Whats the best patch lube

[stone knife]

Shot my .32 this weekend put about 30 rounds through with bore butter as a patch lube, had a lot of gumming and fouling. I'm looking for a good all weather lube.

[erdillonjr]

Spit

[xring2245]

FWIW, I use Lehigh Valley/Shenandoah Lube and it works well in all my guns, from .32 to .73.  A hot humid day will be the test for lubes and even the best ones may allow more fouling than usual.  Don't be afraid to experiement and see what works well under different weather conditions.  Keep a journal of your shooting and write everything down.  If you notice something works well, put it on paper along with important details - temp., humidity, patch thickness, etc.  After awhile, you will get the idea.

James

[BrownBear]

If it's to be a hunting load, especially in colder weather, I'm not a fan of "wet" lubes, whether Lehigh, spit or the myriad other options.  Give me a "grease" lube any time, especially one that's not going to get so hard in the cold that it is hard to apply.  I make my own from deer tallow and olive oil, adjusting the ratio for the time of year.  Undoubtedly the best all around for temps is Mink Oil Grease from Track of the Wolf. 

[Black Hand]

Bear grease.

[Candle Snuffer]

I use the T/C Bore Butter when hunting (.45 through .54 cal) and never experienced any problems with it.  I use spit for target shooting and it's probably the best thing I've ever used for that purpose.  I wonder if the bore butter just isn't freindly when used in the small .32 bore?  I've also used the Trapper's Pure Mink Oil that I got from Track of the Wolf and like it real well.

[Michigan Flinter]

 I agree with Black Hand  bear fat, can shoot without cleaning ,when done plug your touch hole add some tap water put your thumb over the muzzle turn rifle end for end  a few times pour water out remove plug and use wet water patches until bore is clean, about three to four does the job, dry out bore then lube barrel with some bear lube. Uncork your breverage kick back and watch the rest of the shooters struggeling to get their guns clean.

[alsask]

For hunting I use Crisco, target shooting I use Hoppe's Plus.

[hanshi]

Bore Butter lubes are now so darn costly that I hesitate buying any.  I only use it for certain conditions so I suppose it would last me a good while.  I still have some patches lubed with it but may go with Crisco once I'm out.

[david50]

mink oil in the winter,Hoppes the rest of the time

[Roger Fisher]

Cold - Bear Grease

Warm - spit

[Daryl]

target - cold or warm - WWWFluid with some Neetsfoot oil added.  Have used straight Neetsfoot oil and straight mink oil without wiping, but always go back to the winter windshield washer fluid and oil - all year shooting excellent accuracy and it does not matter what the humidity is.

I've always found no difference in fouling, from 6% humitity to 100% humidity. The pan will get wet between shots when it's 100, but the bore is never dry or building fouling.

I like the oil, but when shooting a lot like on a trail walk, I don't like my hands all oily. For hunting, mink oil from Track is what I have.

LehighValley Lube was the most accurate non-water based lube I've ever used - BUT - it took an extra 10gr. in 3f and up to 20gr. of 2F to shoot as well as water based and I'm referring to WWWFluid + oil, or ordinary spit.

[Roger Fisher]

target - cold or warm - WWWFluid with some Neetsfoot oil added.  Have used straight Neetsfoot oil and straight mink oil without wiping, but always go back to the winter windshield washer fluid and oil - all year shooting excellent accuracy and it does not matter what the humidity is.

I've always found no difference in fouling, from 6% humitity to 100% humidity. The pan will get wet between shots when it's 100, but the bore is never dry or building fouling.

I like the oil, but when shooting a lot like on a trail walk, I don't like my hands all oily. For hunting, mink oil from Track is what I have.

LehighValley Lube was the most accurate non-water based lube I've ever used - BUT - it took an extra 10gr. in 3f and up to 20gr. of 2F to shoot as well as water based and I'm referring to WWWFluid + oil, or ordinary spit.

So, the LV lube created a toooo slick bore so there IS such a thingee

[BrownBear]

So, the LV lube created a toooo slick bore so there IS such a thingee

Or did it foul the powder and require extra to compensate?   

[elk killer]

bear grease year around

[alyce-james]

I like to use Hoppe's and www with oil. I use both about the same amount of the time, depends which caliber rifle I'm using. Here in south Texas cold weather shooting, whats that ?? Turkeyfooter.

[Daryl]

So, the LV lube created a too slick bore so there IS such a thingee

Or did it foul the powder and require extra to compensate?   

No - no fouling - I think you were kidding, brownbear.  LHV and Hoppe's are too slippery to allow the pressure to built sufficiently or perhaps it's more of a consistency deal.  The charge has to be upped, to reduce spreads in velocities and to improve accuracy.  This also raises the speed - which is perfect for hunting. I've noticed this with most all oils and greases.

The stats from my old .58 Hawken were quite remarkable in it's velocity spreads - differences between bear's oil/grease and spit. Spit always gave close spreads - usually 10fps or lower, whereas the oil always gave huge spreads in comparison and poorer accuracy as well.  Spit was the most accurate in that rifle and most others I've shot since then - 1977/8.   LHV and Hoppe's are the only oily lubes I've found that can give the as good accuracy as spit or other water based (wwwf/oil), but it took more powder - ie: 10 to 20gr. more to match the accuracy. Note, they were the only ones that gave the same accuracy AND also allowed unlimited shooting without wiping.  Mink oil and Neetsfoot oil also allow unlimited shooting in my current rifles, but do not give as good accuracy as spit or wwwf.

[Kermit]

I'm wating for the hard-core chunk or bench shooters to weigh in! Those guys will try about anything for consistency and accuracy. Any idea what the "lube du jour" is on the RB bench rifle line at Friendship? 'Twould be interesting if it's spit, eh?

[Daryl]

I'd lay odds, it's teflon patching with oversize balls, some dry while some might add some spit to the bore-side of the patch - but probably all clean between shots as they have to. 

Taylor and I, among others, refuse to do that, but then I don't have a 'target' rifle. My 'accuracy' rifle makes 1 to 1 1/2 MOA without every wiping while shooting and I use spit, mink oil, neetsfoot oil or wwwf+oil - never wipe and get the same loading for the 80th as the first.  This rifle doesn't seem to care what lube is used for close range accuracy inside 100yards, but for long range accuracy, 200yards or ,pre, it prefers a water based lube, be it spit or wwwf+oil.

[Frizzen]

The water  soulable oil  & water mix was what most bench shooters used until the early 70's when the
Teflon coated patch took over.

[Pete G.]

I like Ballistol & water at about a 1:5 ratio. Patch lubes are sort of like cleaning solvents and opinions....everybodies got their own.

[Daryl]

Always use what works for you.  At times, it doesn't hurt to try someone else's ideas or mix - if you run out of spit, that is or merley want to try something else.

I've found over the years, about anything will work well & deliver excellent accuracy, 1" at 50 yards or better, if:

1./- the ball is .005" under bore size or larger
2/.- the patch is 10oz. denim or heavier or mattress ticking .020" to .022" thick.
3/.- enough lube is used.
4/.- enough powder is used to deliver the requiste accuracy, ie: 1" or better at 50yards.

[Leatherbelly]

 Daryls,
  I acquired a quart of water soluable oil from work.It's the stuff they use on our big Do-All cutoff saw. Going to mix it up the same as I do with the neetsfoot in the winter windshield washer fluid. I do like how the neetsfoot works but you have to give it a good shake-up before applying. Let's see how the water soluable oil works on Sunday.( if the rain ever quits) Phil Piburn recommends it. I wonder if he wipes between shots?
  Now if Lehigh lube was remade, I'd use it for woodswalks. Man that was good stuff! Using the LV lube I never encountered Daryls issue about loading more propellant in my rifle,but my smoothbore needed 10 more grains of powder to shoot zero at 50. Slick stuff! Makes sense to me.
   For a hunting lube,after much discusion,I'm going to try straight neetsfoot oil.Got to thinking( ouch ),when I leave the house with a absolute clean loaded rifle,this is the only shot that counts. So the question arises, how do you sight in for hunting with an absolute clean rifle barrel? I guess I'll have to clean thoroughly at the range between shots to get consistency for a clean barrel,one shot scenario. (I never swab on a woodswalk)
  I've tried bear grease. What a mess to clean up after only one shot. Switching to something else. I think the neetsfoot will suffice for hunting,we'll see.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Roy, I shot neatsfoot oil alone all last winter, in my .40 cal. and it worked very well indeed.  No cleaning til I got home...50 - 80 shots on the trail, and excellent accuracy.  Good idea to put it on paper - offhand - to see if there is a change in point of impact over using spit or the WW based fluid on the trail.

[Bart]

Bear Grease all the way !!!