Author Topic: Homemade Patch Lube Recipes (Read 43470 times)

xring2245 · « **on:** November 16, 2012, 06:42:05 PM »

I know I am opening a can of worms here, but I would love to hear what homemade lubes shooters are using these days. I am especially interested in learning about recipes that work well in all tempertures that we might be out shooting in.

James

Roger Fisher · « **Reply #1 on:** November 16, 2012, 06:45:48 PM »

Spit! It's also homemade. Bear schmutz when much below freezing. When much below freezing we should stay back with buffalo woman

Tommykid · « **Reply #2 on:** November 16, 2012, 10:36:43 PM »

This isn't my recipe, but I use it and it works very well for me:

2 oz. bees wax
8 oz. castor oil
1 oz. murphy's soap

It's called Moose Snot by the "inventor".

Tom

Windriverbob · « **Reply #3 on:** November 16, 2012, 11:26:28 PM »

Since I'm about out of my Lehigh Valley lube I've been using a 3 parts water to 1 part Ballistol Oil mix. Seems to do the job as good as anything I've tried over the years.

Hank*in*WV · « **Reply #4 on:** November 17, 2012, 01:45:37 AM »

Same as Windriverbob but at 5/1. No wiping between shots.

leadslinger62 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 17, 2012, 03:52:09 AM »

Rendered Bear Fat with a touch of Beeswax to stiffen` `er up....

Bull Shannon · « **Reply #6 on:** November 17, 2012, 04:16:50 AM »

Beeswax and olive or mineral oil, mixed to the desired consistency.

yip · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2012, 05:02:29 AM »

hank is that your using? i've been using spit. THE POOR MAN LUBE

Don Steele · « **Reply #8 on:** November 17, 2012, 02:04:38 PM »

Junior Doughty's lube:
exactly 3 fluid ozs of melted lard
exactly 400 grs of solid beeswax
exactly 100 grs of Alox solid bullet lube.

I prep strips of patch material ahead of matches then cut at the muzzle during the relay.
Works real well for me.
Also various mixes of water/Ballistol.
I suppose it's the Chemist in me...I like "tinkering" with these things. At the end of the day...they all seem to work sufficiently well if I'm doing EVERYTHING ELSE right when I touch one off.

mjm46@bellsouth.net · « **Reply #9 on:** November 17, 2012, 04:00:13 PM »

For plain ol' shootin' SPIT can't get more homemade and handy as all git out, and works in all temperatures. If I'm huntin' nothing with any water in in so likely Mink Oil. Been thinking of trying Chap Stick.

Windriverbob · « **Reply #10 on:** November 17, 2012, 10:13:27 PM »

Spit is a very mild acid. I know of one fellow who had a ring develop in the bore where the ball sat on the powder charge. The spit eventually ate the bore enough there to cause cleaning problems because of the roughness wanting to grab the patch and his accuracy suffered also. This didn't happen over night but it did happen. He re-breeched the barrel after cutting off enough to get rid of the affected area and the rifle got its accuracy back. Needless to say he quit using spit.

satwel · « **Reply #11 on:** November 20, 2012, 05:36:24 PM »

Not really a recipe, but I'm a big fan of jojoba oil as a patch lube. I've tried just about every concoction I've run across on this board, and nothing so far has outperformed jojoba oil. Spit works almost as well if you're going to shoot immediately after loading.

Hungry Horse · « **Reply #12 on:** November 20, 2012, 08:03:05 PM »

Holy horse feathers. Listen to this hog wash. It would take most of you three days, on a fast horse, just to get within sight of reality. The whole idea of muzzleloadering firearms is to do it like they did back then. Not come up with some recipe made with stuff that either wasn't invented yet, or wasn't available in America. When one of you guys comes up with an original longrifle with an engraved goop dispenser instead of a patch-box. I'll reconsider.

Hungry Horse

hanshi · « **Reply #13 on:** November 20, 2012, 10:26:50 PM »

I imagine any grease, either animal or vegetable in origin would work fine and would also be something that was done 200 years ago. If it's too thin then the addition of beeswax would still be HC.

Chris Treichel · « **Reply #14 on:** November 20, 2012, 11:04:12 PM »

Tallow, right now, I am keeping a jar in the fridge... every time I cook up something requiring browned ground meat I pour off the fat before anything gets added. As it cools it separates into some kind of gelatin and pure tallow. Sppon out the white tallow and get rid of the jello. When I collect enough I boil the $#*! out of it (to get rid of any remaining water) and pass it through a cloth inside of a metal sive... Then just use it as is on a hank of linnen tied to the buckle of my hunting pouch. I don't even bother cutting it into strips. Just plug the ball into barrel and cut it off with my patch knife. Less tools to the range means less I have to carry.

I have also kept a container of manteca (lard) and used that on occasion...

But mostly I use bore butter when I'm lazy (most of the time)...

Vomitus · « **Reply #15 on:** November 21, 2012, 05:05:33 AM »

Hungry Horse Feathers,
So I take it you take your replica rifle to the range via horseback? You knocked what others are using without informing us what is period correct for you.Spit(or a water based lube) for plinking,Mink or neetsfoot oil for hunting is what I use.

Bull Shannon · « **Reply #16 on:** November 21, 2012, 06:06:33 AM »

Quote from: satwel on November 20, 2012, 05:36:24 PM

Not really a recipe, but I'm a big fan of jojoba oil as a patch lube. I've tried just about every concoction I've run across on this board, and nothing so far has outperformed jojoba oil. Spit works almost as well if you're going to shoot immediately after loading.

Jojoba oil is somewhat similar to sperm whale oil as far as it's composition and since SWO is no longer available but was popular as a patch lube it might make a suitable replacement although I haven't yet tried it. It is some expensive stuff though, especially compared to beeswax and olive oil or mineral oil which I find satisfactory.

Topknot · « **Reply #17 on:** November 21, 2012, 11:15:00 PM »

I use 1 part ballistol and 8 parts water. mix well and soak 2.25 wide denim strips .23 thick in preparation,then dry strips on flat surface on tinfoil or any non porous substrate until dry. when dry I roll strips up and store in baggies. very accurate in my .54 cal. great plains rifle with green mountain barrel. I get 1.50 inch groups at 80 yards, when I do my part.

topknot

54Bucks · « **Reply #18 on:** November 22, 2012, 01:36:00 AM »

I like a mixture of 3:1 of Windshield Washer Fluid + Ballistol for range work and Mink Oil for hunting or when a charge is going to be in the bore for an extended period.
I also reserve the right to determine what Hog Wash is for myself. As I can clearly see the reality is that this is nearly 2013. I'm certain the old MT. Men, Voyagers, Longhunters, ect., ect., also had an open mind and a flexible attitude about patch lubes.

xring2245 · « **Reply #19 on:** November 22, 2012, 02:05:08 AM »

Thanks for sharing men. I am learning a lot reading your responses.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

James

Daryl · « **Reply #20 on:** November 22, 2012, 02:08:05 AM »

Due to the inclement weather being here much of the year & it seems sometimes most of it freezing weather, many of us use a water base with alcohol and the addition of an oil to slow down the evaportion in hot summer weather - maybe it aids in lubrication, but it shoots virtually identically to spit. Do not use water based for hunting - it may rust your bore depending on it's composition.

Our mix usually is similar, shoter to shooter and is winter windshield washer fluid with some form of oil added - I use Neetsfoot oil - about 6 ounces, maybe 8 or so to 1 gallon can of fluid. Shake, and pour off into a smaller container. For the last 4 years, I've been using Blue Thunder brand- it's the cheapest and has no teflon in it.
A $4.00 gallon of -35 to -45 fluid lasts 2 winters & summers of considerable shooting. No cleaning or wiping needed while shooting- no difference from using mink oil or Neetsfoot oil lube while hunting - again, no wiping needed - at least up to 80 shots for the day with no wiping- that's the most I've shot on a trail.

Habu · « **Reply #21 on:** November 22, 2012, 09:12:22 AM »

I've been using olive oil lately. (Yeah, ran out of neatsfoot oil and keep forgetting to buy it.) Shoots fine with my current load, and from experience I know I won't have any problems if the temps drop into the single-digits. A little harder to load a tight patch/ball combination--currently using a .538" ball and a .017" patch in a .54--but shoots consistently enough I don't mind a bit more bother loading. Patches seem more intact then those shot with spit or neatsfoot oil.

hanshi · « **Reply #22 on:** November 22, 2012, 11:27:05 PM »

K.I.S.S.

Maven · « **Reply #23 on:** November 29, 2012, 09:58:57 PM »

"This isn't my recipe, but I use it and it works very well for me:

2 oz. bees wax
8 oz. castor oil
1 oz. murphy's soap

It's called Moose Snot by the 'inventor." ...Tom

Not to belabor the discussion, but Stumpy's Moose Snot can also be brewed with vegetable- or olive oil. It works very well, but so do all of the previously mentioned patch lubes.

Paul Griffith · « **Reply #24 on:** December 02, 2012, 03:50:23 PM »

Quote from: Hungry Horse on November 20, 2012, 08:03:05 PM

Holy horse feathers. Listen to this hog wash. When one of you guys comes up with an original longrifle with an engraved goop dispenser instead of a patch-box. I'll reconsider.

Hungry Horse

Personally in my off hand shootin I use spit. Always have it with me. Although I have been known to add a bit of Redman to it from time to time. Might load up with crisco or dry teflon if I'm loading up a huntin load which would be in the gun for a few days.

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Author Topic: Homemade Patch Lube Recipes (Read 43470 times)

xring2245

Tommykid

Windriverbob

leadslinger62

mjm46@bellsouth.net

Windriverbob

Vomitus

54Bucks

xring2245

Daryl

Paul Griffith