My bear grease is lazy

[Sparkitoff]

Two years ago I got a Grizzly Bear in Alaska and rendered the fat, filtered well and filled jars. The grease is a consistent viscosity and color. I like the idea of using it, but my rifles don't. Slowly but surely, I tried lubing different patches with the bear grease. I finally have shot all of the rifles with bear greased patches. I've tried dipping patches in hot grease, rubbing it in with fingers, lying the patches in grease and letting them soak up. None of these rifles performed any better with the bear grease. I guess after reading some stuff I had high expectations that bear grease would shrink my groups. Some of the rifles like a spit patch, most like 7:1 water/cutting oil, and a few prefer a pre-lubed store -bought patch alleged to have mink oil. Is it a coincidence or bad luck that none of my rifles prefer the bear grease? In fact, none were "as accurate" as the lube I have them sighted in with. All of them had somewhat larger groups, from a little bit to all over the place. Is there a technique or something I am overlooking? Or do my rifles just prefer something else?

 

[Sparkitoff]

This is how I have it ….

 

[Grenadier1758]

Have you tried using a thicker patch? That might help with the grip of patch and ball to the rifling?

 

[Sparkitoff]

Have you tried using a thicker patch?

No, but I am willing to try. I used the same patch that I normally use with other lubes that matches each rifle. Ideally, I just wanted to use the bear grease and not change anything else, but I'll try it!

 

[Sparkitoff]

Same results with thicker patch. None of my rifles seem to like the bear grease! I had high hopes.....

 

[Sooty Scot]

Since it's so disappointing, I'll be happy to take it off your hands (said hopefully but not really expectantly).

I like it. it works for me - I even like the smell.
I picked some up a few years ago, but haven't seen any available for a while.
I'm unlikely to hunt a bear in the foreseeable future - if ever- so have to buy mine. I hoard it as if it was true whale oil.

 

[waksupi]

Your bear oil is saying to you, "Make cornbread and snickerdoodles with me!"

 

[ETipp]

Perhaps I missed it, but are you mixing it with anything else?

I have made some lube with real bear grease and real beeswax. Made it to a consistency I like. However, I have not tried it but only a couple times and out of one ML. I plan on doing so to find out.

For the meantime, I use Tracks Mink Oil. Works pretty good for shooting patches but is too thin for conical.

 

[Nav]

Other than the fact that a fall bear will be the fattest critter in the woods with the most renderable fat, what would be special or different than any other rendered animal fat? I know it’s kewl it comes from a bear, but practically speaking.

 

[ETipp]

Other than the fact that a fall bear will be the fattest critter in the woods with the most renderable fat, what would be special or different than any other rendered animal fat? I know it’s kewl it comes from a bear, but practically speaking.

In terms of some animal fat, they will go rancid over time. Bear grease does not.

I have not tested my mixture enough to from a conclusion in each specific ML I might want to lube the bear grease patches with. However, I am fairly confident that bear grease was popular back in the early days due to availably as much as anything else. They just didn't have much selection, if anything else to use.

 

[Nav]

That’s my suspicion as well. Not many wild animals are hyperphagic and make much renderable fat at all. Migratory birds come to mind.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Your bear oil is saying to you, "Make cornbread and snickerdoodles with me!"

Pie crust is where it shines.

 

[Nav]

I never get the $100 black bear tag when go go elk hunting, but I almost always get with sticking distance of a bear. I’m getting one this year (probably won’t see a bear with it in my pocket).

 

[ETipp]

I never get the $100 black bear tag when go go elk hunting, but I almost always get with sticking distance of a bear. I’m getting one this year (probably won’t see a bear with it in my pocket).

Ya just never know. In one state I used to live in out west, I always bought a bear tag just in case. Never saw a bear. One year I decided not to buy one. Well, one morning I was heading out for an elk hunt and I got the feeling that perhaps I should stop on the way and get a bear tag after all. Lo and behold, within an hour I got my first bear.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

When I got my first custom rifle, a TVM Rifled Fowler in .62, I stopped at an old timer's gun shop in the Adirondacks. I lamented that I had brought everything I needed to shoot the new rifle except lube. I asked if he had any TC Bore Butter. He exploded into a list of profanities too long to l list here (he was a friend, so he took it easy on me, I guess) and puttered and muttered around the back of his shop only to produce a small jam jar full of bear fat. "There," he cried, "that's the only thing that should go down that barrel! Not get out of here and don't ever ask me about Bore Butter again!!!" I did not. And never needed to. Shot great.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Frontier's]

Straight up bear grease, sucks, for accuracy and reloading. That's why my bear oil lubes are blended.

 

[Rob M.]

Welp .... Now ya know . Us too , thanks for the info .

 

[John Strong]

For me the bear grease works OK on my steel barrels, but it is outstanding when used with a wrought iron barrel that I have. I have no idea why.

 

[M. De Land]

Two years ago I got a Grizzly Bear in Alaska and rendered the fat, filtered well and filled jars. The grease is a consistent viscosity and color. I like the idea of using it, but my rifles don't. Slowly but surely, I tried lubing different patches with the bear grease. I finally have shot all of the rifles with bear greased patches. I've tried dipping patches in hot grease, rubbing it in with fingers, lying the patches in grease and letting them soak up. None of these rifles performed any better with the bear grease. I guess after reading some stuff I had high expectations that bear grease would shrink my groups. Some of the rifles like a spit patch, most like 7:1 water/cutting oil, and a few prefer a pre-lubed store -bought patch alleged to have mink oil. Is it a coincidence or bad luck that none of my rifles prefer the bear grease? In fact, none were "as accurate" as the lube I have them sighted in with. All of them had somewhat larger groups, from a little bit to all over the place. Is there a technique or something I am overlooking? Or do my rifles just prefer something else?

It doesn't look right as my bear grease is pure white and is grease not oil. Mine was rendered in a crock pot for 12 hours then strained through cheese cloth and was amber color until it solidifies in the jar then is pure white. Mine was from a very fat boar black bear of about 400 lbs.
I use it in place of Neatsfoot oil in my black powder lube recipe and it works very well. I use it for lead bullets but have not used it on any patches for round balls yet.

 

[Andrewmtnman]

It doesn't look right as my bear grease is pure white and is grease not oil. Mine was rendered in a crock pot for 12 hours then strained through cheese cloth and was amber color until it solidifies in the jar then is pure white. Mine was from a very fat boar black bear of about 400 lbs.
I use it in place of Neatsfoot oil in my black powder lube recipe and it works very well. I use it for lead bullets but have not used it on any patches for round balls yet.

My experience is that the color and consistency will change with its temperature. Mine looks just like yours when hot and also white when cold or “frozen”, and somewhere in the middle at room temp. Seems to be the most accurate lube I’ve used in my rifles with round ball