Natural Lube?!?!

[Lowedome]

I had an earlier post about cleaning my newly acquired 1851... and received some good advice, thanks!

However, I need a point cleared up... I still want to know what options I have for lubing the gun post cleaning that is "all natural". I am using Rem Oil right now; however, I don't like it... the fumes mess me up amongst other things.

What natural lubes are there to use??? Please provide Brand names and such... and where to get it if possible! Details are good! THANKS!!!

 

[Busyhands94]

Crisco works. You can also mix Crisco with paraffin, that's the stuff I use! Two parts Crisco, one part paraffin which is essentially candle wax. What do you mean by the fumes "messing you up" do they make you feel dizzy or something? You should shoot outdoors, good ventilation is key.

Keep in mind you can use tallow from bacon or veal, I've used that before. Then again I use bacon grease for everything, sort of as an all purpose shop lubricant. It's good because when you shoot it smells like bacon.

~Levi

 

[arcticap]

There's mineral oil which is sold as a medicinal laxative in pharmacies:

http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=HtJnT5CpNIPe0gHTkIGvCQ&ved=0CHAQ8wIwBA

There's Ballistol which contains mineral oil plus other ingredients for cleaning and neutralizing black powder. It does have a distinct oder, but it can also be mixed with water for cleaning.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/16...ng+-+Gun+Cleaning-_-PriceCompListing-_-164428


There's Thompson Center Bore Butter which is a patch lube, over ball lube and cylinder pin lube that contains mineral oil, miconized wax & fragrance.

https://www.google.com/search?clien...w.,cf.osb&fp=91903e14d1087164&biw=800&bih=467


Traditions Wonder Lube is the twin to Bore Butter. It adheres to metal and doesn't run as much as liquid oil does.

http://www.lg-outdoors.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BH_TRAD A1294

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=sporting&field-keywords=wonderlube&x=0&y=0

 

[Lowedome]

Busyhands... just to confirm... you use Crisco after the gun is cleaned and then store it with the Crisco/parrafin on the gun?

I REALLY like the bacon grease idea... my wife always has some around... LOL.

Even in good ventilation that stuff gives me a headache... plus I don't like using any chemicals like that...

I wonder if I could use Olive Oil as well?

 

[BHP FAN]

Thompson Center Bore Butter is my favorite. I mix a little in when I make my bee's wax and Crisco grease cookies. I use it straight as cylinder pin grease on my Remington pistolas, too.

 

[woodsrunner38]

If you research Colonial and early post RevWar history you'll find many references to using "Sweet Oil" for firearms lubrication. This is nothing more than Olive Oil, and it was imported and dispersed throughout the settled regions. Bear oil and deer tallow were also heavily used. The olive oil you can readily buy, naturally, but the other two you'll have to collect yourself. Deer tallow is very easy to render down from fat saved when the deer is butchered. It will prevent rust and makes an OK lube, though not highly desirable. Excellent patch lube for patched round balls, however.

If the smell of Rem Oil is offensive to you, then you surely couldn't stand the odor of Ballistol. This is a "natural" lube with a mineral oil base and is one of the very best lubricating oils that you can use with black powder firearms. This is a German made lube and has been used by the German Armed Forces from the late 1800's right down to the present.

 

[arcticap]

I wonder if I could use Olive Oil as well?

Folks do use the vegetable oils and they work.
But in the long term they can turn into a varnish which mineral oils won't do.
In the old days they may have used whale oil too which may have been the best.

 

[hang fire]

Equal parts of one cup (8 oz.) each melted beeswax and coconut butter with one tablespoon of Mobil 1 oil stirred in while hot.

The above also works great as a boolit lube for BP or smokeless. To lube the base pin I also use Mobil 1 grease, being a synthetic, does not have the problems relating to use of petroleum grease and does good at keeping the cylinder rotating.

 

[alsask]

Mineral oil is a petroleum product [as opposed to vegatable oil or animal oil] so remember to wipe the gun clean before shooting it. I use gun oil for storing, crisco for shooting and water for cleaning.

 

[arcticap]

Mineral oil is compatible with black powder.
That's why Bore Butter is a good patch lube.
Mineral oil and Ballistol also make good patch lubes.

 

[J-Bar]

In a pinch try Pam cooking spray...it's mostly canola oil.

Just don't let your wife catch you...

 

[loose noose]

J-bar, I used Pam cooking oil spray when I shot Cowboy Action Shooting, on all my BP revolvers, it definitely kept the cylinders moving. In fact I kept a small can in my possibles bag. Not sure if that would be a rust preventative though. I know I used Thompson Bore Butter as a rust preventative, after thoroughly cleaning the guns with 1/3 Murphy's soap oil, 1/3 hydrogen peroxide, and 1/3 rubbing alcohol. However the thompson Bore Butter smells like a back or muscle linament.

 

[Busyhands94]

I find bacon grease to work for all kinds of shop stuff, I keep some in my oil can in the summer and in a jar in the winter. It's good stuff, it's free, and I'm going to continue using it because I like it!

I just found out how to make tiny .22 felt wads today for loading blackpowder .22 LR and short ammo, and I used my homemade bullet grease for the wads. I loaded up about 50 rounds of shorts, they shot great with the lubed wads. I was at about 10 yards and put all of them on a 2" Shoot N' See target, that's pretty good considering the dim lighting and the fact I was wearing sunglasses. I can go out about half a mile into the woods and shoot them without anyone hearing the discharge of the firearm. The lube that was on the wads kept the tiny bore clean, increasing my accuracy.

~Levi

 

[FreddyKruger]

i use INOX stuff. oil and grease. tho the big aussie flag on it might mean you cant get it in the states? http://www.inox-mx3.com/inox.htm

i did actually have a go at using Frymasta (a vege shortening) instead of the grease and it worked just as well if not better than the grease.


why not ballistol? a lot of American BP shooters seem to be fan of it? cant get it here that i know of

 

[Acorn Mush]

Just a question about bacon grease. Wouldn't it be very high in salt content? If so, I would think you would have a serious potential for corrosion if used as lube prior to storage for any length of time.

 

[kBob]

When I first started on THR I tried Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a preservative. In a few weeks in an unairconditioned shop in central FLorida the Olive oil went rancid on the revolver. Your milage may vary but I will not use it again.

CUrrently a thin coat of Bore Butter is on everything as in wipe it on with a greasy rag and wipe of with a clean one.

I currently use Bore butter as the over the ball lube when shooting the revolvers so I have it right to hand.

-kBob

 

[Pulp]

I'm at work, so I don't have the link to the corrosion test done by some blackpowder shooters, but Ballistol was in the top two or three for corrosion prevention. However, like others have mentioned, it does have an odor. I don't find it offensive unless I really get a snootful. I'd bet a dollar to a donut that one of their ingredients is anise oil, since to me it has a licorice odor.
I use it full strength exclusively on all my guns, BP or smokeless, and use it mixed with water for cleaning BP guns.

Downside: it was used by the Germans, and they lost both wars. Maybe not as good as I think when you look at it that way.

 

[mykeal]

why not ballistol? a lot of American BP shooters seem to be fan of it? cant get it here that i know of

Try the fishing tackle suppliers. It's very popular among people who buy and maintain expensive reels and other equipment exposed to high humidity (and salt) environments.

 

[robhof]

robhof

Actually for lube purposes, extra virgin olive oil is a waiste of money and as stated above, it will get rancid exposed to air for a prolonged time. Better results will be obtained with light olive oil, as it has been filtered to remove the organic substances that make it so desirable in cooking. It's also cheaper and will not get rancid like evoo.

 

[rcmodel]

What you need is a bar.
“D. Boon Cilled a Bar on tree in the Year 1760.”

Grizz fat or bear grease is what some of the old timers used.

Or Whale oil.

rc

 

[scrat]

just regular gun oil. All over and in the gun. Then before i shoot it. I run a patch through the barrel and cylinders with Jack Daniels. Then she smells really good. The Jack does a good job taking out the oil. Then she is ready to shoot.

 

[tom e gun]

jack daniels scrat? thats great! shot for me, shot for gun, shot for me.... and what was i doing again?

 

[Pulp]

Here it is:

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/corrosion/corrosion2.html

 

[alsask]

Good post Pulp. I have to wonder why people use Wonder lube after reading that report.

 

[Busyhands94]

Just a question about bacon grease. Wouldn't it be very high in salt content? If so, I would think you would have a serious potential for corrosion if used as lube prior to storage for any length of time.

It's good chamber lube in your cap n' ball, and it's good on patches. I don't put it on my guns when I store them, being that my gun rack is literally right next to my bed when I sleep. I'd probably get sick of the smell of bacon, or I'd get hungry in the middle of the night.

I usually don't store my guns with anything but Hoppes #9 oil or whatever is leftover. I don't use bacon grease on my firearms when I'm storing them, only when I'm shooting them. Cool part is when I touch off that .44 it smells like breakfast!