Patch Lube?

[Claude Mathis]

What do you use to lube your patches?

 

[musketman]

I have a lot of T/C's wonder lube on hand from my brother's maxi-ball days. Free lube...

I used moose milk for many years, but I guess that's because sperm whale oil is taboo.

I use tallow and bee's wax now days.

 

[roundball]

I'm not a 100% purist yet, plus I like the convenience of commercially made, readily availabile, proven lubes.
All I've ever used in and on all my rifles is Natural Lube 1000...prelube wonderwads, shooting patches, and cleaning / lubing patches.

Not only is it reliable and readily available in many forms and pre-lubed products, it lets me shoot a 50 round session at the range without ever having to wipe / clean the bore...whether using Goex in flintlocks or Pyrodex in percussions, to me that's an outstanding side benefit of Natural Lube 1000.

If / when I cross the line and decide to plunge into a total 100% traditional recreation of precisely how things were done way back during a specific era, I'll do my homework and meet that challenge...but for now, I just enjoy all the shooting I do every weekend through the year, plus hunting every weekend when the seasons are open, and Natural Lube 1000 does everything I need a good BP lube to do.

 

[albert]

I guess you could say that I have went "full circle" on patch lube.I started off with a spit patch, many ,way too many years ago!I then went to using "Moose Milk", "Wonder Lube" ,"Homemade Wonder Lube",and a few others. I mainly shoot offhand and hunt.I like a "Spit Patch" because during hot summer shooting and just about any other time also,it isn't near as messy as the others.I have also found that my scores are just as good.

 

[tg]

Over the years I have used most evrything from spit to TC bore butter and have pretty much settled on a mix of bear oil /beeswax 60/40 or thereabouts and use it sparingly on the bore side of the patch, olive oil works as well as bear oil and I have a little of that mix on hand also.I clean with water or Murphys /alcoh. and lube the bore with plain old gun oil there again the bear oil or olive will work for that also I do not subscribe to the "treat you bore like a frying pan" school of thought.

 

[djnye]

right now i am using mink oil on an irish linen patch. i will be hunting in some very cold weather that could easily go below zero--way below--and was guided toward the animal oils in those circumstances.

daniel

 

[Bald Baron]

I've used Vaseline before in the tube. Never had any problems with a ball going in or out. Is there a reason not to use this petroleum?