Beef tallow and beeswax lube??

[fowlmouth]

This is my first time making my own patch/wad lube. I see alot of people using a mixture of 2/3 lamb tallow to 1/3 beeswax. Lamb tallow seems to be a little hard to come by larger quantities that is cost effective. Beef tallow, on the other hand, seems to be cheaper and easier to come by.

Has anyone ever tried using beef tallow Instead of lambs tallow, and mixing with beeswax for lube?

 

[Black Hand]

Not all tallow is created equal. Sheep tallow is soft while beef tallow is harder and more waxy.

 

[fowlmouth]

Not all tallow is created equal. Sheep tallow is soft while beef tallow is harder and more waxy.

Should it be used without mixing in the beeswax? Or not at all in your opinion?

 

[Black Hand]

I've never used beef tallow as lube. I suspect someone has tried and perhaps they will provide input.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I have used beef tallow with beeswax and olive oil.
It works fine.

B.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

I’ve used mutton’s tallow and bee’s wax for lubing revolver wads and it was just splendid how easy the fouling was to remove from the barrel. Not sure about tallow from beeves.

 

[fowlmouth]

I have used beef tallow with beeswax and olive oil.
It works fine.

B.

You don’t remember the approximate ratio on that do you?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Not all the fat on sheep or beef is the same. The suet, the raw fat from around the kidneys on a cow or a sheep is much harder than say the fat from the abdominal area. The suet is preferred for things like salami. for use in boiled pudding, and for making blackball shoe dressing. (In fact the raw suet is the only fat that will work in a boiled pudding. The reason is the hardness and high melt point.)

Rendered beef fat from other fat areas on the cow has a lower melting point, and will work with the beeswax. I prefer unsalted lard from the grocery store IF I'm going to use an animal fat, but I use very cheap olive oil, which really isn't good for eating, with the beeswax on a regular basis.

LD

 

[Gene L]

Why beeswax? Does it make the fat hold together or what? I've used grease from lard to lanolin but never mixed in beeswax. Am I missing something.

 

[Kansas Jake]

In my experience the beeswax makes the lube more solid and less prone to melt in hot weather.

 

[Gene L]

Hmmm...the melting point of beef fat is 130-140 F. It should be pretty stable in almost all situations without the beeswax, so perhaps there's another reason for the wax.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I have used beef tallow with beeswax and olive oil.
It works fine.

B.

You don’t remember the approximate ratio on that do you?

I don't sorry. I just melt and mix until happy

 

[fowlmouth]

Hmmm...the melting point of beef fat is 130-140 F. It should be pretty stable in almost all situations without the beeswax, so perhaps there's another reason for the wax.

I may try in by itself and see how well it works.

 

[Crewdawg445]

I've got a wonderful patch lube recipe for ya! SPIT!

Everyone is always trying to re-create the wheel and the wheel already rolls.

Save the beef tallow for pemmican, yummy stuff!

No need for a concoction, warm weather spit, cold weather mink tallow. :thumbsup:

 

[fowlmouth]

I do like the mink tallow from Track. It is just quite a bit more expensive than making lube.. Spit is free tho I guess. Haha

 

[TS12]

I've been using a mix of beef tallow (home rendered), beeswax (from an arts and crafts store) and olive oil for years. I use a ratio of 45/45/10 which works in the temperatures I usually go shooting and keeps for ages in the kitchen refrigerator.

 

[hanshi]

I haven't found a hunting lube that beats TOW mink oil; Hoppes is equally good for the range.

 

[bud in pa]

I use a 50/50 mixture of beef tallow and bees wax in my smoothie, works for me.

 

[rafterob]

"melt" may not be the best term. Soften is more appropriate. Beeswax will keep another fat from softening to the point where it is messy to deal with as a lube. Many folks adjust the amount of beeswax in the ratio depending on the time of year and ambient temperatures. The less wax you can get by with the better. My experience has been with lots of shooting the fouling buildup gets sticky when wax is introduced.

 

[Enfieldguy]

I use a 8:1 mutton tallow/beeswax blend. I got the ratio from period Ordnance manuals. I also use it for my combustible revolver cartridges and my .38LC and .44 Colt heeled loads. For my .550" Pritchett rounds for the Enfield I use straight beeswax. Again as per period Ordnance writings.