| Tom_H |
| (.333 member) |
| 10/01/21 12:52 AM |
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Help. Patch lube issue
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Usually I do most of my bp shooting in warmer weather. That being said, I have never had problems with those guns or unexplained misses while hunting.
I took both my 58 and my 12 bore out to do some colder weather testing (teens).
What a mess. 100yd groups over a foot, etc.
I was using TC bore butter(don't judge).
Not interested in reinventing the wheel so would love to hear what works for others.
Thanks
Tom
CptCurl
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| (.450 member) |
| 10/01/21 01:19 AM |
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Re: Help. Patch lube issue
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Daryl should be able to help with this question. He lives darn near the North pole!
As for me, I've shot a lot of muzzle loaders, but when the weather is in the teens down here in Virginia I try to stay by the fire!
For what it's worth, lately I've been lubing my patches using NAPA soluable machine oil and water, about 1:10. Again, I haven't tried this in cold weather.
Good luck!
Curl
| tinker |
| (.416 member) |
| 10/01/21 03:18 AM |
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Re: Help. Patch lube issue
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I'll be listening
| Jim_C |
| (.300 member) |
| 10/01/21 05:45 AM |
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Re: Help. Patch lube issue
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For cold weather lubes, I use olive oil, neatsfoot oil (not "neatsfood oil compound"), and jojoba oil. Olive oil gets too thick about 0 F. neatsfoot and jojoba oils are good to at least -30 F. I suspect they might be ok for colder temps but have never been inclined to test it.
Some folks use MINK oil as a cold weather (or year round) lube.
Damn typos.
| Tom_H |
| (.333 member) |
| 13/01/21 12:51 PM |
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Re: Help. Patch lube issue
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Thank you all.
Hey Curl. I veer away from the water based stuff just to avoid any rusting as I typically leave the gun loaded during the entire season. Never heard of using water soluble oil but if you get good results I'm willing to try it with my target guns.
I saw some suggestions and ordered up mink oil from Track.
I have always hunted in cold weather but never shot a rifle on paper in the cold because the shots typically went where they should have.
I really like to be able to take a poke out to at least 150 with these as I am sure that they are capable.
Jim, never saw neatsfoot recommended but I am willing to give that a try as well. I did some research and it looks like a good fit.
Tom
| tinker |
| (.416 member) |
| 13/01/21 02:26 PM |
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Re: Help. Patch lube issue
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I have bear oil here, which has been good down to about 10 below zero farenheit.
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 13/01/21 02:51 PM |
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Re: Help. Patch lube issue
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Quote:OK
Usually I do most of my bp shooting in warmer weather. That being said, I have never had problems with those guns or unexplained misses while hunting.
I took both my 58 and my 12 bore out to do some colder weather testing (teens).
What a mess. 100yd groups over a foot, etc.
I was using TC bore butter(don't judge).
Tom
For cold weather hunting, that is, hunting in freezing weather, I switched to both track's mink oil on pre-lubed patches as well as Neetsfoot oil
- the 100% stuff, not the Neetsfood Oil Compound, which is a synthetic. Mind you, I've never tried the compound so don't know if it would work
or not - this is simply a 50 year old warning from magazine/digests.
Neetsfoot oil will remain a liquid to lower temps than the mink oil, but putting a lubed mink-oil patch between your fingers instantly softens it.
I found both of these shoot to the sights (set up for them) in the summer time, in my 14 bore rifle. I am quite lucky, in that that rifle shoots to
the same poi summer and winter, no matter the lube used. My sights, adjusted in 1986 when we Taylor build the rifle and I finished it, finish
and sighting, have never been adjusted, never needed it.
I have heard some strange phenomenon happening with Bore Butter, as to building up in the bore and needed really strong "stuff" to dissolve it.
I have left my hunting rifle loaded with Neetsfoot Oil loaded for 3 months (poor hunting that year) & when touching it off, it made the f1st shot in
a 2" 5 shot group off the bags at 100 meters.
It works for me and many others.
Mink oil, when used in my little .32 for a day's shooting, mind you it was only -5, the 50th shot loaded easier than the first. No wiping.
It does as well in the larger calibres too. Many guys find the little guns foul badly - for some reason, I don't. Ball/patch combinations that fit with
compression in the bottom of the grooves are that reason.
Too - patches are saturated with lube, the excess squeezed out, but gently. They are still wet with lube.
If you want, you can load a barrier between the patched ball and powder - a card wad comes to mind. That is what I used initially, then discarded
that method as not really necessary.
Good luck.
Yes - Bear Oil is very good. The oil I have stays liquid to very cold temps. I have a mix of oil and lard, that remains quite soft and gooey at the same temps.
If the bear oil is tried out at low temp, as in a double boiler, the oil content will be very high in comparrison and this will remain liquid to lower temps.
The higher temps used, will create more of a "shortening", a thicker mixture.
| Tom_H |
| (.333 member) |
| 13/01/21 10:13 PM |
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Re: Help. Patch lube issue
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Greetings everyone.
I will get back with range reports shortly.
A few years ago I made a decent shot with the 58 at nearly 150yds. After this last stint of shooting I started wondering if it was luck.
We still have a good bit of winter left so I am looking forward to testing this stuff.
Funny you both mention the bear oil thing.
I was out in the fall for early bear, and although I wasn't particularly interested in taking one, I was hoping that my hunting partner would just so that I could render some of it out as per Ned Roberts. Ever since I read "The muzzle loading caplock rifle" I've wanted to try it.
Always next year.
Tom
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 14/01/21 10:24 AM |
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Re: Help. Patch lube issue
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Sounds good. I bought and read that tomb back in 1973 & read it a number of times, more than 4 times over the years. My book went missing somewhere - must have loaned it out and didn't get it back. Same thing happened to my Lewis and Clark, condensed chronicles, from 11 or 12 books into 2. They still had some long boring stuff, iirc - but, I do wish I had them today. They were quite interesting reading for most of it.