Sometimes yo do what you gotta do

Gentlemen I am new here and this is my first post. I recently got back into ML with my best buddy ( my grandson) and we went shooting for the first time this past weekend. When we unloaded at the range I found we had everything we needed EXCEPT my bore butter. I mean just dang, which leads to my first question from those who know. Has anybody ever used Sno-Seal for patch lube? I dond even know why my jar was in my camp box but thats what I found instead of my crisco, sooooo I just did what comes natural to an old red neck and improvised. Seems to have been a discovery tho as it worked fine for or first outing, I mean the barrel didnt melt or nuthin. Only fired 6 or 7 rounds as most of our time was spent on teaching safety and procedure instructions, and clean up went as expected. We would love to hear from anyone that has experience with it as well. Thanks abs blessings TDP

Snoseal contains some petroleum with a lot of beeswax but I have heard of a couple folks that have used it as a patch lube and claimed it worked terrific. BTW welcome to the forum.

Never used it but good old fashion spit patch works great too.

twodollarpistol said:

Gentlemen I am new here and this is my first post. I recently got back into ML with my best buddy ( my grandson) and we went shooting for the first time this past weekend. When we unloaded at the range I found we had everything we needed EXCEPT my bore butter. I mean just dang, which leads to my first question from those who know. Has anybody ever used Sno-Seal for patch lube? I dond even know why my jar was in my camp box but thats what I found instead of my crisco, sooooo I just did what comes natural to an old red neck and improvised. Seems to have been a discovery tho as it worked fine for or first outing, I mean the barrel didnt melt or nuthin. Only fired 6 or 7 rounds as most of our time was spent on teaching safety and procedure instructions, and clean up went as expected. We would love to hear from anyone that has experience with it as well. Thanks abs blessings TDP

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I'm glad I read your post! I have lots of Sno Seal and from now on I will use it as a patch lubricant for winter hunting!

People use anything from fifty year old whale oil to fermented possum poop to lube patches it seems. I think lube isn’t important as long as the patch won’t burn through.
At the top end x may produce a little smaller groups then y but 90% of our shooting you won’t see much difference.
Your lube may not be the best, but temp variations, pressure variations, how clear your eyes are today vs yesterday, may effect more of your performance then your lube.

Welcome, two dollar pistol!

It sounds like a good time at the range to me. Post #2 indicates Sno-Seal contains petroleum products, and conventional wisdom these days is that petroleum and black powder don't mix well. It is said to create a very tenacious form of tar. However, when I was a kid, my dad used to take us out now and then to shoot his original Colt 1860 and 1858 Remington forty-fours, and I distinctly remember him using wheel bearing grease over the ball to seal each chamber. We used the same grease on the bullets for the black powder cartridges we reloaded for his .45-70 Trapdoor Springfield, too. The sky didn't fall, and the guns cleaned up just fine.

So, I'm not surprised the Sno-Seal worked. You should be commended for creative thinking, and I hope your shooting buddy understands how lucky he is to have a grandpa like you! Saliva also makes an excellent patch lube, if you don't leave the gun loaded too long. However, there are plenty of options for concoctions specifically formulated as patch and bullet lubes. The variety is endless, and every single one of them has a cadre of enthusiasts who will swear that their own favorite is the best there is. I don't worry about it much. When I don't use pre lubed patches, my "fall-back" lube has always been Dixie's "Old Zip Patch Grease," which is a combination of mutton tallow and beeswax. This, incidentally, also works very well for lubricating wood screws, and I keep a tin of it out in the shop for that very purpose. Unfortunately, Dixie has apparently discontinued "Old Zip," and when my existing stock plays out, I'll need to either make my own or cast about for an acceptable substitute.

I'm pretty sure I have a can of Sno-Seal around here somewhere...

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

mooman76 said:

Never used it but good old fashion spit patch works great too.

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Without the sno-seal, that was my next option. Thanks TDP

twodollarpistol said:

Without the sno-seal, that was my next option. Thanks TDP

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Welcome to our forum. Spit patch works about as well as any other lube. You just can't leave it loaded for very long as it can dry out.

Glad that worked! I haven't used Sno Seal for decades (on my boots).

Greg Blackburn said:

Glad that worked! I haven't used Sno Seal for decades (on my boots).

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I know, I havent seen it in stores for years but you can still get it from amazon. I like it for the leather tops of my Bean boots. Waterproofs and makes muddy clean up easier. Blessings TDP

twodollarpistol said:

Gentlemen I am new here and this is my first post. I recently got back into ML with my best buddy ( my grandson) and we went shooting for the first time this past weekend. When we unloaded at the range I found we had everything we needed EXCEPT my bore butter. I mean just dang, which leads to my first question from those who know. Has anybody ever used Sno-Seal for patch lube? I dond even know why my jar was in my camp box but thats what I found instead of my crisco, sooooo I just did what comes natural to an old red neck and improvised. Seems to have been a discovery tho as it worked fine for or first outing, I mean the barrel didnt melt or nuthin. Only fired 6 or 7 rounds as most of our time was spent on teaching safety and procedure instructions, and clean up went as expected. We would love to hear from anyone that has experience with it as well. Thanks abs blessings TDP

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If you feel creative, google "Stumpy's Moose Snot" and brew up a batch. It's easy to make and very effective. For a wet lube, there's spit, "Stumpy's Moose Juice," Winchester Sutler's "Moose Milk," or even 1 water : 6 Ballistol. All of these work well.

Maven said:

If you feel creative, google "Stumpy's Moose Snot" and brew up a batch. It's easy to make and very effective. For a wet lube, there's spit, "Stumpy's Moose Juice," Winchester Sutler's "Moose Milk," or even 1 water : 6 Ballistol. All of these work well.

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Now you just gotta know, I gonna check out Stumpys Moose Snot. Like I aint got nuthin else to do I gonna mess with moose snot Just kidding around, but I am going to check it out. Blessings TDP

twodollarpistol said:

I know, I havent seen it in stores for years but you can still get it from amazon. I like it for the leather tops of my Bean boots. Waterproofs and makes muddy clean up easier. Blessings TDP

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Our local ACE Hardware store has it here in Michigan.

Sno-seal would be way better than the bore butter [chapstick just scented]

They say:" necessity is the mother of invention". I always say: "desperation is the mother of substitution" welcome to the forum you can learn a lot from the people here who are always willing to share information.

At least you didn't fall back on something that would scandalize your grandson and you taught him, by example, to improvise. Well done, sir. Welcome back.

When you're finished using all the exotic patch lube recipes, consider making a batch of "dry" patches to compare. Dutch Schoulz made his renowned recipe using Ballistol to treat patches, allowing them to dry before use. I use a mix of 5 parts denatured alcohol to 1 part castor oil. The DA evaporates out, leaving behind a fine amount of castor oil distributed evenly within the patch fiber.
I had used a classic beeswax + tallow blend previously on patches, but the castor oil 'dry' patch wirks much better, producing much less fouling than anything else I've ever used. Accuracy is outstanding.