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What mini lube works best for U?

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Just checking with other shooters: What do you like best for 58 cal musket mini ball lube? I have always used something from Dixie, that is like Crisco. It works well, but would like to know what other musket shooters prefer?
Larry
 
I started out with late-U.S. Civil War 8 parts bees wax to 1 part tallow (I use mutton/sheep tallow). It is way too sticky and not a good lube, in my admittedly limited experience. I used it for the sake of authenticity, and because Texas is hotter'n blazes. I figured that the U.S. army campaigning in the Southern states adopted it for that reason.

These days, I get a pot of water, turn on the burner, and in an old coffee can I melt something that is much more like 3 parts mutton tallow and 1 part beeswax. My dog howls because he doesn't get to eat any... My wife howls because it smells good to the dog but not to her!

But I digress... I next do one of two things. either I put the bullets base down in a pie plate and judiciously pour the molten lube until it rises to the appropriate level of the grease grooves, wait a bit, and then poke the Minie/Burton balls out of the stuff, or, if I'm going to skirmish and I am in a hurry, I simply add my powder charge to the plastic tube re-usable cartridge, put the bullet nose down into the tube to seal it, and then dip the skirt into the lube. This puts a water-tight seal between the bullet and the tube. I have also made paper cartridges, including Enfield types in which the paper-patched bullet is dipped.
 
The champion muzzle loader from Norway had something close to a 50/50 mix of coconut oil and beeswax, with just a bit of olive oil. That's pretty much what I wax my moustache with!
 
I had been using pure Beeswax, and it's easy to melt up in a candle melter and easy to dip Minies in.

But running them back through the sizer is a pain because the Beeswax cakes up on the sizer and you have to get it off ev every few bullets because its literally, just hard wax.

I tried mixing in some Lanolin , but its a slippery slope because it needs to be "firm" enough for paper cartridges, not to run out and contaminate the powder.
 
Current winner is 60/40 beeswax lard on Hogdon Minies in my Parker Hall. Also experimenting with beeswax/Mobil1 with promising results.
 
I started using crisco, but you are a mess after shooting in the Texas heat.
Dave France suggests a 50/50 mix of Mobile 1 and beeswax. I used it for a while but ran out.
I forgot my lube while hunting and walked to the barn and got the grease gun. I used the red farm grease in it to lubed my balls.

I later shot my best groups ever...i contribute it to having well lubed balls... minie balls, that is. (I couldn't resist) ;)

Someone google SNL...SCHWETY BALLS... LOL.
 
What I found with Crisco- I was doing some deep diving on some forums regarding using Crisco and I came across a post that noted the accuracy fell off when Crisco changed the formula to cut down on blood mud (cholesterol). I decided to run a head to head test with lube made from lard and another with Crisco. Hands down, lard won every time. Crisco was good and better than many, but in my PH and musketoon, it's the difference between 2in groups at 50 and a ragged hole and sub 2moa at 100yd in both guns. Won't go back to Crisco after that. YMMV, you have to experiment. There are a lot of variables to play with.
 
I've used 50/50 bees wax and olive oil. I heat the mix in a shallow pan and dip the skirt of the minnie ball into it up to the lube grooves. pull it out and let it cool sitting on a metal surface. When shooting I jamb the minnie ball down the bore shaving off any extra hardened lube with the muzzle. It has seemed to work so far with my .58 caliber Buffalo Hunter ;)
 
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