW fluid for every day paper punching but I want to use straight Crisco for my hunting patches. I see a lot if you mix your Crisco with neatsfoot oil and was wondering why? Can't Crisco be used straight? I've tried it straight on my last range session and don't see any negative results but I learned a long time ago not to turn my back on experience.Thanks for any tips. Frank

[BrownBear]

I've found it to be a dandy cool weather lube, but in warm weather it gets all over everything since I lube as I shoot.  Ummmm....  Up here 60 degrees is warm.

[Habu]

I've always had better luck with straight neatsfoot oil than with Crisco or a Crisco-mix.  I suspect it is just that it is easier to evenly-apply the oil: put a few drops on a stack of several patches and let it sit overnight. 

[Don Steele]

Straight Crisco works just fine. I've used it by melting a small amount and loading precut patches into it until they had become uniformly saturated without a lot of excess. Downside is that it's a little messier than some other choices, expecially in hot weather shooting.

[frenchman]

 just add something in around 10% to 15% beeswax , maybe it wont be as oily dont need to make a lot just a bit to try

[FRJ]

I'm going to melt some Crisco in an old pan and dip the patches in it one at a time with a pair of tweezers. Figure I'll make a hundred of them and that should hold me for a couple dozen years of hunting. Doubt if I'll live long enough to use them up. Frank

[BrownBear]

I'm going to melt some Crisco in an old pan and dip the patches in it one at a time with a pair of tweezers.

Your tastes will likely be different, but when I tried that I ended up with waaaaay more on the patches than I wanted.  Wiping off the excess will solve it, but I'd be thinking about methods.  Made me wish for an old wringer style washing machine!

[Larry Pletcher]

Try alternating a dry patch in between soaked patches in a stack. the dry ones help to soak up the extra crisco.  There still mighyt be a bit of extra to squeeze out.  I do this with deer tallow patches.  There is a microwave mistake connected to all this, that can wait.
Regards,
Pletch

[Daryl]

continuance of RB's post - Or cause the patches to rot - yes.

Some oils will also do this.

Cold weather and crisco do not work well with BW lubes - at least not here - cold weather means freezing here and in Alaska. Anything above freezing is not cold weather.

Track's mink oil and neetsfoot oils both work well. There is no reason to mix them with anything else to make them "better".

I tried crisco "oil" long time ago as the shortening-type stuff got hard. The oil didn't, but fouled as badly as using baby oil - 2 or 3 shots is all I could shoot and not particularly accurate ones, either.

 THEN - EUREKa - I discovered Track's Mink Oil - problems solved. Yes - I had to buy it.  A single tin of it will last for years if used for hunting big game, if it's properly stored in a cool location.

[hanshi]

Yes, Crisco patches can get moldy even stored at room temperature, especially here in the South.  I had to throw away several dozen a while back because of this.  I'm more careful about using it, now.

[FRJ]

Well again this site has saved me a lot of time!!!! The Crisco idea is going on hold and I'm placing an order with Track for some mink oil soon as I finish this post. Cheapest thing I can do for an elk hunt is load my rifle with expensive components!I also noticed a lack of pinpoint accuracy with the Crisco and was willing to use it anyhow as the rifle still shot minute of elk but with all the other problems listed I cant continue to use it when something superior is just a few keyboard strokes away. Thank you all gentlemen for you comments. Frank

[Daryl]

RB - is wonder lube the same as bore butter or are they of totally different composition?

The reason I ask, is that if the liquid wonder lube is merely a liquid form of bore butter (chemically) it is a product I would not use. 

On the surface, it does sound terrific though, due to your cold weather, ie: freezer testing. 

It then, is similar to Neetsfoot oil in that regard.

Taylor used neetsfoot oil all last winter as a lube in his .40 Kuntz rifle on our trail walks, most every Sunday - temps to minus 10 - and the 80th shot (with no wiping) loaded more easily than the 1st.  I've had the same results with Mink oil, neither of which freeze solid like so many other 'lubes' when temps dip below freezing.  Accuracy seems as good as with water based, but as always, check poi as that CAN change when switching lubes.  Many rifles shoot a bit lower with an oil or grease lube, whicl some shoot higher.

 Many rifles demand about 10gr. MORE powder to maintain accuracy, ie; grouping ability, whcih switchign to an oil or grease from a water based lube.  Accuracy must remain good so you know the exact impact location of the ball according to your sight picture at the rifle's discharge. You owe that to the animal you are shooting.

[Don Steele]

Making a BUNCH of them all at once, planning to have a supply for years isn't a greAT IDEA...THEY rot.

[JBlk]

I used a piece of denim soaked in Crisco for several years while squirrel hunting with good results.After five or six shots it was hard to ram the small caliber ball home because of the fouling, but the point of aim was consistant.

[Daryl]

I used Mink Oil for a day's trail walk shooting in my .32. As noted before, the 80th shot loaded as easy or even easier than the first. I was using a .022" denim (10oz) patch with a .311" ball. The lands in this barrel are almost twice as wide as the grooves, opposite design to what I've come to prefer, but I cannot discount it's apparent peformance. It will hold 1" 5shto groups at 50 yards off a rest, but I've never done better with it. Perhaps a tighter load is indicated by this?

[northmn]

I ahve used Crisco as a hunting lube for years.  However, its use is more in the nature of firing only a very few shots in a day.  If you are going to define accuracy as 5 shots groups it may fall short.  The big thing about a hunting load/lube especially for big game is where the first shot goes, not the 5th one.  You should really make sure the rifle is sighted in clean and cold as there can be a change of impact.  Often not enough for larger game to matter, but it can occur.  Look at the number of people that foul their barrels before a shooting targets.  When I load my rifle for a deer hunt I no longer like to shoot cleaning shot but instead like to very thorughly wipe it out with dry patches and if a percussion clean the flash channel very thoughly.  I have had loads go bang after 5 days doing this.  Some clean with alcohol and letting it evaporate before loading.

DP

[FRJ]

I have some mink oil coming from track but in case it doesn't get here in time I am shooting one shot a day from a clean rifle just like I would in a hunting situation. I have documented a 3"high 2" right change in zero at 50 yards with 3 days of shooting and if it is the same today I'll change my sights. Seems to be holding hunting accuracy allright but it sure does foul badly by the third shot and has to be cleaned or carry a hammer to get a load down. The accuracy goes to $#*! by the third shot also. I really doubt that 3 shots are necessary as they never have been before in over 45 years of big game hunting. Sure hope the mink oil gets here in time to zero with it. Frank

[Leatherbelly]

   I haven't tried Track's Mink Oil but I sure like Neatsfoot oil.I've tried it with WWW fluid also and it's great. Just have to remember to addle the bottle real good 'cause it separates (of course). Will try pure and see how it works.

[Jim Thomas]

TOWs mink oil is a great lube.   I'm with Daryl.         

[Daryl]

So's Neetsfoot oil.  I usd to use that in the .69, but switched to Mink oil.  The Neetsfoot oil is actually cheaper and easier to wet patches.  I've re-tried it and it's great as well.  If it wasn't for DPhar's suggeston abotu neetsfoot oil, I'd have forgotten about it.  It does work.

As to shooting cleanly, Neetsfoot oil is all Taylor used all last winter in his .40, with 65gr. 3F, .395" ball and .020" patch.  After shooting 50 to 80 shots and no wiping, the barrel cleans up leaving only barely greyish water in the bucket, which holds about 1 1/2 quart. Same deal with Mink oil  by itself or when using our range solvent as LB noted, neetsfoot oil and winter windshield washer fluid.

We (most of us) remove the barrels for cleaning, flushing them with patches shoved up and down, the breech submerged in water.

[BrownBear]

I had an "interesting" experience yesterday.  One of those head scratchers that nags.  I'm a longtime user of TOW mink oil grease and have never had an issue with it.  Used it with ticking and .570 Hornady balls to break in a new 58 cal shooting 80 and 100 grains of Goex 2f on a 55 degree day with fairly high humidity.

After three shots starting and seating pressure was still normal, but I noted the ball starting to "catch" a little on a crud ring in the last inch or so of bore above the powder.  Shot #4 was worse, and I could barely seat the ball against the powder on shot #5.  It reminded me for all the world of similar experiences with Pyrodex.  A quick swab with a spit patch followed by a dry patch easily cleared the crud ring, but it was right back again by shot #3 following the swab.  Adjusting lube coating up and down didn't influence it.

I switched to my usual homebrew lube (3:1 deer tallow to olive oil) and fired 15 shots with no crud ring.

First "failure" of mink oil grease for me, and it really has me scratching my head.

[BrownBear]

Yup, same tin.  It's about half gone, but I wouldn't expect a change from top to bottom. 

I'm heading out to shoot it again this afternoon, and conditions are forecast to be roughly the same.  I'll bring along a couple of more rifles and lubes to compare.

[Daryl]

I wouldn't either - but less lube perhaps? Different humidity perhaps? Either can have a bearing on fouling although I've found humidity makes very little with the loads I use and manner I load them. The amount of lube can be critical if less than normal.  The colder the weather, the thicker the lube seems on the patches.

[BrownBear]

I had the same thoughts about insufficient lube, so try really gobbing it on.  No change.  I recovered all the patches, and they look excellent.

As for temp and humidity?  Pretty standard for here, and I've never had a problem in past years.  Ah well, another mystery.

Back to the original topic of Crisco, I regularly use it over the ball in my C&B revolvers.  Used the hood of my truck as an elbow prop once, but haven't cared to repeat that folly.  I was downright amazed just how thoroughly the hood was coated with grease at the end of 24 shots or so.  I have a tin of it in my shooting box, so perhaps I'll try it too with this misbehaving 58.

[Daryl]

Taylor had an old tin of Mink Oil that turned a bit tannish to almost auburn in colour - or it might have been something else in the tin - maybe experimental bullet lube #249?  I think it was mink oil 'turned' somewhat.  Seems we used some one day while range testing, with normal results.

Oh- picked up a few bottles of Shenendoah Patch Lube at Heffley from the Leprecon - will have to do a rust test with it and test for accuracy loads in several rifle. I pan on using it this winter for trail walks.

I haven't used crisco shortening for patch lube since the early 80's in a cold weather test- it failed. The oil worked for only a few shots. I don't use lubes that allow changes to the bore condition - ie: fouling buildup.