Post your Favorite Lube Here

[doulos]

For range work Ive been using ballistol diluted 6-1 with good results.   For hunting Ive been using
TOW mink oil.

[JCKelly]

I have always used one or the other commercial lube. Never wanted to mess around melting beeswax & adding whatever grease or oil, good though it may be.

Now that I've read this thread I realize that the major ingredient in many (all?) commercial lubes is the product of a well-fed bull.

Think I'll try some olive oil.

[catman]

Straight Olive oil does work pretty well. I use Birddog6 lube for hunting patches (great product he makes) I have 2 4oz tubs that should last me my life time.
Moose Juice is very slick (I mean slick) with no crud ring with 3F on my 50cal, I shoot and spit patch in between. my .02

[Daryl]

I'm now experimenting with olive oil and windshield washer antifreeze but think I prefer just plain old W.Shiled Washer antifreeze with a bit of soap in it to slippery it up a big and slow the evapouration.  Patches lubed the evening before are still dang wet in their tin for the entire next day's shooting, yet if you then leave the lid off, they'll dry out over the next couple days and not rot the cloth as osme oils will.

I shot patches that had been lubed & in the same tin for 8 years, yet they were still sound, if a bit mousy. They'd been lubed with neetsfoot oil if memory serves - smells like it.

[J.D.]

I shot mutton tallow for years, but lost my supplier. Tried WWF with success, but tried an assortment of lubes, including most posted in this thread, in an attempt to find the magic lube. Problem is, I have found several lubes that work well enough, but there is no magic in them.

I have a bottle of real neetsfoot oil and might try that as a replacement for mutton tallow, for hunting. IMHO, beeswax and oil combinations work ok, but I liked mutton tallow better, but I have pretty much settled on spit for targets and informal shooting.

I need to settle on one good lube, instead of trying the latest and greatest newfangled lube seen in the magazines or on the 'net. Some are ok, but most aren't that great. None of them have that "magic."

[Daryl]

Used a mix of -40F WWFluid mixed about 20:1 with Pine Sol (I like the smell) yesterday - went through 3/4 pound of powder - in the 14 bore.  never a fouling problem. Also tried straight Neetsfoot Oil with undersized ball 15 bore ball and thin .020" patch ( thumb startable) with 14 bore fibre wad beneath - no burn-throughs and no fouling problems either.  Shot a small hole for 5 at 30 yards off the bags and 1 offhand into same hole. Tried at 100 yards and got approximately a 2 foot group - not a good load or system so far but the neetsfoot oil seemed to work.

[Maven]

Although I've tried many lubes, I've been happy with these (in no particular order):  Bore Butter or Ox-Yoke (now Traditions) Wonder Lube, Winchester Sutler's Moose Milk, home-brewed moose milk, and Old Slickum.  I'm not certain, but I suspect Old Slickum is very much like Murphy's Oil Soap.

[LynnC]

I strongly advise against any lube concoction containing Murphy's Oil Soap unless you like cleaning the fired on super sticky brown varnish out of the grooves.   Oh, you say I use MOS and no brown stuff - Tight patch a jag and run it in and out.  It's there and that gun ain't clean.

Hint - Carburator cleaner and elbow grease will get it out

[Daryl]

Lynn- Taylor uses Moose Snot with Murphy'sin his Jaeger - no fouling problems and he uses cold water for cleaning - tight, tight, tight patches come out clean after he cleans - flushing water in and out - no solvents. Same goes for his Brown Bess.  We've not witnessed the brown goop - perhaps due to the tight ball/patch combinations we use - only difference in loading.  Taylor is loading a .595" ball in his .600" bored Jaeger with a .025" denim patch and a .742" WW Ball in the Bess with a .030" patch. The Bess has a .774" bore.  this shows he's getting lots of  compression in both guns - and no adverse fouling.  I can see if there is blowby, there might be a situation with the soap burning and causing the brown goop with a less tight load - although it works in his Jaeger with only .004" compression per side.

I tried moose snot in my .45 but it didn't like it as far as accuracy was concerned. I only did a short test without adjusting powder charges from the LHV I had been using, though but no brown goop.   That bore is almost too-shiny inside - right to the corners of the grooves. My compression was about .010" per side to the bottom of the grooves.

[LynnC]

Harnic found the same problem.  Maybe we load loose.  I'm shooting a .350 ball in a .026 (micrometered) demim patch.  GM .36 barrel with .010 grooves.

I tried various lube formulas and found that any with MOS in the mix caused the goop.

The stuff did load easy - unless you changed to spit lube and then you could  feel the grabbing resistance while pushing down the load.  That's what got me looking to see if the barrel was really clean.  Really tight patched jags proved it wasn't even though a bore light showed a bright and shiney bore and breech plug.

BTW - I made me up a flush clean gizmo to pump the tap water in and out till clean.

Too much work to get it out - Never Again.

Your mileage may vary ................................Lynn

[LynnC]

Daryl,
I got to thinking  ( dangerous ) and that .350 ball with .026 per side patch equals a .402 load going down the .380 groove dia..  It takes a good smack on the starter to load it.  That's .011 per side compression - pretty tight.

I guess if I went to .355 ball that would add another .0025 per side compression.

I don't know if the lube acts the same in a smoothbore as I've not tried it.

[Jerry V Lape]

I am mostly a hunter, not a target shooter.  I have used several of the lubes recommended by various folks on here including diluted BAllistol which is generally what I use at the range until I am ready to test a hunting load.  Hunting loads are .535 ball with .016 - .018 patches over 90 gr of Swiss FFg lubed with SPG simply rubbed into the outside surface of the patching strip, cut at the muzzle.  Patches survive firing very well and loading isn't difficult although reasonable snug.  Accuracy is better than me.   

[wmrike]

I think I'm falling into Lynn's camp on the MOS isue.  I recently started using a v diluted MOS solution for my patches and can report that it makes loading a relative breeze.   But I have been wondering about the lingering color in the barrel.  Might be time to move on

[Daryl]

Definitely a snug load, Lynn. Harry reported the same brown fouling in the grooves - I didn't see it, nor did Taylor, in rifle or smoothbore. We've moved on as well - although I still have a small tub of it, mixed thin enough to be OK for winter shooting.  I'm still working on getting some Hoppe's 9 Plus - that works well in all my guns, cold (freezing) or hot weather, hunting or target shooting.  I've ordered 2 quarts of it - still waiting. Talked to the Sales rep at the store the other day & he thought it was a new product, not into Canada yet - good grief, we've been using Hoppe's 9 Plus since mid 1970's. Some distributors are narrow minded.

While waiting for the Hoppe's to come in, I'm using winter, windshield fluid with a couple squirts of body soap in it.  Works well and stays very wet for 2 to 3 days in my hinged patch containers. Nice thing about the windshield washer fluid, is it's cheap abnd easy to apply and doesn't rot the patches. 

[Canute Rex]

I seem to remember posting it before, but it's worth repeating, given the performance: Permatex orange hand cleaner. Non-pumice "creamy", of course. Cheap, easy to find, near zero ramming force shot after shot, and it cleans your rifle as you shoot. You can also use it as a hand cleaner.  I put a pea-sized dollop in the middle of a patch, fold it in half, unfold it, and down the barrel (or into the block) it goes.

[LynnC]

BTW Daryl - It was you that got me to use the tighter loads with a short starter and it has helped the accuracy

[Roger Fisher]

Harnic found the same problem.  Maybe we load loose.  I'm shooting a .350 ball in a .026 (micrometered) demim patch.  GM .36 barrel with .010 grooves.

I tried various lube formulas and found that any with MOS in the mix caused the goop.

The stuff did load easy - unless you changed to spit lube and then you could  feel the grabbing resistance while pushing down the load.  That's what got me looking to see if the barrel was really clean.  Really tight patched jags proved it wasn't even though a bore light showed a bright and shiney bore and breech plug.

BTW - I made me up a flush clean gizmo to pump the tap water in and out till clean.

Too much work to get it out - Never Again.

Your mileage may vary ................................Lynn

Beware the Murphy's Oil Soap.     Works fine for a while then the flyers start...

[hanshi]

I seem to remember posting it before, but it's worth repeating, given the performance: Permatex orange hand cleaner. Non-pumice "creamy", of course. Cheap, easy to find, near zero ramming force shot after shot, and it cleans your rifle as you shoot. You can also use it as a hand cleaner.  I put a pea-sized dollop in the middle of a patch, fold it in half, unfold it, and down the barrel (or into the block) it goes.

I'd be interested in hearing more about Permatex and whether it shares the same problems with Murphy's soap.  Problems down the line are a concern. 

Daryl, window washer cleaner?  What types & such are worth trying.  Hoppes #9 Plus is good stuff.

[erdillonjr]

I use spit at tha range and wonderlube for hunting. Ed

[LynnC]

Spit for targets - Don't hunt much, guess I'd use crisco.....Cheap ......Lynn

[Daryl]

Flintr - winshield washer fluid is what I've been using - perhaps I had a typo and typed in window.
 I'm using up the left-over (2 gallons) winter fluid I had. It doens't go bad as long as the cap is on. I assume it has a lot of alcohol in it is why to keep the lid on. Doesn't really go bad.  In the summer, I use the bug washer fluid- haven't used that as a patch lube - might some day, but not if I can get more Hoppe's 9 Plus.  I've heard of guys using Windex and other brands for patch lube.  One guy in the club soaked his patches in brandy - rotted his bore very nicely - think he did that while bunny hunting - a no-no without the brandy. Any water soluable is suspect for hunting.

[JCKelly]

Daryl I believe I bought my three quarts of Hoppes No. 9 Plus on-line direct from  www.hoppes.com  Delivery OK.
Like how it cleans, have yet to use it for a patch lube. For what its worth, I have been told "there is water in it" by an ex-sportswriter who normally seems to know his stuff. I suppose that and $1.75 would get me a cup of Tim H's finest coffee.

[Daryl]

Shipping the bottles over the line is the problem with buying it from the States.  As to having water in it, I dont' know.  Taylor's tests last spring showed it to handle fairly long term loading without any rusting or etching of the barrel.

[Maven]

After reading your replies, I guess I'll forego the Murphy's Oil Soap patch lube experiment!

[LynnC]

Oh the stuff loaded slicker than owl S...

Used several different formulas with MOS in it

But after a few range sessions I noticed the buildup

Gun was thoughly cleaned with the flush method.

When drying with patched jag the stickyness would near pull the patch off and leave brown streaks on it.

Carburator cleaner and lots of elbow grease. 

Not what I call easy cleanup.............................Lynn