Mink Oil

[FRJ]

I've heard of using mink oil for patch lube. What I don't know is can I use the mink oil used for leather conditioning or do I need the stuff from Track of the Wolf? Thanks Frank

[wattlebuster]

I have great results from the totw mink oil an this year Im trying some bear oil I got from a friend an I like it as well

[hanshi]

There seems a growing consensus that animal oils are superior to most plant oils/greases as a patch lube.  I've never used any animal oils but am curious as to the level of success they impart.

[chuck c.]

I use the tow mink oil and it really works well for me. I'm not sure if it is the same as what is found locally for leather conditioning. It would be nice if it was because I for one am really getting tired of high shipping charges!

[Daryl]

I've used bear grease, marmot oil, Neetsfoot oil and track's mink oil(grease).  The very best was the slowly tried-out marmot oil (Hoary Marmot) and I'd have to say the second best for accuracy and clean shooting, was Track's mink oil. I didn't compare the two at the time, nor use them in the same gun,however that is my impression of those components.

I didn't find the bear grease particularly clean shooting, howeve the Marmot oil and Track's mink oil was. To only a slightly lesser extent, the Neetsfoot oil is also clean shooting in comparrison to my 'best'.

Those are my findings & extent of my testing with animal oils.  It is possible some other renderings, like elk, deer, moose, caribou racoon or skink or ? might be better yet, I don't know.

 I do know the best trail walk lube ie: most accurate/cleanest shooting, I've ever used was LehighValley Lube - both the Oxyoke and original formula stuff.

[FRJ]

Just checked my can of Kiwi Mink Oil, contents are: a rich blend of mink oil,silicone,and lanolin. I think I'll try it. Frank

[Gene Carrell]

I have used Track's Mink Oil (paste/grease) year-round for some time to great success. I recently tried Fiebing's Mink Oil paste made for leather preservation and have so far found it to shoot about the same as TOW's. However, as with any change, I should say that the jury is still out. I'll continue to use it, but keep TOW's at hand for serious work since we have a history.

[westerner]

I stopped using oiled patches in the seventies.  What is the advantage using any oil over spit or water? I remember having trouble getting the next patched ball down the barrel when using commercial oils back then.  Also when Cleaning BP fowling I find any water base liquid far superior to any oil.  What am I missing here?  I seldom load in very cold weather.  Temperature issue?

                 Joe.

[Simon]

Just checked my can of Kiwi Mink Oil, contents are: a rich blend of mink oil,silicone,and lanolin. I think I'll try it. Frank

I have never  used silicone. in a rifle barrel.  Please let us know how it works loading and especially cleaning after shooting.

Mel

[Gene Carrell]

Mink Oil is actually a grease consistancy. It is more useful  in cold weather  than spit or water, resists migration making it useful for hunting loads  that may be in the barrel for hours (days?). I''ve not experienced loading difficulty for 30-40  shots w/o cleaning using Mink Oil  even on a hot/dry day.

[northmn]

Just checked my can of Kiwi Mink Oil, contents are: a rich blend of mink oil,silicone,and lanolin. I think I'll try it. Frank

Read Tracks info on their mink oil.  They rcommend the Kiwi's for leather and theirs for patches.  The TOW mink oil is rendered mink fat or a natural mink oil with no additives that I have read.  Some recommended teat balm as a lube I tried it and think its best for its major purpose or as a hand lotion is was horrible as a lube.  I do not know the effect of silicone on the lube and lanolin by itself may be good.  Try it but I think the TOW mink oil different.  Generally for continuous shooting the liquid lubes are better, but for the occaisional hunting shot I really question whether it matters that much.

DP

DP

[doulos]

Just checked my can of Kiwi Mink Oil, contents are: a rich blend of mink oil,silicone,and lanolin. I think I'll try it. Frank

Yep
I knew there were other additives in the mink oil used for shoe or leather treatment. i just couldn't find my can.  As far as TOTW mink oil I use it and like it.  I melt some in a double boiler and dip strips of pillow ticking in it.  As soon as it hardens a bit I lay the strips on a piece of cardboard and use the back edge of a knife and press and scrape the excess out of the strip. It leaves plenty of lube on the strip. I use it mostly for hunting. Seems like good stuff to me.

[BrownBear]

I've been using the TOW version for a couple of years now, preceded by my own concoction of deer tallow and olive oil.  For me the animal fats result in softer fowling and much better all-around performance in our challenging climate.  I've tried the others and was never happy with them.  One interesting thing about the TOW mink oil grease- It's good over a very broad range of temps, while I had to vary the blend of tallow and oil to match ambient temps.

I've also been using the TOW grease as a leather treatment.  I'm sold.

[Daryl]

I stopped using oiled patches in the seventies.  What is the advantage using any oil over spit or water? I remember having trouble getting the next patched ball down the barrel when using commercial oils back then.  Also when Cleaning BP fowling I find any water base liquid far superior to any oil.  What am I missing here?  I seldom load in very cold weather.  Temperature issue?

                 Joe.

Jope- for hunting, which is where I use the oils or greases, you should not use a water based lube, or rusting is a definite possibility.

[FRJ]

I always used to have a strip of pillow tick in my mouth getting wet for my next shot. Worked well then all these people started coming out with all these new and improved lubes and I guess I got sucked in like a lot of other people.Plus I tend to run out of spit more these days. Now I'm just looking for a cheap lube that I don't have to pay shipping on. Frank

[BrownBear]

I'm getting real fond of 7 parts olive oil to 1 part beeswax for lubing my shotgun wads, and I'm likely to try it next on patches.  The consistency is just about right, and you sure can't beat it for local and easy.  I've used plain Crisco too.  Deer tallow and olive oil is good.  Just lots and lots of good ones you can make yourself from local sources-  no shipping, and no big outlay.

[Daryl]

Frank- you are looking for a tail-walk, or range shooting lube that's cheap - ie; sopmethign to replace spit - or a hunting lube?

I do not know your residential area situation, ie: any hardware or super stores market or gas stations close by?

A cheap range lube is alcohol mixed with some oil.  The oil helps reduce the evapouration rate and probably with lubrication as well. My rifles like it.

 For Alcohol, I use a winter windshield washer fliud (about $4.00 per gallon) with some Neetsfoot Oil added ($4.00 worth- maybe?) - about 4 or 6 ounces per gallon. So that/s $8.00 per gallon - I normally shoot at least once a week- the gallon lasts more than a year.  That's Pure Neetsefoot Oil, not Neetsefoot Oil Compound. Compound is not a natural oil, but a synthetic. "Use oil only", we've always been told - I do exactly that.

For hunting, Neetsfoot Oil can be used by itself, or mixed with a wax- ie: beeswax or perhaps some other wax to stiffen it into a paste in warmer weather or areas. I shoot it as it comes from the bottle.

[bgf]

Yesterday, I just started experimenting with Windshield Wiper Fluid and vegetable oil, about 7:1 mixture.  I'm pretty sure its not ideal, but it is workable, cheap, and components are commonly available.  I almost always use pure vegetable (soybean) oil, but the Murphy's Oil Soap thread got me thinking I should probably reduce the amount of oil as much as possible for non-hunting lube.  The conditions were not ideal (blowing snow), but it shot pretty well and loading was even easier after multiple shots, which I attribute to the WWF cleaning the bore on the way in and out .  Costs essentially nothing to try.   In this case, I just put a strip of patch into a medicine bottle, and poured the well-shaken mixture (looks like blue salad dressing) in on top until the patching had soaked up all it could.  Something you can try a batch of, anyway.

[Daryl]

I-too used to spit patch with a strip instead of using pre-cuts. Then I started spit patching with pre-cuts and not sort of got used to having patches already lubed and like that best of all.  The jury is out on whether my spit is more accurate than the water based, WWWFluid lube I'm using now.

[bgf]

Daryl: I may go back to pre-cuts at some point -- don't see the accuracy affected by it.  The strips cut at muzzle are a toss-up in terms of convenience at the loading bench, and everybody else is doing it -- I try to fit in when I can, being a rebel in caliber and "heavy" charges already .  I was pretty impressed with the WWF mix -- it seemed to get easier to load as the day went on; probably still have too much oil in it, though.

[Daryl]

I find the 50th or 100th, loads just as easily as the first. I dont 'find easier loading - just that there is no change - in the small bores, whether I'm using 3f or swtich to 2F with it's heavier charges. Everything maintains identical conditions.

[heelerau]

Gents, have now got my 8 oz tin of Mink Oil, will be interesting to see how it works here in western Australia. We are now early Winter, but we don't get temp much below 45f during the day and certainly now snow. I assume you just rub pre cut patches in the oil.   I normally use spit patch cut at the muzzle. Just a matter of interest, are patches supposed to be in some sort of container when in the pouch? or just carried loose with the balls? I normally use a cap tin for the patches and sometimes a little leathern pouch for the balls.

Cheers

Gordon

Ps the Mink Oil has a funny citrus smell? Had thought to give it\ to the Minister of War and Finance as a night cream if it does't work as path lube !!

[FRJ]

Hi all, I thought this post was long gone!! After much experimenting this is what I've found. For target or plinking I now use 2010 windshield washer fluid. It works great and I can shoot all day without cleaning at all. I tried Crisco and it was terrible as after 3 shots I could barely get  a ball down the barrel. I also used neatfoot oil and it worked well but I'm just a little concerned about it soaking the powder if the rifle is left loaded  for a long period of time as in hunting. I tried tow mink oil and it works fine,except that poi changes when switching from WSW fluid to it and the rifle has to be sighted in to it. Since I'll only be using it for deer season a tin will last me the rest of my life so cost is no big deal. I wanted something simple and accurate and I got it in these 2 products. Spit still works fine and costs nothing. FRJ

[HardBall]

I've got a tin of Track's mink oil but haven't gotten around to trying it, or Dixies' zip patch.  How do you guys apply these paste type lubes to your patch?  Melt the lube and dip the patches or just grab a patch and swipe across the lube?

Has anyone had a problem with smoldering patches when using these?

[jamesthomas]

 I usually just put some lube in a small jar with some pre-cut patches and zap them in the microwave for a few seconds. When it's all melted I take the patches out to dry then scrape off any excess lube thats on them. I only use TOTW Mink oil for hunting so a dozen patches last the season. I have rubbed the lube in by hand but it's a bit time consuming. Either way works.