Deer tallow lube

[archeryrob]

Who has made it and what experience did you have and recipes did you use?

I shot a really fat doe weeks back and just rendered down a bag of fat into tallow. I fried it all out and got about pint or so of tallow from this one deer with about 3/4 a iron skillet full of it. I might have had 3/4 a quart but spilled some all around the fire pit trying to pour it.

When it skimmed over I was reading 95° for the temp with a meat thermometer and inside was over 105 and liquid. At 85° is seemed softer than Emmerts lube and harder than Crisco. at 72° now it is just a bit softer than Emmerts lube is and you can get some grease on your finger, slightly dent it, but its not going to mold easy or spread. So I assume it would work as conical and patch lube plain, but might work better with a small bit of BW for their use. When using for BP revolvers I think its going to need a bit more of oil to thin it.

Rib, back and but fat rendered out just like bacon. The sacky visceral fat on the fish kind of turned dark and stayed full of oil until I kind of squeezed them with the fork on the side of the pan. Bonus the dog and cats now have a supply of small deer bacon on munch on. 8-)

So who has used it and what recipes did you use? Also, how many posts do you need before your avatar works, or shows?

[Omnivore]

It depends on what you intend to do with it/how you want to use it. SOme very good, standard black powder lubes are Gatofeo #1 (GF1) and SPG. They both use a significant amount of bee's wax. You can find thew recipe for Gateofeo #1 several places on the ihnternet, so I don't need to link it for you. GF1 calls for mutton tallow, but you can substitue with your deer tallow and it'll do as well. The only thing about the deer tallow is it might go rancid after some length of time, whereas the mutton tends to last for years.

If you want to spread it over the chambers in a revolver (which I happen to believe is almost worthless) then you'll want something softer, but other the GF1 recipe is about all I've used in several years.

They way I use GF1 is to melt it in a pan of water and then let it harden, which forms a sheet of uniform thickness, then punch it into lube pills. The pills can then be loaded directly over the powder, under the bullet in a revolver, or loaded into paper cartridges with a card between powder and lube. You could melt it and soak your shooting patches in it, for patched ball, but I choose to use the commercially lubed shooting patches. I also use the GF1 in a Lyman lube-sizer for filling the grease grooves in black powder bullets while sizing. It works at room temp without heat.

In very weather (below 20F or so), then you'll probably want something softer, but for most of the shooting you're going to do, just substitute the mutton for deer in the GF1 recipe and you'll get a decent BP lube. It'll be good for up to about 100F, or a little higher, before it starts to spread and leech into cartridge paper and such. Just don't leave it in a hot car in the sun in summertime.

SPG is the sort of "gold standard" in the BP competition shooting world, so look into how they use it, try it yourself, and you'll have a good baseline for comparison.

[Hellgate]

Who has made it and what experience did you have and recipes did you use?

I shot a really fat doe weeks back and just rendered down a bag of fat into tallow. I fried it all out and got about pint or so of tallow from this one deer with about 3/4 a iron skillet full of it. I might have had 3/4 a quart but spilled some all around the fire pit trying to pour it.

When it skimmed over I was reading 95° for the temp with a meat thermometer and inside was over 105 and liquid. At 85° is seemed softer than Emmerts lube and harder than Crisco. at 72° now it is just a bit softer than Emmerts lube is and you can get some grease on your finger, slightly dent it, but its not going to mold easy or spread. So I assume it would work as conical and patch lube plain, but might work better with a small bit of BW for their use. When using for BP revolvers I think its going to need a bit more of oil to thin it.

Rib, back and but fat rendered out just like bacon. The sacky visceral fat on the fish kind of turned dark and stayed full of oil until I kind of squeezed them with the fork on the side of the pan. Bonus the dog and cats now have a supply of small deer bacon on munch on. 8-)

So who has used it and what recipes did you use? Also, how many posts do you need before your avatar works, or shows?
----------------------------

I've rendered deer tallow ever since my brother shot a big fat barren doe. The formula I currently use is 50/50 tallow/beeswax. Equal volumes of each. I use it as a general lube for my 357 & 45/70 rifle black powder and smokeless loads using my Lyman lubrisizer. I also lube my cap & ball revolver wads with the 50/50 mix. I do not get sweating of oil out of the lube upon standing. I keep both the tallow and spare lube in the freezer wrapped in the foil I use to line the muffin tins where I pour it in to make ingots. Otherwise I use it to smear it into the lube grooves of my 58cal Minnie balls. We have since killed two fat bucks that I saved the back and kidney fat. I assume you rendered the tallow when your wife was out of town. :-)

[archeryrob]

I assume you rendered the tallow when your wife was out of town. :-)

I rendered it on the grill side burner outside and still got comments about the stink. 8-) The dog didn't mind at all and knew it was "her" deer. She's my waterfowl dog and I've been teaching her to track deer also in case one gets wounded. She stood so close she has splatter on her head and neck.

50/50 seems awfully high for pan lube to me as this seems very stiff at room temp. I did 50/40/10 with BW/Crisco/oil with the crisco and oil being was softer and that is pretty hard at room temperature.

I have kept bacon grease for years on the counter, but I know that is made with cure also, but I am going to try with this and see how it works out and lasts. I will keep the majority in the fridge/freezer and some raw and mixed lube out on top of the gun safe and see how they last/work over time.

[Hellgate]

Whatever you do, don't let your sweet dog get into a bunch of fat or oil (including drippings, steak trimmings, roast beef trimmings, etc.). I am a veterinarian and may have paid for my kid's college with people's table scraps. The fat intake can cause pancreatitis and can give the dog anything from a mild bellyache to severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, shock, and death (in severe cases). I've never seen a dog get sick on bread or dinner rolls but the butter and gravy is what makes them sick. Sorry for the off topic rant.

[archeryrob]

Even just small pieces here and there? I figured on feeding this to her and the cats over two months or so. I typically save stuff like Goose legs to cook for her as they are not very palatable and tougher, but they are all meat.

[Hellgate]

Small bits here & there are OK as long as it doesn't lead to obesity (which is whole nother rant).
;-)

[swathdiver]

Why do today's dogs seem unable to handle natural foods? That's about all they'd been eating since the garden to around WW2.

[archeryrob]

We had the Obesity problem, being she's a lab, but fixed that with reduced food and the green been diet to make her "feel" full. Last one only eat when hungry, this one would eat the cheese wrapper if you dropped it. This dog was feed from a group bowl and last dog had separate bowls for the puppies, so makes me wonder if I should be more selective in how the breeder feeds the pups??

We still give her a heaping half cup morning and night and some beans plus exercise with dummies. She gets scraps, but light on starches and heavier on protiens. Plus an fried egg every time we have one. We've some this for years on this and the previous dog and it seems to really help their coat.

I get my A$$ handed to me on Waterfowl sites as I think the field trials is ruining lab breeding. They are put through harsh physical training and then breed to be even more hyper to do it faster for the trials. I'm seeing so many more CCL and ACL tears then I ever saw in hunting dogs as a kid as they are pushed so darn hard. They just don't do thier job in hunting any more, they have to be Olympic athletes now.

[archeryrob]

----------------------------
I also lube my cap & ball revolver wads with the 50/50 mix.

Is that 50/50 with BW still?I would think you would want oil to thin it to be a cap and ball lube for over the cylinders. With Beeswax you'd never be able to finger spread it.

[Hellgate]

Swathdiver, I think even ancient dogs got pancreatitis too. They just called it food poisoning or something else.

Archery bob, the 50/50 mix is for the Wanda under the ball. For over ball lube I use just about everything: Goop, automotive bearing grease, olive oil, Wonder Lube, Crisco, etc.

[rfd]

most any tallow makes for good trad muzzleloader patch lube. however, mutton tallow won't spoil like the rest will, and why i use it exclusively.

dogs, dog food and tallow ... "modern" dogs are very Very VERY remotely related to their wolf ancestors. wolves eat and need meat. they need veggies and get that from the stomach contents of their kills. modern dogs need meat, not grains or veggies or just plain tallow. dogs know they want to eat raw meat, but more than some have digestive tracts that just can't abide the raw, thanx to "modern" genetic cross breeding, and need to have their meat cooked (just as they've been fed cooked table scraps for millenniums). feeding dogs "kibble krap" is the most unkind thing one can do to the wonderful dog - avoid dry "dog food" as much as possible. try do the right thing for your companion dogs.

[archeryrob]

I am starting back on this again. I pulled the deer tallow out at room temp and its way too hard. Might be hard enough to pan lube Lee REAL's, but might even be a bit stiff for rubbing dry patches on.

I want to make bore butter and will mix oil with it until I can make it squeezable. Anyone tried this?

I will try heating some and dipping pillow ticking directly and see if it's too soft. Then maybe adding BW and seeing what is best.

I get so many conflicting information on Google searches. It obiously needs oil to be thinned. Some say veggy oil will cause fouling and use mink or mineral. Other say veggie is OK. Some say add BW and it stiff enough to be rub lube in a Jap tin on felt wads or ticking patches.

[rodwha]

Were it me I'd use the tallow you have in place of the mutton tallow used in the lube recipe known as Gatofeo's #1 lube which is a recipe for outside lubricated bullets from the late 1800's. By weight it is 1 part tallow, 1 part paraffin wax (Gulf Wax), and 1/2 part beeswax. I use it on felt wads, my pistol bullets, and Lee REALs. I'm also told it works great as a lube cookie that does not contaminate the powder and as a patch lube.

My concern would be whether or not venison tallow becomes rancid. Mutton tallow does not for whatever reason. But some does.

[archeryrob]

It has a smell, but that is just deer fat. Its been in the refrigerator 10 months and isn't bad.

Are you pan lubing? I used Emmert's lube and it clogged the gun up by the third shot.

[swamp]

My 2 cents. I render all kinds of fat. I do it at low temp and filter it thru a paper towel. I have never had any go rancid. It is the bits of not fat that seem to make it go rancid. I started with 50/50 BW/ tallow and thinned it till I got what I wanted hardness wise. I also use my fats for soap making so I want it clean.

swamp

[rodwha]

Keeping it at room temp will tell you. Mine (tallow and lube) sit in my closet and have been there for maybe 5 years or so.

I pan lube wads but not bullets (yet). I had made so much I poured the excess into a soap mold and cut that into six blocks and lube bullets like a crayon. For a while this was interesting. Now it's just tedious if I do enough.

[webfoot10]

Hi Guys: I guess I have to give you a lesson on how to render venison tallow. Don't melt it
in a frying pan. Put all your scraps in a large pot. I use a clamboil pot as it is the largest I
can find. By scrap I mean all your waste trimmings including the bones in the pot. Cover
with water and let it boil. Then turn it down and let it simmer for eight to ten hours or over
night. Won't stink any worse then making a venison stew. In the morning turn it off and let
the pot cool. When cool there will be a top layer of grease on water, Scrape this off into an
aluminum pot. Then reheat the pot for another go a round. Keep boiling/simmering till you
don't get any more grease out of the scraps. I dump my boiled scraps on the beach by my
house, the seagulls go crazy over them. Now take the grease that you skimmed off the boil
pot and heat it till the grease melts and any water is evaporated out. Then take a aluminum
pot and put a piece of screen door screen on the top of the pot and two or three pieces of
gauze over the screen. With the grease nice and hot pour it through the gauze and screen
into the pot. The gauze and screen will separate the meat scraps and un wanted junk from the
grease. What you will have is a soft white grease. This can be used for a patch lube or for boot
dressing. To make a bullet lube mix the tallow 50/50 with beeswax. It should be a semi-hard
consistency. If too hard, melt and add some olive oil to the mix till it is to your liking. Store
the finished lube in small aluminum baking pans as they stack well. I recommend the use
of aluminum pans because if stored in tin containers, they will sweat and rust the tin can
containers and discolor the grease. (been there done that).. You can mix carnauba wax
from the wax coating on some cheeses into the mix to help with the lubing chores, won't
hurt a thing. If anyone has any questions, just either post here or send a PM.
webfoot10

[archeryrob]

How does everyone store their deer tallow? I rendered a bunch and had some sitting around two years. Just wondering if it needs to breath or can wrap in cellophane and store in a sealed box? I've made abunch of lubed wads for REAL bullets and 44 call pistols and might make some candles as I just have way too much for just bullets.

[Hellgate]

How does everyone store their deer tallow? I rendered a bunch and had some sitting around two years. Just wondering if it needs to breath or can wrap in cellophane and store in a sealed box? I've made abunch of lubed wads for REAL bullets and 44 call pistols and might make some candles as I just have way too much for just bullets.

Mine is wrapped in foil inside ziplock plastic bags in the freezer.

[archeryrob]

That seems a bit much as I've had mine sitting in a tupperware container in the basement for two years. I just was worried abut having to too tightly sealed or sticking and getting dirty.

The only mix I have trouble with was one one I tried oil in and it started sweating oil after 6 months to a year.

[Hellgate]

I blend 50/50 beeswax and tallow for my smokeless and black powder bullet lube. It does not sweat and is very stable. I also store the BW/tallow lube in the freezer.

[mazo kid]

Here's a question for ya...I have rendered deer fat and it came out as a thin paste consistency. A friend gave me 2 jars of rendered bear fat and that was like a heavy oil. Does heat/length of time play a role in what you get when rendering?

[archeryrob]

When I render deer it is done on low heat and cooked like bacon. Too high and you kind of burn it and its brown. On low heat it is an amber color and dries to a white beige and is hard. It is not like crisco or lard. It is more like a soft beeswax you can push thumb dent into. like lard with wax in it. Probably where the waxy feeling eating it comes from and why we cut every stitch out we can processing.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I called mine VT3BW that way I didn't forget my ratio 3 parts venison tallow 1 part Bees wax
I had a very fat doe several years ago 10-12 years now that I think bout it and made a bunch and just ran out 2 years ago.

I would put it in a cast iron skillet and heat it with the lid on cook it high enough to melt but low enough not to scorch it .

I would tilt the pan and spoon it off like bacon grease into another pan with a double boiler from goodwill then once I had melted my bees wax in I put it in cleaned out used butter tubs.

it worked I didn't use it to run any great accuracy tests , I honestly used more of it on leather and my hands than I did on patches or conicals

it eventually turned rancid but it took several years.

not having any tallow I just bought a tub of wonder lube a few years ago it works about the same on conicals a little softer than my VT3BW