Does a "several days'" load exist?

[Daryl]

If there is a patch lube that retains its lubricity and sufficient liquidity to be effective several days after being loaded, please identify it.

I'm pretty sure that if such a patch lube exists, it is not the complete "answer." What is missing is how to isolate such a lubed ball from contaminating the propellant, since the two will be in intimate proximity for those "several days." About the only ways I can think of are to use an over powder card of hard cardboard and/or several vegetable fiber wads to keep powder and lubricant isolated from each other.

Whether or not such loading is a good idea is not really my question - which is, if it can be done, how?

You will undoubtedly find the 12 bore's accuracy is not prone to changes with small changes in loads.  In my 14 bore, I shoot 3 drams (82gr.2F) for trail walks, but when the target is 100yards away, if I feel like it, I use a normal hunting load - 140gr. 2F with heavily patched ball.  That way, the point blank sight is spot-on. Otherwise, if using the light 82gr. load, I must raise the 100yard leaf sight and hold centre.

[t.caster]

I seldom take a deer on opening day (too picky) so my load usually sits a week or more.
I have had no problem over the years with wonderlube, or borebutter, but now I use the bear fat that Michigan Flinter makes up. It worked perfect again last week!
I always figured an oil lube of some kind would wet the powder.

[Arcturus]

I'm with T*O*F.  Rub some of your favorite animal fat on a patch and load it.  It worked three centuries ago and still does.  If one is really worried about powder contamination, it's a simple matter to load a thin disc of some kind atop the powder before sending the ball home, though it's not really necessary.

The animal fat needs to be free of salt or other contaminates  for use on or in firearms. This is why I boil tallow three times with the tallow allowed to cake then changed to clean water a boil again.

Dan

Yep, absolutely.  When I mentioned animal fat in an off-handed way, I was referring to well-rendered tallow or oil.  I like Track's mink oil.  On patches straight in cold weather, but often mixed with beeswax and sometimes mutton tallow.  I also mix mutton tallow and beeswax, sometimes with a little mink oil, to lube felt wads for my smoothbores.  Have never put a card of any kind between powder and these lubed patches or wads, and have never had a problem.   

[Daryl]

As t.caster, I used a card many years ago, until I tested Track's Mink Oil as well as Neetsfoot Oil and found it was not necessary - a wasted step to loading and with smaller calibres, like my .45 and .40, card wads hurt accuracy.  Not much, but it still opened groups to double normal size, which was still plenty good enough for hunting.

[hanshi]

While I don't particularly like NL1000/Bore Butter, a patch lubed with it has been safe, in my guns, even without a op wad or op card.  I still often use an op wad anyway but it isn't really needed.  Mink Oil IS to my liking either with or without an op wad.  I've left rifles loaded for months with no problem when using these lubes.

[shifty]

  Just shot my old 50 this morning after being loaded for over 4 wks with a very lightly Mink Oil lubed patch at 50yds sitting on ground with a shooting stick dead on and fired on first try then proceeded to shoot 4 more times with loads out of  quick loaders that were prepared at same time rifle was loaded but with more MO lube that first load had ,5 shot group was 2 1/2", real good for me. I have the sights on this gun that look just like Daryls and the Dr.Spraigi( i know i sure fouled up that spelling)these are great sights, that load was 85 grns FFg .015 compressed PT & .490 RB.

[Fred Hembree]

What about mutton tallow?  Does it perform well for this purpose?

[Tink]

50/50 bear grease and bees wax. Works great for my guns for the last 40+ years !

[Hungry Horse]

 Come on, do you really think the old-timers reloaded every day with a fresh charge? Not a chance. Powder, and lead, was too hard to come by. Any of the patch grease used a hundred and fifty years ago will do the job.

    Hungry Horse