Dry weather hunting

[teakmtn]

I have a NV Muzzleloader Mule deer Tag starts next week. Going on an AMM week long period hunt. Crazy dry, no camp fires kinda conditions. I typically use Hoppes Black powder solvent as a wet patch load. That gives me great accuracy with no need to wipe between shots. I have played with the Mink oil that others use for hunting in cold weather. I am asking what others may use as a lube that would not dry out in the bore (i think I should worry about this) and not cause a fire that I think a grease patch could be prone to. I would expect to leave the load in the rifle for several days. Or should I pull it?
I look forward to and am grateful for your help.
Doug T

[Hungry Horse]

Doug, you need a grease with a high flash point. Venison tallow is the best I抳e used, but bear grease is a close second. I live in Lake County California, it抯 easy to find this year, just look on the California map for the big black spot. It抯 alway hot here during deer season ( August through September) and almost alway bone dry. So, being fire safe is a big responsibility. I never use patch lubes that I don抰 know they抮e ingredients.

 Hungry Horse

[OldMtnMan]

Mink Oil.

[Pukka Bundook]

Deer tallow patch lube for me as well.

[OldMtnMan]

Patches don't fly that far and it will be right in front of you. If it starts a fire which I doubt.......go stomp it out.

[alacran]

I hunt in Arizona. We have five climate zones. Fire is a concern in all of them. I use pocket drill lubed with bear grease. My patches never burn.

[teakmtn]

Thanks all, I have some bear grease/oil laying around, I may give that a try. I pretty much gave up early season ML bird hunting for fear of starting a fire. As far as seeing your smoldering patch, I wouldn't count on it in tall grass or heavy sage. Maybe I'm too cautious. But theres fires all around here abouts and when they go, they'll burn several hundred acres. Thanks, again.
Doug T.

[Hungry Horse]

Pete, you are just plain wrong. The first muzzleloader Hunt I went on was a local hunt with a friend that was a muzzleloading newbie just like me. I was hunting with a CVA Kentucky flinter, and using Crisco lubed patches. Around seven in the morning a fat little forked horn quietly got up, and tried to sneak away. I shot him just behind his foreleg, and he fell, and slid, kicking, down the hillside. I started to reload, and then noticed smoke. I looked at the ground about ten or fifteen yards in front of me, and was horrified to see flames jumping up. I dropped the gun, shrugged out of my shooting bag, and powder horn, and dashed to the fire. By now it was about three feet across, and two feet high. I started stomping it out, as I pulled off my flannel shirt, but was losing ground fast. My hunting buddy showed up about that time, and quickly poured his canteen on my shirt, and then did the same with his own. When we got the fire out, the burned circle was about ten feet across, and we both looked like chimney sweeps.
A local firefighter said it must have been beginners luck that we actually got the fire put out.

  Hungry Horse

[Pukka Bundook]

Doug,

I've shared this here before, but for bird shooting, just use ivy leaves, (or other thick tough leaves) as wadding.

They won't burn. A bit of grass will work over the shot, or another leaf.
Even poplar leaves work. Just roll a couple up into a ball and ram down on the powder, add shot, than grass or another leaf.
Only thing is don't leave it loaded over night, as the green leaves will damp your powder.

I was told this by old John Gretton, (our local gunsmith back in Yorkshire) probably about 1970, and it has never failed me yet.
Our worries were about setting fire to ripe grain fields at harvest time, when shooting ducks or wood pigeons.  Never once had a fire problem, and the gun shot as hard as with regular wads. In fact, if leaves are abundant I don't bother with regular wads at all, even when fire not a risk.

Cheers,
Richard.

[OldMtnMan]

Pete, you are just plain wrong. The first muzzleloader Hunt I went on was a local hunt with a friend that was a muzzleloading newbie just like me. I was hunting with a CVA Kentucky flinter, and using Crisco lubed patches. Around seven in the morning a fat little forked horn quietly got up, and tried to sneak away. I shot him just behind his foreleg, and he fell, and slid, kicking, down the hillside. I started to reload, and then noticed smoke. I looked at the ground about ten or fifteen yards in front of me, and was horrified to see flames jumping up. I dropped the gun, shrugged out of my shooting bag, and powder horn, and dashed to the fire. By now it was about three feet across, and two feet high. I started stomping it out, as I pulled off my flannel shirt, but was losing ground fast. My hunting buddy showed up about that time, and quickly poured his canteen on my shirt, and then did the same with his own. When we got the fire out, the burned circle was about ten feet across, and we both looked like chimney sweeps.
A local firefighter said it must have been beginners luck that we actually got the fire put out.

  Hungry Horse

You weren't aware that you could start a fire and were reloading. I'm saying if you were aware and looked for it as soon as you take a shot that you could stomp it out right away.

I recommended mink oil. I've never seen it smolder but maybe it could.

[Hungry Horse]

I said I was a newbie. This was about 45 years ago, and I had been shooting muzzleloaders for about six months. This was In early August, so the first three or four months of my shooting was during the wet part of the spring. I really hadn抰 noticed any smoldering patches in practice.

  Hungry Horse

[OldMtnMan]

Well, you did say I was plain wrong. Am I if someone is aware of the problem? I believe the OP would be aware since he started this thread.