Yet another question

[holsterguy]

Hi guys. Sorry for all the dumb questions, but I'm gettin ready to start shootin 44-40 in my Rossi 92 and Pietta with the holy black. After all, thats when they were designed, right? I here all this talk of moose milk. That's ballistol and water 50/50, right. What is it used for? Actual barrel cleaning, or after, or maybe before?
Thanks

[indian joe]

Hi guys. Sorry for all the dumb questions, but I'm gettin ready to start shootin 44-40 in my Rossi 92 and Pietta with the holy black. After all, thats when they were designed, right? I here all this talk of moose milk. That's ballistol and water 50/50, right. What is it used for? Actual barrel cleaning, or after, or maybe before?
Thanks

""Moose Milk"" covers a fair patch - for me its a mix of machinists cutting oil (soluble oil) that I use in my muzzle loaders as a patch lube - about 25% oil to 75% water (lots of guys use it thinner - 10%oil) I put some green vegetable dye in so it looks cool and maybe a touch of dishwash (mainly to keep the oil soluble.)
There is no better solvent for blackpowder residue than straight cold water (lots of it) what you are dealing with is salt that is hygroscopic and needs diluting and flushing out . When you clean the Rossi keep it upside down so nothing gets in the magazine tube - I use a flush bottle - a soda bottle that I fited a spout off of a tube of builders gap filla then has a short piece of plastic tube - ya put the tube in the chamber and squirt - then a pass with the brush then squirt - when the water runs clean at the muzzle - dry patch it then oil - the whole deal takes less than five minutes

[country gent]

I use the ballistol and water mix to clean between stages when shooting BPCR. its very good for this. Some muzzle loader shooters use it for patch lube also. My mix is 10 parts water to 1 part balistol. I have it in a spray bottle. I use it at the range and leave the bore wet on the trip home. Then when I get home I brush the bore with a little more and patch it dry. a few patches with shooters choice and light brushing then dry. Last is a patch impregnated with the bullet lube I'm using as a preservative for the bore.

[john.k]

I have lots of soluble machine oil of the dark sulfurized type with phenol smell to it......anyone used this for blackpowder. guns?

[indian joe]

I have lots of soluble machine oil of the dark sulfurized type with phenol smell to it......anyone used this for blackpowder. guns?

John I am using Mobil Solvac No 5 - the drum is probably 20 years old - inherited from an uncle along with his good lathe. My mix is 1:3 or 1:4 (most guys cut it thinner than that) - I think any decent bulk cutting (soluble) oil would work fine for patch lube. I started many moons ago with gear from Owen Guns at Gympie - the lube was some kind of green goo - lots of dishwash in it I think - I shot it straight from the bottle (didnt know any different - if I thinned it out it likely woulda worked!!!) could never shoot a string - 7 or 8 shots then they went wild. I got Sam Fadalas books and followed his tune on moose milk = no more problems. Have watched guys around me using all manner of fancy concoctions that cost a mint and none worked any better (if as good) - have read recently on one of the forums that if you let those "moose milk" lubed patches dry out they still shoot nice - have yet to try that but I will - it would get around the problem of wet patches damping the powder out. I dont muck around on the line - load and shoot - but if you load one a bit wet and then theres a delay you can get a half throttle shot. The dried patches would also make for a good experience hunting - better than foolin with grease out there in the scrub. I just use plain room temperature water for cleaning - tried hot - dont like it - flash rusting while I was getting the job sorted out. We (I am) lucky as to environment - inland - dry - low humidity - its easy to keep guns nice where I live - where you are is a whole nuther deal - much more diligence required!

[country gent]

Indian Joe, letting them "dry out' only the added water would evaporate leaving the lightly oiled patch and a very even coating of the oil also. The only thing you might loose is the water would work with the oil and salts to help form the "soap" that keeps the fouling soft. A strip roll of patch material soaked in the diluted oil wrung out over the container and then hung to dry would meke a very consistant lubed strip to cut from.

[indian joe]

Indian Joe, letting them "dry out' only the added water would evaporate leaving the lightly oiled patch and a very even coating of the oil also. The only thing you might loose is the water would work with the oil and salts to help form the "soap" that keeps the fouling soft. A strip roll of patch material soaked in the diluted oil wrung out over the container and then hung to dry would meke a very consistant lubed strip to cut from.

Yeah this is worth a try, for a hunting load specially! I like your idea of lubing the strip then cutting the patches - I always use a wad punch to make patches - dont have enough spare fingers to cut on the muzzle but the oiled cloth would cut so much nicer with a punch for sure.