Re: patch lube referance

[old salt]

I will start. What I use the most is just plane spit. When I mix a patch
lube for hunting I start whit a 3-1 mix of vegetable oil to bees wax.
Now comes the part that most folks don't agree with and is I use what ever oil the wife has on hand at the time. {penut, corn, olive, or what have you}
The 3-1 is just a start point, if it is to thick I add more oil if to more wax.
It is kind of like youmother's or you grandmother's secret recipe, a pich of this or dash of that. It is not that it is secret it is that there is not a stanard mesurment. It is more how it feels

[alsask]

I use just plain old Crisco 90% of the time but on the range I swab with Hoppe's blackpowder solvent and use it for patch lube as well.  I tried to use the wax toilet ring for minnie ball lube and it took me an hour to get the crud out of the bore afterward.  Apparently the toilet rings you buy now are not bees wax anymore.  Sure fouled up the gun!

[Hawken50]

  I use either mink oil or a mix of pure beeswax an olive oil.The toilet rings now have silicone and other additives.there are some beeswax ones around but ya gotta check the label.Oh an i use .015 pillowtick.

[Hanshi]

LUBE                                          RATING             USE                     COMMENTS

1.  spit                                         A           reloads only                   used it when I 1st started but not so  
                                                                                                 much nowadays, don't have to swab,
                                                                                                 can run dry

2.  greases-Crisco, etc,                   C           1st load when                won't rust but makes reloading difficult,
                                                               hunting-always              have to frequently swab

3.  DGW "Black Solve"                      A+         reloads/standby              a "no swab", "shoot all day" lube.  
                                                              fine default lube               can rust or dry out if left in bore    
                                                                                                   too long
 
4.  Hoppes #9 Plus BP lube               A+         my favorite for all            a "shoot all day", "no swab" lube.  
                                                              uses/guns                      can dry out, don't leave in stored
                                                                                                  gun

5.  plain water/soapy water              B           rarely used                     almost an "A", compares well with
                                                                                                  spit, will rust & contaminate powder

6.  mixtures: oils, greases,               A to C     only used it for                great for minie, never used it on
    bees wax                                               minies                           patches  

7.  moose milk                                         never                            got trampled by moose while trying to
                                                                                                   collect it.  didn't know only BULL
                                                                                                   moose had horns.


                                                                  GENERAL  

Guns should never be stored loaded with liquid lubed patch.  Liquid lubes are best used with op wad if gun is left loaded for a while.  If your lube works for you then use it and don't worry.  In cold weather as long as you can load your prb you need not worry about freezing; when the gun goes off NOTHING will be frozen.  I prefer op wads(ing) for all shooting and their use should be investigated.  A surprising variety of materials will work.  Happy shooting.
         

[Hawken50]

  Hey Hanshi,,,,,does that moose foller ya around a lot now......

[kybackwoodsman]

i pretty well use two things..
     spit patch when target or range shooting
     and my own mixture of  deer tallow to hog tallow ( lard for us southern folk). dont really measure out the ratio but about 50/50 and if gives a grease that is stiff enough in the summer and dosent freeze up badle in tyhe winter. however if it really cold ill go to straight lard for my patches. works good for me dosent rust the bore no more than others, clerans up easily, and is very cheap.   i didnt pay a cent for mine.. got the lard originally from mommas kitchen, later got it from some hog back we pressure cooked from my aunt, and the deer tallow came from a nice 6 point earlier this fall.
if you try and is still to stiff add some more lard to the mixture ( alot softer than deer tallow) if it to goopy then more tallow ( deer tallow hardens up like a bar of soap so it real stiff.