I've heard of tallow being used. Some don't like it because it can go rancid. The beeswax and bear oil I may have to try. My dog likes licking the tallow out. I have heard of some filling the hole with wax (for looks not lube). Any other ideas?
I've used home rendered beef tallow, by the 3-pound coffee can, made several times over the years. Stored under the kitchen sink, it has never gone rancid or smelled , any more than Mom's grease container on the edge of her stove smelled. Mixed variously my tallow served well as minie' ball lube and as patch lube.
I have used and like bear tallow for patch lube, perhaps five pounds of it rendered carefully with similar results, except the rendering provides a bit of very fine oil, also without problems.
I only have two rifles using a grease hole, and in both I simply change the tallow/beesway mix a little for seasonal use as I have no concern with a frozen patch in the winter in my climate but still want the greased patch to be supple, and the other mix not to run in summer temperatures and oil the charge when kept out of the sun, loafing in the woods.
Using water in this rendering is unneccessary, as it is a commercial process to extract every bit of tallow possible. Water was used however in rendering all the cooking scraps, and animal fats to get out the tallow for making soap in times past.
Lon
