How much difference does a change in lube make?

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brewer12345

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I found an accurate load with a maxi ball lubed with bore butter (ugh), an over powder wad, and 80 grains of black MZ. The problem is that bore butter is messy. By the time I was done shooting 25 or so times, I was sorely in need of soap and water to avoid greasing everything (including my clothes), plus it was a hot day so I had a big old puddle of melted bore butter to contend with. Ideally, this will ultimately be a field load, so very messy really is not OK if it can at all be avoided, plus I worry about powder contamination even with a wad. I made up some more of the traditional 50/50 lard/beeswax lube I usually use for cap and ball wads and dipped some maxi balls in it as I have in the past with another rifle. Obviously I will have to go try it, but would you guess this would make much difference in accuracy vs. the bore butter lubed maxis?
 
Jackrabbit1957 said:
BlackMZ tends to make real mess when used with that type of lube.... Try the beeswax with tallow and a small amount of olive oil, make it pretty stiff.
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With lard and beeswax or bore butter? Hadn't noticed any issues with the bore butter. It's been a while since I lubed maxis with the 50/50, but all I recall is it shooting well
 
Lube can make a huge difference in accuracy. I did some tests of Crisco v Lard and in almost every case, Lard was more accurate. I have 2 guns that don't like the lard mix, so you'll have to experiment to see what works best in your gun. My sewerpipe on a stick CVA shoots best with a patch soaked in Neetsfoot oil and an over powder wad. I have yet to see minies shoot well with Bore Butter, but I'm sure there is a gun/bullet combo out there that is great with it.
 
dave951 said:
Lube can make a huge difference in accuracy. I did some tests of Crisco v Lard and in almost every case, Lard was more accurate. I have 2 guns that don't like the lard mix, so you'll have to experiment to see what works best in your gun. My sewerpipe on a stick CVA shoots best with a patch soaked in Neetsfoot oil and an over powder wad. I have yet to see minies shoot well with Bore Butter, but I'm sure there is a gun/bullet combo out there that is great with it.
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I don't particularly like bore butter, but it was handy and on short notice that is what I used. I know minies are really sensitive to lube, sizing, etc. for best accuracy. My experience with Maxis is that they are more forgiving as long as your gun has the twist for it, you use a wad, and the powder charge is heavy enough for the bullet to obturate well. I have 32 maxis now greased up with the lard and beeswax mixture, so once I put a better scope on this rifle I will see what it can do.
 
A wadded up piece of paper towel or waxed paper between powder and projectile prevents lube contacting powder. Use the lube that your rifle/projectile combination likes best, don’t compromise. I bet you can come up with a procedure to eliminate mess in the field.
 
If your rifle seems to like bore-butter, try mixing it with bee's wax or candle wax/canning wax until you get a stiffer consistency. I dip felt wads in pure melted bee's wax, then load one of those over the powder, and then a non lubed felt wad over that. The wax wad and felt wad combo work especially well under hot patched round ball loads.
 
Haven't tried the 50/50 because it has been 100 degrees and it is honey harvest season. Spent the weekend in the basement processing a couple hundred pounds of honey from the backyard hives. This is also the reason I don't lack for beeswax.
 
brewer12345 said:
Haven't tried the 50/50 because it has been 100 degrees and it is honey harvest season. Spent the weekend in the basement processing a couple hundred pounds of honey from the backyard hives. This is also the reason I don't lack for beeswax.
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You could sell beeswax to forum members at a steep discount.:D
 
I add 50/50 bees wax or deer tallow to Bore Butter to solve your problem.. The mixture should still be a little soft when loading. If you are concerned about contamination, hole punch real 100% wool and insert over the powder first. The wool will prevent contamination. Lube does make a big difference in your accuracy and elevation. If you think your ho-made lube is good, go try it, but Volume of lube is also a consideration when setting up your loads. I use old slip off top medicine bottles to store lubed maxi balls. A red nose wiper(handkerchief) will also come in handy to keep your hands clean, either at the range or while hunting.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
If your rifle seems to like bore-butter, try mixing it with bee's wax or candle wax/canning wax until you get a stiffer consistency. I dip felt wads in pure melted bee's wax, then load one of those over the powder, and then a non lubed felt wad over that. The wax wad and felt wad combo work especially well under hot patched round ball loads.
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Good old Marty Robbins circa 1959. No remake will ever be like the original.
 
I just thunk of something. I've found, that with some rifles, they will shoot better with a minimum of lube, whatever that lube is. So there really isn't a need to really goop it on. My 1861 will shoot well with the REAL, and only one grease groove filled with a very stiff lube, the rest bare.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
I just thunk of something. I've found, that with some rifles, they will shoot better with a minimum of lube, whatever that lube is. So there really isn't a need to really goop it on. My 1861 will shoot well with the REAL, and only one grease groove filled with a very stiff lube, the rest bare.
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The consistency is important too. I have a Gibbs Rifle which likes bullets sized a thousandth under bore size with really thin Lube. (One stick of SPG, one stick of Alox with a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and 4 oz. of Stihl HP synthetic lube added. Not my concoction, this is an IdahoLewis secret recipe!) some of the bullet shooters like a stiffer lube with no vege oil and only one 2oz. bottle of Stihl. The thinner version works great for maxi balls in the first lube groove only!
 
Well, I finally got shooting again. Camping in a national forest I set up to shoot and realized I didn't bring the over powder wads. Groups were crap without them. I tried a prelubed patch for prb between the powder and bullet and that did it. Shot nice groups, cloverleafing at 30 yards. Perhaps it just needed breaking in because when I got to 50 rounds cumulative on this new barrel things suddenly tightened up. With the ample lube on the bullets, I hardly needed to swab the barrel while shooting.
 
Sounds good. With "ample lube" on the bullet, I would not use a pre-lubed wad, as it will contaminate the powder. A dry felt wad should work just as well, and keep your powder dry.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Sounds good. With "ample lube" on the bullet, I would not use a pre-lubed wad, as it will contaminate the powder. A dry felt wad should work just as well, and keep your powder dry.
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I wasn't using wads, just a patch that I placed over the muzzle and pushed a couple inches into the bore with the short starter ahead of placing the bullet in.

As a plus, I scouted a series of beaver ponds a couple hundred yards from my campsite as they are the intended quarry for this rifle. I saw multiple beavers, including one that got within 10 feet of me without any apparent concern. I will be coming back to make their acquaintance once the season starts.
 
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