A lube question

[dubber123]

I finally got around to making some of my own lube. I used 1/2 pound of beeswax, 1/4 pound of Mobil1 synthetic motor oil, and 1/2 OUNCE of Ivory soap. It blended well, and didn't seperate when cooling. Goes through a lubrisizer GREAT! I first tried it in a 625 S&W with 230 gr 452374's at about 825 fps. Shot well offhand, and a clean bore. Today I tried a harder test of it, 20 grains of 2400 with a 429421 plain base in a .44 magnum, my 4" Mountain Gun. The bore was shiny clean until the last inch or so towards the muzzle, where it had a light gray wash look to it. Less than 10 seconds with a fairly loose bronze brush and it was spotless. 20 grs is hotter than I normally would shoot with a plainbase, but I wanted to push it. My question is, why the leading towards the muzzle? It's an older mould with the big square lube groove, so I would think it should carry enough lube. The boolits were about 14 BHN, not really hard. Is it the velocity just reaching the leading point 3/4 of the way up the bore? Interested in any suggestions. Thanks.

[454PB]

It's probably nothing to worry about if it doesn't affect accuracy. My guess would be that you're running out of lube. Does it do the same with other lubes? 429421 has a generous lube groove.

[dubber123]

454, thats the biggest problem with this "test", I haven't pushed this boolit past 19 grains with my other lube, which is LBT Blue Soft. I should load up a batch with 19 grains and see. I wish I had some cast for my .475, as it is my worst gun for leading, and thats the one I should be testing. That one will leave a gray wash in most of the bore, but it doesn't seem to affect accuracy, so I don't worry about it. I hope this stuff works, it's Cheeeep!, and super easy to lube with. Thanks for the reply.

[felix]

Add two ounces of anhydrous lanolin, making the lube a felix version. That should get you over the hump with the same load. If it does not, holler back for another additive. Never lube more than you have to to maintain accuracy over the day's outing. Melt your existing lube to about 140 degrees, and then add the lanolin lump quickly so the temp will go down to about 125 during final stirring. Before shooting, stroke the barrel with your solvent, in this case your Mobil 1. Dry with ONE paper towel patch wrapped around your brush, taking up all puddles and nothing more. ... felix

[dubber123]

Thanks Felix, are you saying I may get a lube buildup if the capacity of the lube grooves is significantly more than needed? Is the Lanolin a drugstore item?

[felix]

Lanolin is a viscosity enhancer, obtained from drug stores in any cosmetic/medical department. A little goes a long way. Too much viscosity, the grooves start to fill up. That is actually worse than a slight leading wash which does not increase as the day goes on. Always fill the grooves completely is my technique, and then modify the lube to be commensurate. You can accomplish the same thing by not lubing some of the grooves in a multi-groove boolit design. However, a scattered groove fill approach can work great. For example, in a well balanced boolit like the long Loverin designs, lubing the topmost groove, and then some of the lower grooves should give the best performance in cold weather when too much lube is really too much for many shots. ... felix

[dubber123]

Felix, will the 2 ounces of Lanolin make this 3/4 pound batch appreciably thinner? It's pretty soft now, I wouldn't want to go much thinner. Is the 2 ounces in your formula by liquid, or weight? Thanks.

[felix]

I used your measures, so by weight. Anhydrous lanolin only, so be careful about lanolin selection. Consistency should be about same. ... felix

[Mayhaw2]

Hello Gang, I know there is lots of Cast Boolit Lube out there, from home made to
commercial lubes, I shoot bullseye here with my own cast boolits on a average 750
to 800 fps using RCBS and Lyman lube. Wonder what Lube is a very good lube and is
not sticky and will stay in the lube Grooves and don't get all over the place.
mayhaw2

[Dale53]

The physical properties of Lars "Red Carnauba" bullet lube should suit your requirements to a "T". You will probably have to add a little heat when lubing (I do). My basement is just a bit cooler than "room temperature" and RC works just fine with my Lyman luber heater set (with a rheostat) to just warm the base of the luber. It flows well when lubing, quickly hardens to a non-sticky consistency, and is working well.

A real bonus is that it is very reasonable in cost:

http://www.lsstuff.com/index.html

I have made my own lube for years (Emmert's Home Mix and NRA 50/50 Alox/Beeswax) but no more. I am now a "Lars Man":-D.

Dale53