Purpose of Lube on the conical

[Tumblernotch]

:haha:
The Crisco experience in a Zouave made me crazy.
I lubed the bases and the results were a seam of coal that had to be chipped out of the breech and from under the nipple.
What a mess!

You should only put the grease in the grooves. A lot of people over-lube, just as they put too much water or solvent on a cleaning patch. They end up with a lot of gunk and goo in thar that Gets pushed into the breech when they load. Also, the lube for the Minie should be an 8/2 mix of beeswax and tallow (or Crisco). Then there's no mess.

 

[nkbj]

A dinky little bit of LOOB in the base is good, helping to keep the fouling soft and helping to keep loading without cleaning. No different from a lube cookie in a black powder cartridge. But it doesn't take much. And one load too many without cleaning and I'm looking for the three foot long brass hammer.

 

[AZbpBurner]

As you know, everyone has their own favorite lube formulas, and their particular mix is superior to everyone elses'.

With that in mind, lube on a conical is simply an excuse for poor shooting, independent of a shooter's actual skill level, as in: "I'm using a different lube formula today, and it won't group worth squirt ..."

 

[Mike 56]

Don't do like I did when I first got my Zouave. Took it out that hot July and lubed the minies with Crisco as some writer or other suggested, including the bases. After a couple of shots and a hot barrel, I started getting slight hangfires. That lube was getting a bit too runny. Started just lubing the outside and it settled back down.

That's the other side the the whole lube issue Lard, Crisco, tallow can work fine in cold weather in hot weather they may need a little help. Adding as little as 15% bees wax for a carrier makes a big difference. You could add a dry wad or 20gr by volume corn meal. You can do one or some of these things to protect your powder. In the past i have put a folded patch on top of my powder charge with a PRB lubed with Hopes. I shot the rifle two weeks later it shot fine. With a little range time you find a combination that works for you. A basic starting point for pan lubing bullets for blackpowder cartridges is 50/50 bees wax and olive oil. I lave never tried it on a hollow base bullet but it might work.

 

[crockett]

Well as Dan said- prevent lead fouling; in a modern pistol bullet the lube is to reduce lead fouling and I suspect that may be the primary purpose in a muzzle loading conical- which means CRISCO might not be best- you need a quality lube. The patched round ball of course eliminates the whole issue of lead fouling, so generally, it is best to use historic methods with historic arms, although I myself shoot conicals once in a while.