Minie Sizing, Before or After Lubrication?

[Stantheman86]

I just buy Minies for 50 cents a piece from various sellers, I barely have time to shoot right now let alone cast since my job constantly mandates me .

I hot dip them in usually SPG or whatever I have left from previous lube purchases , using Pyrex custard bowls on a cheap candle wax melter hot plate.

I use a Harbor Freight arbor press I picked up for like 60 bucks and a wooden dowel, which easily pushes the lubed Minies through the sizer. Super easy. It takes longer to roll them into cartridges than to lube and size the Minies. I feel if I'm going through the effort to lube and size I might as well make cartridges and fill my cartridge box for a range day. You can get a .58 Jag that screws onto the rod for a quick wet / dry patch wipe but I have never not been able to fire a full 40 Round cartridge box full without wiping the bore, it's the whole reason Minies exist

I've gotten distracted with playing with Smoothbores because they're fun to shoot from close range to 100 yards and there's no lubing/sizing fuss.

 

[dave951]

I hot dip them in usually SPG or whatever I have left from previous lube purchases , using Pyrex custard bowls on a cheap candle wax melter hot plate.

You can get a .58 Jag that screws onto the rod for a quick wet / dry patch wipe but I have never not been able to fire a full 40 Round cartridge box full without wiping the bore, it's the whole reason Minies exist

And there's why. SPG isn't the best choice if you want to run without wiping. It also depends on what powder you're using.

If you would load cartridges N-SSA style, it'd go a lot faster.

 

[Erwan]

And there's why. SPG isn't the best choice if you want to run without wiping. It also depends on what powder you're using.

I never had tried the SPG grease with any Minié (with no more other bullets in fact), could you tell me if this one isn't a bit too hard for target shooting ?
Normally I use a mix of lanolin, tallow, bit of bee wax and neatsfoot oil and this is very soft and help save the bore clean (as possible), but with that grease it is imperative to grease just before shooting. What about the comportment of the SPG grease for target shooting ?

 

[hawkeye2]

I tried SPG for quite some time on minies and found it wasn't up to homemade beeswax based lubes that I have used. I've used SPG in blackpowder cartridge guns and it works well, just not on minies.

Erwan, your lube probably works very well but personally I would add more beeswax to stiffen it up so that I didn't have to lube each round before shooting.

 

[Erwan]

Erwan, your lube probably works very well but personally I would add more beeswax to stiffen it up so that I didn't have to lube each round before shooting.

You're right, lubricate at each shot isn't a viable solution, and I don't do exactly this way...
You maybe know that here in France all is regulated by the omnipotent MLAIC, so a complete game is fourteen shots in thirty minutes : one bullet (not imperative) is for the preparation of the barrel and the other thirteen are for the game etc. You know all that perfectly...
So, in fact, before the game (before the beginning) I grease all the bullets, and at the good time, I shot all them (as good can be the shooter), that's OK.
Problem : if I want for a reason or another to carry those greased bullets, I know that all the grease'll go anywhere or fall in the way : the grease is very soft but penetrating...
I had made some tests with a bit more of beeswax, but the result for shooting is not so good, what I do is pretty good for target shooting but absolutely not for hunting and I don't think that the better way could be the use of the SPG grease : that seems too hard for Minié bullets...

 

[barracudadave67]

A good minnie lube can be had at "Northeast Trade Co". Their "Old Trappers lube" MCM Bullet lube is good stuff. They are located in PA.
You can also get a gadget that John makes called an "inside/outside minnie luber". Its a small can with his gadget inside filled with lube. You load your minnies in the plastic tubes upside down, and push the inverted minnie down on the gadget, and it lubes the base of the minnies inside the base, and the lube grooves. Very easy to use/ lube. This all after sizing to your bore correctly.
Did I say MCM is good lube.

Dave

 

[Erwan]

You can also get a gadget that John makes called an "inside/outside minnie luber". Its a small can with his gadget inside filled with lube. You load your minnies in the plastic tubes upside down, and push the inverted minnie down on the gadget, and it lubes the base of the minnies inside the base, and the lube grooves. Very easy to use/ lube. This all after sizing to your bore correctly.
Did I say MCM is good lube.

That's a good system...
Actually, this is what I'm using for target shooting : https://shop.davide-pedersoli.com/e...087-1359-bullet-greaser.html#/153-caliber-445

 

[Stantheman86]

I have used SPG because I happen to have a bunch of it, my main complaint is that it's too "wet" , not firm like a more Beeswax based lube

I have used pure Beeswax, different brands, I've never had a problem shooting Minies right after the other for a full afternoon but I stick with .575s , I don't play with the whole sizing one .001 below bore diameter thing either. If they shoot a little less accurately but still within "historical spec" I'm happy with it

 

[hawkeye2]

Hey if it works for you and you're having fun go for it!

Actually I thought the SPG was a little on the firm side but that's just my opinion.

 

[dave951]

I've tried SPG in minies, but I think it's too hard and doesn't keep the fouling soft. Accuracy wasn't there either. MCM works well for some but in my testing it's not up to beeswax/lard/lanolin.