patch Lubes

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I've been doing this a pretty long time, but always used spit for a patch lube, with occasionally a greased patch for hunting. In another thread I came across things called LHV (Slippery) lube, and WWWF/Oil, what are these?

And please whenever you write something with acronyns or initials please, please at least once spell it out so stupid people like me will know what you're talking about.
Thanks

[Daryl]

LHV - LeehighValley Lube, no longer available, but Shennandoa Valley Lube looks to be very similar, and also is a very slippery lube.  WWWF pluss Neetsfoot oil is Winter windshield washer fluid plus a few ounces of neetsfoot oil - much less slippery and more of a slow evapourating water based lube, but easy to use in the winter as it doesn't freeze due to the alcohol in the washer fluid. The oil is to slow the evapouration of lube in the patches and seems to work fairly well.  About 4 to 6 oz. of neetsfoot oil in a gallon of washer fluid.  We use washer fluid as a gallon of straight methonal here is $10.00 pluss gov't fee hazzard fee + sales tax. The WWWF is $4.00 per gallon + sales tax. A gallon will last a year or more for many shooters.  Some use spit all winter and as long as they load quickly upon getting out of the vehicle and continue shooting, the patches don't freeze. Al these water based lubes are for trail walks or other target shooting.

For hunting, a straight oil or grease must be used. Neetsfoot oil and Mink oil from TOTF (trackofthewolf.com) work very well indeed in my guns. Taylor has been shooting straight neetsfoot oil on his patches all winter, with very good results -no wiping needed, - ever - while shooting as-isnormal for all of us here.  With Mink oil, I found the more I shot the .32, the slicker the bore became. I also have to increase powder charge when using an oil, as the slickness of the oil seems to demand it - you must target your rifle to see what it wants to shoot, adjusting powder charge to get the best accuracy.

Hope this helps.

[xring2245]

     Lehigh Valley Lube and the Shenandoah brand are the same according to Greg Dixon at Dixon's Muzzleloading Shop in Kempton, PA.  I am on my last bottle of LVL.  Price tag was $8.95 at Dixon's several years ago.  The Shenandoah lube is priced $12.95 at Dixon's today.  I am sure I will find it cheaper somewhere else.
     The Shenandoah lube is made in Tennessee with the same formula as LVL.
     I have been using WWWF + Simple Green for a wonderful blackpowder solvent.  I mix it 1:1, but I dilute Simple Green 1:1 with water before I mix it.  The end result, I guess, would be 2:1:1.  I have used it as a patch lube to see how well it works and seems to be OK.  I am sticking with LVL because fouling is minimal and cleanup is much easier.  I am going to try the other mixtures mentioned here to see what they do, because I am always looking for something better.
     Anyhow, thanks for sharing Daryl.  I consider this very useful information.

James

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

When you use these liquid lubes, do you pre-treat your patches or dunk and load?
Micah

[Scott Semmel]

Micah- Water/ Alcohol based lubes should be freshly and liberally applied.

[Daryl]

I use pre-cuts, held in a tin box, like a "Sucrets" tin.  I pour in lube prior to going shooting, let them saturate then pour off the excess, barely, but gently squeezing the stacks of pre-cut patches to run off the excess.  When on it's side, it doesn't quite drip-  but only just barely.  The patches are WET!, not just damp.  When seated flush with the starter, there is a very small ring of water queezed from the patch, all the way around the patched ball - this almost gets sucked up by the patch above the ball, but since it's saturated, not all of it disappears.  This is for target shooting.

I heat oils a minor amount, especially mink oil, to allow them to penetrate the cloth completely, then gently squeeze out the excess with my fingers - slightly. When loaded flush with the muzzle, there is a ring of lube or grease (mink oil is a grease when cool) around circumference of the ball. When using mink oil, this ring will be white in colour. Loading is as easy or easier than with water based lubes in all of the guns. 

[Roger Fisher]

Some folks seem to think chewing on a 'strip of cloth' is gross and not in their mind set. Some of us are even gross to look at. (try it in the a.m in your mirror) So I figure what the Hey!  If chewing on the 'cloth' is what she wants to shoot the way I want her too I'll gladly do it.  That strip of cloth is tucked in to my belt or chucked into my shootin box.  Works for me (someathetimes)

Bear grease in bitter cold and hunting.  No chewin on that though

[bgf]

I've been having good luck lately with rubbing alcohol and a a couple of drops (1/2 teaspoon?) of vegetable oil shaken up and then allowed to soak into and fully saturate (wet, as Daryl describes) a strip of patches kept in a small pill bottle (to prevent evaporation like Daryl's tin).  Since I cut at the muzzle, I cut out only what I need for the next target when shooting from a bench.  Probably not as good as some of the other stuff, but its something to try.

Sorry, Roger -- I just can't get the spit patches to work right; keep trying to load my chewing gum.  And if I gave that up, I'd be back to smoking, which would be dangerous .

[blunderbuss]

I notice that chewing plug tobacco makes her shoot a little to the right

[Daryl]

and high