Dry climate patch lube - switched to Ballistol

[AZshot]

In the old days (1970s-80s) I used some thin, watery patch lube no longer made, and some that was grease like.  But that was in North Carolina.  This time around I live in the dry Southwest and had started with neatsfoot oil.  The gun was accurate, but I would get crusty fouling after about 4 shots.  I'd have to clean by 6.  Cleaning seemed to take forever, dozens of patches (after using water in the bore first). 

I decided to try Ballistol, something I've never used. I made a 1:7 solution, and sprayed the patch right before loading.  I couldn't believe how much easier it was, the pressure on the ramrod was about 1/3 what I had with neatsfoot.  And I fired as much as I wanted, without needing to swab.  When I cleaned the rifle, it also went faster, but still took too long.  Now to try the lube on targets, I was just plinking.

[JPK]

Try the light spray with just water, you may find the same affect.

[Mike Brooks]

Try 4 parts murphys and 1 part rubbing alcohol. Slicker than snot on a door knob.

[Frank]

San Diego is a dry climate. Spit always worked fine.

[Tim Ault]

Last time I had my 45 out for a shoot  I tried that same blend of ballistoil and water . I normally use spit but I was a bit dry that day so figure I’d give it a go . Well seems my barrel really likes that lube shot some great groups and same as you never once needed cleaned  and did indeed clean up faster back at the house than spit .

[alacran]

I have been shooting muzzleloaders in AZ for over 20 years.  I use bear lube on my patches. The only time cleaning after shots is required is when you let the gun sit too long before reloading. On a trail walk I can shoot twenty-five even thirty times without cleaning. But then i reload immediately after the shot. If you do not have a tight enough ball patch combo you will get excess fouling.

[AZshot]

I started shooting muzzleloaders in NC in the 70s as a young man. Counting it up, that was 47 years ago.   It was during the buckskinner craze and there were a lot of magazines and shooters explaining what to do.  I never experienced the hard, dry fouling there.  Nor in New Mexico where I shot pretty heavily for 10 years in the 90s.  But here in Arizona I am.  Every climate, powder, rifle, and load is different.  I'm not saying one persons won't work here.  I'm saying Neatsfoot didn't work as well as a more thin, watery lube in my rifle...here.

Besides using Swiss powder, the other thing different is I ran out of the old lube I'd gotten from Dixie Gun Works in the 90s with this new rifle experience.  Can remember what it was called, but it was somewhat watery.  Looking for something new, I tried neatsfoot.  I'm leaning toward's not liking it. 

[Daryl]

Track's Mink Oil works well as a hunting lube in about any climate.
For target shooting, we've (Taylor and I) have been using Wtr/Sol/Oil with water. Called Moose Milk in some 'areas'. It's quite slippery and works well. As-does
LHV or Mr. Flintlock Lube. WWWF + a tich of Neetsfoot oil also works well for target word, as-does spit. Whether spit or one of the others, I always saturate the patch.
WWWF - is winter-wind-shield-washer-fluid. I put about an ounce of oil in 12 ounces of WWWF. We started using this to prevent freezing our lube when
shooting in the winter time, up here in the North. The oil was to slow the evapouration of the 'solution' in the heat of summer shooting with single digit
humidity numbers - such as you are experiencing in Arizona.
If you find something that works, use it.

[Daryl]

There are a lot of lube/patch/ball combinations that work.
Many of them work identically.
None of the combinations I've seen posted here are bad.
They will all work & work well.  Bear grease/oil works very well, as-does
marmot oil.
Experiment and use what works for you, or do as I do, experiment a LOT
and use whatever is handy. Just beware that the really slippery lubes
generally require a bit more powder to match the accuracy of less slippery
water based lubes.
If you do follow what is presented, report your successes and failures, others
may benefit from your experience, or perhaps there is a different aspect to your load.
Having someone test or try your methods and have success, gives huge amount of
 satisfaction. Makes THIS all worth while.

[alacran]

I guess this really comes down to the relativity of what accuracy is. What one accepts for accuracy for target shooting and what is acceptable accuracy for hunting.
I really don't like to spend long hours at the bench working up loads.
If I start at 8 am and get 5 carefully aimed shots in 30 minutes. Go retrieve or analyze
targets up close. By the time I have shot thirty balls, the sun will be different than where it was when I started, the wind will have changed and then there is the fatigue factor.
So, it is really hard to assess what a good lube is. You can remove variables, like sighting errors, by epoxying a scope mount on your barrel and using a scope to reduce sighting errors. Keep your patch material and lube in a cooler so it stays constant. Segregate balls by weight. Weigh out your powder charges also kept in a cooler.
Shoot for only one hour at the same time of day when the conditions are most favorable.
You need to shoot at least 10 five shot groups, 20 would be better to account for statistical probability. This would need to be done for all the different lubes you are considering. It becomes work Yikes!
Anything less is just guessing. So, like most of us I use a lube that appears to work for me in most situations.
When I was a neophyte when it came to Muzzleloaders, back in the Seventies I did what the old timers did spit patch. Back then I lived in Florida and for the most part hard loading because of fowling was not a concern.

[Marcruger]

AZshot,  I have found Swiss to produce less fouling than Goex, but that Swiss fouling can be harder......even in the humid South.  It may be that some of your issue is taking harder fouling into the drier climate of AZ?   Just a thought.

As far as the Original Lehigh Valley Lude goes, yes it works great as a wet lube and as a graphite remover/cleaner.  That said, it is out of production and cherished by folks that have some.  Mr Flintlock lube was created from the formula of the LVL maker, according to our late and lamented Bill Knight "Mad Monk".  It works super too. 

The slipperiest lube I have found is the Hoppe's Blackpowder Cleaner you can find online.  It is as slippery as the proverbial Owl Snot.  It does not remove or prevent graphite build up, but sure is slippery. 

God Bless,   Marc

[AZshot]

Thanks for all the good commentary.  I'll report back on the accuracy of the new lube I'm trying. 

[Scota4570]

I used Ballistol today.  I hate the smell but decided to try something new anyway.  I mixed it 5:1 with water.  Soaked and wringed out my patch strips.  I let them dry.  I cut at the muzzle. 

In one of my 40 caliber long rifles,  I used a 395 ball instead of my regular 390 ball.  The patch was thinner at 0.015".  The charge was 45 gr 3F.  I wiped with a slightly damp patch between shots.  Loading was easier than I am used to. 

The groups produced where the best I ever shot with a patch ball rifle.  They printed in touching five shot clusters at 50 yards. 

The only thing I had not tried before was the ballistol dry patch trick.  It works in that rifle.  I will explore it further.    No patches smoldered on the ground. 

[Daryl]

Sounds great.
With accuracy like that, you should be entering the monthly postal matches.