Myth Buster - Liquid Wrench as BP Patch Lube

[arcticap]

Here's a ground breaking thread by Semisane comparing the use of Liquid Wrench and olive oil as a patch lube.
These 2 lubes were fired in a TC sidelock loaded with black powder with the bore being swabbed between shots.
The results raise questions about which petroleum products are safe to use for black powder shooting and which need be avoided.

A Trip To Bizarro World

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/black-powder/344679-trip-bizarro-world.html

 

[zimmerstutzen]

With my 45 H&A underhammer, i regularly get 2 inch 5 shot groups at 100 yards using spit for lube. But I use 75 grains of 2f. Did I read correctly that he is using Pyrodex? It is less consistent.

 

[arcticap]

Did I read correctly that he is using Pyrodex? It is less consistent.

He was shooting with Goex FFg.

I used the .54 GM/TC Renegade for the experiment....Throughout the shooting session I used 95 grains of GOEX FFg and .018 pillow tick patching

 

[Jaymo]

He said he was using Goex.

 

[mossberg835]

Animal fat works just fine and it won''t soak in to the powder giving you a half charge. Mountain men did it for years.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

As I recall Liquid Wrench is more vaporous than just oil. It does seem to evaporate much faster than straight penetrating oil. (I don't use Liquid Wrench much, kerosene, works pretty good and is much cheaper. ) I wonder if whatever is added to it, makes the difference. As a begninner I used 20W motor oil. It didn't take long to gum up the barrel, maybe 15 shots.

 

[mossberg835]

when I shoot matches with a muzzle stuffer , I have slightly thinner patches for when the barrel starts to fowl . It works pretty good for me.

 

[BCRider]

Seems like it's not much of a test if she's swabbing out the barrel after each shot.

The black powder crew at my local club is telling me to use BP cleaner or even a BP solvent as a patch lube.

Their BP days involve a wood walk with targets placed around the walk that are variously shot at or knifed or 'hawked at need. They don't have time for swabbing between shots and apparently using a BP solvent or cleaner in this manner as a patch lube avoids any fouling or need for swabbing other than at the end of a dozen or more shots.

My first day out with my flintlock I found that the barrel was extremely "crusty" about half way down after only 6 shots. The last one loaded was the last for the day as it was so difficult to put the 6th ball down past the mid barrel fouling and I had not brought anything to swab it out with. I was using dry patches lubed with a drop or two of Canola cooking oil on the top of the ball and patch rim with the ball and patch just started into the muzzle.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I formerly used Hoppe's No.9 Plus BP solvent as a patch lube. It works fine as long as you swab between shots. If you don't swab between shots the rifle gets hard to load after 2 or 3.

Lately I've been using Track of the Wolf's Mink Oil Tallow patch lube. Works great. I still like to swab the bore after no more than 3 shots to keep it easy to load.

YMMV.