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Possible Wonder Lube Problem

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Well guys, I have started spit patching. Cut at the muzzle. My groups have shrank considerably! And cleaning is no problem now. At all. Oddly I get about 7 shots before accuracy deteriorates and I have to patch it out and I’m back to shooting little groups. Now it just needs to take a deer in about three weeks :D
 
And I say “oddly” because I assumed it would require patching before at least every two shots.
Test every hunting load combination for at least two reloads without ‘patching’. Find I always ‘patch’ or clean bore when hunting, but if I found the need, I know I can reload without doing it.
 
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I've had the same brown crud with Wonder Lube. I don't know if it's a real problem or not. What ever it is, it makes me nervous so I don't use it. I may be wrong but I don't trust anything that says I don't have to clean my rifle after shooting it except for long term storage. Patches saturated with Crisco let me shoot as many shots as Wonder Lube. I clean like my ancestors did it and give the bore a good swabbing with Rig and don't have to worry about it.
 
I have used purple Scotchbrite to smooth up these slightly rough bores, once the Scotchbrite is at the breach I work it in 6" strokes back up to the muzzle. It will also pull all kinds of crud with it. I make a little patch of it that fits pretty tight in the bore with my jag.

I thoroughly agree with the above posters that a good home made lube, and there are many, is the way to fly. For target/ range work I use ballistol/water, and for hunting work I use the mink oil or similar type patch lubes. I also use modern preservatives for storage, I just clean them out with de-natured alcohol before shooting.
 
Golly, I may not be the smartest cookie, however, the old dead guys seem to have had all this figured out.

They did this with all natural products! Not stuff from 1969 on!

Bee wax was on hand.

Whale oil was available.

Tallow was very obtainable.

Pig, beef or sheep grease was on hand as was deer fat, elk fat and prolly best of all ... BEAR GREASE!

Of these, a combo of a couple of these together and mixed with the help of heat WILL AND DO do the job needed to preserve and protect a vast investment to a person on the frontier with meager means.

Warm or hot water along with a bristle brush and patch's did a proper cleaning job for them AND we still have weapons now from that era that are pristine ... not a rust bucket. Probably a fluke.

Do not mean to be snarky ... but ... come now ... this is way simple and easy. Nothing new has transpired except improvements in metallurgy and stronger steel. Same stuff can and will lube it, AND clean it.

This aint rocket science!!!
 
I thought precut patches were old hat. I thought serious shooters ALL cut the patch at the muzzle.
Seems to me too much of a hassle to get the patch perfectly centered.

According to Ned Roberts about all the wads and patches were cut from old hats. They must have wore out a lot of hats in those days!
 
I always figured if you can't center the ball on the patch at the muzzle, What chance have you got at centering the ball on the target at 25 yards or more ?

Has any one done any real research on how much an off center pre-cut patch effects accuracy? One of these days when I get all caught up I'll dig in to it.
 
I've never seen where it makes much difference if a patch is exactly centered with the bore...other than making the shooter feel good about the practice. I've played around a lot through the years with different patch arrangements, and never seen any real difference other than the thickness and toughness of the weave. I've watched some of the best shooters I've seen using square patches they whacked out with a pair of scissors. I still cut my own round patches, but I really don't think it makes much difference within reason.
 

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