Inexpensive Lube for Revolvers

[frosty]

Combine 50% Crisco shortening, and 50% bee'swax(by weight, a typical kitchen scale works well). I placed a quart mason jar in a medium saucepan, with about 3" of water in it-(as not to ruin the old lady's double boiler ). First the crisco, then after it melted, the bee'swax. I kept the water at a slight boil, you dont want it to get to hot . My source of bee'swax was short nubins of candles from my church, which they were so kind to give. Slowly mixing the melted ingredients, after they are all dissolved, carefully remove the mason jar with mittens on your hands, and place on a trivet to cool. Thats it! Later I placed some 200 gr flat nose bullets on a small tray. They had smokless lube on them, which I had removed. I then remelted the lube and carefully poured the lube until the bullets were nearly covered. After they had cooled, I used a fired 45-70 case as a cookie cutter to remove the bullets from the lube, then using a small spring wire through the primer hole to get the bullets out of the case. After the gun was loaded, I smeared a small amount on top of the chambers-(this is not nessesary if your bullets have enough lube grooves). This lube is rather cheap to make, and I reduced my group size about 40% at 35 yds. Works well with H777, as well as other powders.

 

[quiknot]

seems like alot of work

i use Lee Alox...just warm up bottle and squeeze a few drops over bullets in an old plastic cup...tumble bullets...allow to dry over night....shot 20 rounds and never had to clean out the barrel between firing...(50cal rifle)....about 4.95 for 4oz...so far from the 4oz bottle i have lubed well over 500 rounds....

 

[dougkiser]

loading 44 caliber pistol

After loading a pistol what is the best way to keep the load from falling out
when carrying the pistol.

 

[gmatov]

Use the right sized ball. You should shave lead all around the ball when you ram it.

If the ball falls into the chambers, they're undersized. Generally, the 44 ball comes in 451, 454 and 457 diameter.

If you have tried say 451 balls and they fall out, try measuring the chambers, only so you don't have to try 454s and find they are too small, too.

What pistol are you shooting? If it is the Ruger version, I think you HAVE to use 457 balls.

Cheers,

George

 

[dwave]

If loaded properly it should not fall out at all. Revolvers should shave a ring off and stay in the chambers.

EDIT, I see you beat me to it George. The Ruger does use the 457, it is a .45 not a .44 so it uses a bigger ball.

 

[Smokin_Gun]

In .44 caliber Revs, the chambers can be .446 to .454", the grooves can be from .449" - .460". But the Lands however many will be .440" in a cap and ball Rev, hence it's a .44 bore/caliber... Thats how I learned it ta be anyhoo!

 

[pohill]

Don't forget that Colt designed the mouths of the chambers with a bevel to deflect gases away from the adjacent chambers (to prevent chainfire). Just keep that in mind when measuring chambers - some might be authentically beveled.

 

[Gatofeo]

Yep, you can measure chambers and buy balls to fit.
Or you can buy .457 and .454 inch balls and try both. If the .454 inch is a good fit, the .457s won't go to waste. You can still use them.
Ball diameter isn't critical as long as it's oversized enough to remain tightly in the chamber. The chamber swages the ball down to the proper diameter for the bore, so if the ball runs a little large it's not big deal.
Heck, for an experiment some years back I used .395 balls in my Colt 2nd Generation 1851 Navy in .36 caliber. In this revolver's chambers, .375 balls are nearly a slip fit. I must use .380 inch balls, so I figured .395 inch wasn't pushing it.
And it wasn't.
Sure, it cut a heck of a ring of lead and was a little more resistant to seating but it worked fine. I didn't see any difference in accuracy twixt the .380 and .395 balls.
Someone gave me the .395 balls so, instead of melting them down, I used them as-is. No problems.

Any .44 cap and ball can use .457 inch balls. A little more resistant to seating, perhaps, but it's not like you really have to bear down on the lever.
I have two .44s, a repro Colt 1860 and a repro Remington. A while back I picked up a few boxes of Speer .457 inch balls from a store going out of business. The price was good, less than $5 a box.
I prefer to use .454 inch balls in all my .44s but I use .457s on occasion just because I got them cheap.
I'm an ol' grumpy desert cat. I can't see melting down .457 inch balls only to recast them as .454 inch.
One last word: I much prefer Speer balls to Hornady. Seems like every box of Hornady balls I ever bought, there's always a few out-of-round balls in there. It almost certainly makes no difference in a cap and ball revolver, considering the range and usually poor sights these revolvers have, but it irks me nonetheless.
I've never found one cull in any box of Speer balls --- and I've been buying Speer lead balls since the 1970s.
The fact that I used to live across the Snake River from the Speer plant, in Clarkston, Washington, and am a native of the Northwest, has nothing to do with my allegiance to Speer or CCI.
Well, almost.

 

[dwave]

I have used .395 in my Pietta 51 navy too. No problems, just harder to seat.

 

[gmatov]

Dwave,

The OP's thread was over an hour old, but I only beat you by 2 minutes. Couple more words, with my 2 finger typing and my fetish for proofing my reply means I am usually late.

All the balls for these 44s are 451 and up. The modern 44 is 429 to 431, so I would prefer they be called 45s but that's just me. 45 is generally 451. How deep the rifling is, I don't know, could look it up, but don't wanna.

I can buy the 440, drill to 4375, 7/16. Broach it with enough to clean up the lands, cut the grooves. Trouble is when you have 445 chambers and 454 grooves. The ball bounces down the barrel, and flies to the opposite of which side it hit last before it leaves the barrel. Fire from the powder burst passes the ball in the clearance, and at about 4000 degrees, flame cuts the ball so it's even smaller. The ball gotta fit the barrel, completely, swaged down by a couple thou to be tight in the grooves.

Cheers,

George

 

[Smokin_Gun]

Excuse me but the word "Obstrusion" come to mind. A charge going off forces the soft lead ball into a forcing cone and into .440" lands of the barrel. Or "Obstrudes" it thru the barrel fill swelling the ball larger not burning the ball smaller into the larger grooves. Otherwise we wouldn't be getting 2-3" groups at anny distance. At least with Black Powder Cap&Ball guns anyway... not talkin' modern .44 S&W .429 Carts guns,.

 

[pohill]

"Obstrusion"
SG, you sure you spelled it right? haha (Just kidding, George)

 

[mec]

"One last word: I much prefer Speer balls to Hornady. Seems like every box of Hornady balls I ever bought, there's always a few out-of-round balls in there. It almost certainly makes no difference in a cap and ball revolver, considering the range .."

I read Gatofeo's assessment of speer vs hornady balls a good while ago and have since found it to be absolutely true . sometimes the Hornady .375 balls roll into the chambers and come out stuck to the loading lever stem