I need a lube for a couple of times a year.

[RicinYakima]

Gentlemen,

Let me start by saying I'm not a "lube" person, as I don't experiment with it and I have enough Grey's #24 for matches and White 2500 to last the rest of my life. HOWEVER, a couple of times a year I go out with my single shots guys and breach seat and load black powder in my 1871 Stevens 38/35. It shoots a 160 grain HB bullet. It shoots best if freshly lube just before it is seated with a plug seater. There is no more "Bore Butter" on the shelf in the shop. So I need about 1 1/2 ounces a year. Do I make some, or just buy a new tube of BB?





Thanks for your consideration,

Ric

 

[JWFilips]

My Vote; I bet Ben's Red would be worth a try!

 

[Ian]

All I can offer is my meager experience with BPCR, cap and ball revolvers, and percussion muzzle loading rifles, so I don't know if it is of any use for your purposes or not, but here it is. Over the years I've dabbled with BP here and there and was never ever even close to happy (for one reason or another) with any of the commercial lubes I tried. Shortly after starting to make my own smokeless lube (FWFL) I read about and made a batch of Buck Emmert's lube and was very pleased with it in both BPCR and as a patch lube for my Kentucky cap rifle. I made some warm-weather tweaks I (mainly for the cartridge rifles) which basically was to substitute wool fat (lanolin in it's natural paste form) for half the Canola oil. Later I remelted that batch because it was a titch too stiff for my liking and added back most of the canola I left out and also threw in a small chunk of Kirk's Castille soap. SO I ended up with 50% beeswax, 40% unsalted Crisco shortening, 5% canola cooking oil, 5% lanolin, and then an equal amount again of canola and probably an equal dose of castille soap by volume to end up with 110%. Something like that. Anyway it's excellent and works for everything BP, keeps the fouling soft, stays put in a hot cylinder, and smears out real thin on pillow ticking if it isn't below 50 degrees. Accurate as anything I've ever used and very, very consistent in that accuracy. I'd offer you some to try but I'm just about out of it myself and will probably wait a bit to make more because I'm not planning to need any this year and it does go a little sour if stored at room temperature for a few years.

 

[freebullet]

I've been using bb in my inline trials. Not really happy with it. I'd read nothing but good things about moose milk haven't, tried it though.

 

[Maven]

Gentlemen,

Let me start by saying I'm not a "lube" person, as I don't experiment with it and I have enough Grey's #24 for matches and White 2500 to last the rest of my life. HOWEVER, a couple of times a year I go out with my single shots guys and breach seat and load black powder in my 1871 Stevens 38/35. It shoots a 160 grain HB bullet. It shoots best if freshly lube just before it is seated with a plug seater. There is no more "Bore Butter" on the shelf in the shop. So I need about 1 1/2 ounces a year. Do I make some, or just buy a new tube of BB?

View attachment 1366

View attachment 1367

Thanks for your consideration,

Ric

For <2 oz./yr., I think I'd just go out and buy a tube, Ric. OTOH, if you're willing to experiment with home brews, [Google] Emmert's Lube and/or Stumpy's Moose Snot*. Both are easy to concoct and don't result in huge batches. Btw, although Stumpy's MS is a BP patch lube, you can easily apply it to grease groove CB's.



*Canola, olive, or peanut oils work very well, so you needn't fret if you don't have the one mentioned in the recipe (Stumpy himself told me this via a PM on another forum.)

 

[RicinYakima]

Thank you all very much for your insights. I think I'll do a little cooking and see what I come up with.

 

[5shot]

SPG gets great reviews.

 

[RicinYakima]

I really want to just lube with my finger from a contain just before I seat the bullet in the barrel. I had not thought of using my patch lube for the flintlock I made. Cut out about 150 very thin muslin patches on the wife's cutting board and put them in a can of 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 raw lard and 1/3 olive oil. That was a traditional mix in the 1740's and French and Indian war period.

 

[Maven]

Ric, Both Emmert's & Stumpy's MS are soft enough to apply with your fingers. Btw, nice job on the FL!

 

[RicinYakima]

Thanks Mavern, It took me five years. All the work was done with hand tools, original materials (modern cast steel parts) and bought the barrel blank. Took a year just to make the lock. It was a fun project. I will try to make some of each, maybe one this year and one next year. No need to get into a rush! Ric