Hi Folks,
I did a back to back comparison of two lubes yesterday.
The lubes are
HOPPE'S Black Powder Gun Bore Cleaner and Patch Lubricant, and
HOPPE'S Black Powder Gun Bore Cleaner (notice no mention of patch lube on the second one).
My go-to after testing has been the
HOPPE'S Black Powder Gun Bore Cleaner and Patch Lubricant, a slimy greasy liquid that is tan colored. What I would guess owl snot is like after a bad sneeze. Works for me better than tallow or Lehigh Valley Lube (the original). Works great at wet patching as Daryl advises.
I was down to one bottle, so I ordered three more bottles online. Uh oh. I got the second cleaner with no "lube" in the name. It is labeled
HOPPE'S Black Powder Gun Bore Cleaner. This stuff is a liquid that looks and feels like milk. Smells similar to the other cleaner and lube.
I tested both yesterday as patch lube. The groups were the same on target, with a small edge to the milky stuff. Could have been my eyes though. The milky stuff actually rams down the bore easier than the slimy stuff. I attribute this to the thinner liquid penetrating the patch canvas easier and more thoroughly. No difference in patch condition after firing. No difference I can see in cleanup, so apparently this "cleaner" also works pretty well as a patch lube. Happy coincidence.
Load was .495 roundball with a .015 canvas The-Minute-Men untreated 100% cotton canvas patch over 72 grains of Goex 2f. No sunlight shows through a fired patch after recovery (my patch quality test). Fairly tight load for ramming, and I used a ball starter.
On the target below, the shot at lower right is the first shot from a clean bore at 50 yards. The cloverleaf of three rounds are the next three shots. Wet lubed. No wiping between shots. The picture of the two bottles shows the difference in the two liquids, both labeled Hoppe's BP.
I also noticed that at 50 yards, there is a 1" difference in the first shot from a clean dry bore versus from a fouled bore. Hardly anything to worry about unless head-shooting squirrels.
I hope this helps someone a little. God Bless, Marc
![](https://i.ibb.co/cFBtTQz/Target-11-20-IMG-7428.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/sqkRTvJ/Hoppes-BP-IMG-7431.jpg)