Coconut oil

[Adrian]

Would coconut oil work as a patch lube for round balls?

[Mike Lyons]

Give it a try.  It seems to put more of a crisp on chicken wings than regular vegetable oil.  It stinks like $#@* if you burn it. 

[OldMtnMan]

There are better options.

[WadePatton]

Didn't the Seminoles use that in their canoe guns?   



(ducks and runs)

[Maven]

I've tried it because I have a jar of it on hand.  It worked well enough, but as OMM wrote, there are other, better choices available.

[rich pierce]

The search for exotic lubes continues.  I’m sure frontier folks used a wide variety of lubes in their rifles depending on what was available. 

[redheart]

Having access to tropical islands I'd believe that Pirates probably used it for patch lube.

[Hungry Horse]

Why can’t anybody anymore use what worked for hundreds of years? No I’m not talking about sperm oil, I suspect that was a fairly rare commodity on most of the frontier. I’m talking about tallow. Venison, Bear, elk, even raccoon, opossum. It’s what they had for heaven sakes.

  Hungry Horse

[rich pierce]

Why can’t anybody anymore use what worked for hundreds of years? No I’m not talking about sperm oil, I suspect that was a fairly rare commodity on most of the frontier. I’m talking about tallow. Venison, Bear, elk, even raccoon, opossum. It’s what they had for heaven sakes.

  Hungry Horse

Not in the cupboard.  Doesn’t give the wife or kids the heebie jeebies. 
It’s fine for folks to use whatever and other folks to use whatever else.
I used to make a light oil from raccoon fat and clarify it with lead shavings and sunlight per Horace Kephart.  Haven’t trapped raccoons since the 1980s.

[Joe S]

Hello Adrian and welcome to the forum. This topic comes up regularly. Use the search function, and you will find 32 referenced threads. Some people use it. Most don't. Except for the Seminoles of course, as Wade mentioned.

[Scota4570]

Pretty much anything oily works fine.   I'm sure it will work, as will vegetable oils, and animal fats.   People have tried anything you can imagine with no clear winner.

[EC121]

I use it all the time and could care less what my ancestors used.  It works well and cleans up easy.  I use the non-hardening type.  I also mix it with mink oil to make the mink oil softer.  Will this send my soul to Dante's ninth circle?

[Daryl]

Adrian- you need to try it. Just be aware, that the thicker the patch, the more lube will be absorbed in the patch and the better it will wet the powder fouling after the shot and lubricate the ball's exit.

The lube needs to do 2 things well,

1/. wet the fouling from the previous shot on the way down the bore and then it's exit on the way out.

2/.  mix with and become one with the fouling from that shot so you can load the gun for the next one. 

This is for those who chose to not wipe their bores while shooting.

[Daryl]

Didn't the Seminoles use that in their canoe guns?   



(ducks and runs)

 

[longcruise]

I tried it.  Still have a big jar of it around here somewhere.  I found it to leave a hard fouling.  But. I shoot in low humidity for the most part.  I also used it sparingly.  Maybe more on the patch would make it a better choice.

I am at the end of my search for the perfect lube.  Along the way I've found quite a few that work very well.  I now use spit when loading and shooting at the range and morrell lard to load and hunt.

[Adrian]

Thanks for the replies. Might give it a try.

[Curt Lyles]

Adrian I use it in my squirrell guns and it works just fine I am testing it in a new Kibler 58 and I see no problems so far .I have the 76 degree melt oil,its alot like grease .Curt

[hudson]

I have used it with good success, be aware you can over do it and accuracy can suffer.

[OldMtnMan]

This is all you need.

[Dave Marsh]

I am with you on that OldMtnMan.  Mink oil for hunting and spit for the range.


Dave

[shifty]

   I agree with OldMtnMan!

[rich pierce]

I guess they are breeding minks for fat now. Probably more valuable than their fur nowadays. The tins are nice too.

[WKevinD]

I buy coconut oil in 35lb. tubs to use in soap making. As Curt said it has a 76 degree melt point. In the winter (hunting season) its like a rock, in the summer (range time) its a liquid. I have never used it in a gun there are much better slippery things that are more stable.

Kevin

[EC121]

You can buy the non-hardening oil in the baking section of the grocery store.   I use just enough to wet the patch about like the store bought pre-lubed ones.