Murphy's Oil Soap/Water for Patch Lube

[Muleskinner]

Anyone use this mixture for patch lube? I read somewhere that a mixture of 12 oz water and 1 oz Murphys makes a good target shooting patch lube,I normally use the old Lehigh Valley but I am about out of it,need to find replacement lube   thanks

[Roger Fisher]

Beware of flyers on down the road from that Murphy's oil soap....

[LynnC]

And the fired on sticky brown goo in bottom of the grooves.  You'll know you got it when drying after cleaning and its tough to get the patched jag back out - carburator cleaner and elbow grease will get the $#@* out

[chapmans]

I have used it for years, have never seen the black gunk people talk about, I use swiss powder mostly, I use it diluted but never measure, I have a small bottle, maybe 4 oz, in my shooting box I just put a squirt in and fill it with water. I know people who use it straight for patch lube and my son does as well, never had a problem. I use it for cleaning afterword also.
   Regards, Steve Chapman

[Scott Semmel]

have used 50/50 murpheys and alcohol for years I'm not a competitve shooter, find cleaning a breeze and my guns still shoot better than I do.

[LynnC]

I'd been trying some MOS based lubes (not more than 30 percent) over several shooting sessions of 40 to 60 rounds each.  Perhaps 300 shots total.  The stuff loaded super easy even when thickly patched as Daryl advocates.  Seemed to clean up easy too.  This was in a 36 cal GM bbl and Goex 2 and 3fg.  Now I'm not one of these 15 minute rifle cleaning wonders. I'm the guy spending upwards of an hour making sure its really clean.  The bore light showed a shiny clean bore (as always) but when I used an especialy tight jagged drying patch, the brown streaks told another story.

BTW
Cold water cleaning won't touch it
Nor will warm water
Nor will hot
Nor will boiling
Nor will any of the household products under the kitchen sink - only the carb cleaner would cut it.
I couldn't stand to leave anything in the bore that might harbor corrosion so I had to get it out squeaky clean
I might not have discovered it if I didn't dry it tightly patched.
Since cleaning it out and loosing the MOS lube I've had no problems.  You couldn't pay me to ever put the stuff in my gun...........Others milage may vary

[Harnic]

I tried a Murphys & windshield washer fluid mix a couple years ago... took months to get the last of that brown goop out!  I stick exclusively to Hoppes #9+ now.  Works well for me.

[Rasch Chronicles]

Harnic,

Hoppes #9 as patch lube?

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
Dealing with Islamic Extremism “Chronicles” Style

[Harnic]

Harnic,

Hoppes #9 as patch lube?

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
Dealing with Islamic Extremism “Chronicles” Style

Hoppes Number Nine Plus my friend.  It's designed especially as a black powder solvent/patch lube.  It's entirely a different product than Hoppes Number Nine.  Merry Christmas!

[Daryl]

I've been trying to get #9 Plus for years up here in PG.  The local Store's distributor, who carries & sells Hoppe's #9 - said he has never heard of it and is unwilling to even ask for it. Telling him I'd been using it since 1975 didn't seem to mean anything to him. It came out in Canada in 74 or 75, I think - probably years ealier in the States.

So - next time abroad in the Province, I'll be getting more - couple quarts would do for a while.  It is almost as good a patch lube as LHV - either formula (I saw no difference between the LHV's in shooting).

Taylor has never had any of the 'brown' with Murphys - few people use as tight ball and patch as we do - maybe that's part of it, maybe not- I don't know. I used it briefly until the bottle was empty - then switched to not including it - no change in accuracy I could see - so it was superfluous to me.

[longcruise]

LynneC  I had exactly the same experience using an MOS based lube!

The other thing that will take it out is Autozone engine degreaser like this:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/AutoZone-15-oz-spray-engine-degreaser/_/N-25zb;jsessionid=BFCE8CF8370A00A0606A7A7C5E29396C.diyprod4-b2c7?counter=5&itemIdentifier=7710_0_0_

Use without heat.  It's an enzyme cleaner.  Heat kills the enzymes.  Smells worse than carb cleaner.<g>

[LynnC]

Longcruise - Now you tell me
Man it was a bear to get out - glad you found a remedy and hope I never need another again

.
MOS - Great for floors
Bad for bores

Why do I have these visions of folks checking their barrel with a RR and tightly patched jag stuck down bore :O

[LynnC]

Daryl
Super tight loads and super tight cleaning might keep mos from becoming a problem
I just keep going back to my simplest lubes that never fail - spit and grease depending on the situation

I'd like to try the Hoppes 9+ or LVH but its just no sold in any store around here.  Guess I'll have to stick with spit
Hope yall have a great Chritmas.....Lynn

[Harnic]

Daryl, if you can't get any locally, Wholesale Sports carries it.  I can bring some to Heffley if you don't get any sooner.  Merry Christmas buddy!!!

[Daryl]

Harry - I forgot to buy some at Wholesale sports in Kamloops when I was at Helfey last fall. I'll do so next year. I guess there was just too much 'other activities' going on to remember those supplies.

I noticed the Lepercon has Shenedoah Vally Lube in glass bottles, but at $10.00 a bottle, I didn't buy any.  If it's as good a LHV, it's good lube.  My .40 loves it, but needs 75gr. 3f, 85gr. 2F to shoot well with it - but well, if incredible, my friend.

I keep going back to the same old - WWWFluid and some oil - it's easy, cheap, shoots reasonably well and doesn't freeze.  Spit shoots just as well.

[doulos]

I used MOS based lubes and cleaners for a while and know of the brown stuff coming out of a seeminly clean bore. I would get it after i cleaned the bore than one day ran a patch with denatured alcohol down and pulled out some brownish yellowish stuff. At first thought it was rust. But just kept cleaning. Brake cleaner seems to do the trick too. 
The longer I shoot I seem to find the simpler I get. Ive also picked up alot from you fellas.
At the range now I use very diluted Ballistol or water for patcch lube or just plain water. For hunting I use patches lubed with mink oil.  I use no soap or scalding water anymore for cleaning either. I figure anything that will leave a deposit in the bore will also guive rust a chance to start.

[longcruise]

Doulos,  I had the same initial reaction thinking RUST!!!!!!!!  Very close inspection showed it to be sorta greasy and not like rust at all. 

I think a lot of MOS shooters have this stuff in their bores but just don't use a dry enough and tight enough patch to pull it out!

[LynnC]

I too thought "OH $#@* - Rust"  but it was a gummy sticky rusty brown substance.  Bout the most tenacious stuff I ever had the displeasure of removing from the bore.  I don't know if the crud will harm the bore or not.  I can't take the chance.

I would brush then pump flush the bore clean, repeat, dry and liberally wd40 the bore and blast that out the vent.  With an only moderately tight fitting drying patch I didn't realize that stuff was in the grooves and then the wd40 patch to blow out the excess wd40 wouldn't pick up the brown stuff.  wd40 doesn't seem to cut the crud.  It didn't seem to matter what I put on the patch to get it out till I tried the carb cleaner.  Had to double patch it to drag the stuff out.
Too much work for me...........Never again! 

[Daryl]

many BR shooters use carb cleaner - be careful with it - it is strong stuff. Makes sure you clean IT out.

[LynnC]

I only used it to remove the mos fired on brown goop then back to regular cleaning and wd40ing.  Its long gone.  Their is no need for such strong solvents in ml bp shooting so long as you don't use things for patch lube that were never intended for such use.  Water cleans it well now........Lynn

[Maven]

   If MOS and water as a patch lube is problematic for some rifles, why not substitute liquid dish soap (Dawn, Ivory, Palmolive, etc.) for it when the ambient temperatures are above freezing?  On the other hand, just plain saliva works as well for me as the soapy commercial [patch] lubes.

[LynnC]

I'm told that in general, the soaps themselves are corrosive though some folks use soap to shoot and clean.
Some of the real chemists here may comment.
Lynn

[longcruise]

I get good results with the dish soap method.  Downside is that it is not a hunting lube so loads or sights need to be regulated when changing to a hunt lube.  I like the dry patch method but it does call for a damp patch wipe between shots.

[Roger B]

My dad loves the stuff & I hate it.  Gets gooey & nasty during the humid OK summers.  My experience is fouled bores.  There is so much other stuff that works better, why fiddle with it?
Roger B.

[William Worth]

LynnC and other MOS shooters...try a few drops of turpentine on an otherwise dry patch and see if that doesn't take out the brown residue.