patch lube

[30calflash]

Hello, I've a chance to go M/L hunting on some private land. It came up suddenly and I found I'm out of my usual lube, bore butter.

If I substitute with something else will I find a difference in POI with a different lube?

Any thoughts and past experiences are appreciated.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

depends. Water/alcohol lubes for example i find to shoot a bit differently than waxy lubes.

What do you plan on using?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Bore Butter is something like this:
≈70% Crisco,
≈20% Olive oil,
the remainder is Bees Wax

You could make your own?
or just use Crisco straight.
either way, POI shouldn't change any noticeable amount.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

bore butter is none of those things you listed.

[Buzzard II]

Crisco should get you by for now. You could make your own lube from recipes listed here under casting and reloading-lubing. Good hunting!
Bob

[cub45]

Neatsfoot oil is all you need.

[Edward]

I use Gateo#1(ugly cat) look it up on search top left corner ,but in cold I hunt in I go with bear oil works great and the bear no longer cares/Ed

[30calflash]

Thanks for the quick response, I've got Crisco and will likely try that. Might have neatsfoot oil gotta look.

Bore butter always worked well for me in the past, it's my go to because it's worked so well. I've seen some recipes for DIY but I've not been shooting much BP lately.

[rfd]

lotsa viable choices for patch lubes, but hopefully you can do the testing that needs to be done before you venture out on a hunt. and yeah, lotta things can change when you change any load component. good luck.

[RU shooter]

To the OP if my final try out of tracks mink oil lube tomorrow don't yield better results for me you can have the can for the price of shipping .

[Tom W.]

Crisco does great. SnowSeal is good too.

[dondiego]

They sell bore butter at most outdoor stores.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

bore butter is none of those things you listed.

If my statement is wrong, I'd sure like to hear the rest of the story.

[quilbilly]

Make sure it is unsalted Crisco! I believe butter flavor Crisco has some salt in it (good for cookies, however).

[jdfoxinc]

Note butter is bees wax and olive oil.

[arcticap]

If my statement is wrong, I'd sure like to hear the rest of the story.

Bore Butter is basically mineral oil mixed with micronized paraffin waxes.
The scent of wintergreen is then added to it along with yellow dye.

Mineral oil is one of the main ingredients of Ballistol.
Mineral oil is also related to petroleum jelly although it's not identical.
Some C&B revolver shooters do use petroleum jelly as a lube in place of Bore Butter over the balls, but don't use very much.
They are both safe to use as a black powder lube.

Here is an essay written by a person who claims to be familiar with the invention of Bore Butter and outlines the history of some different patch lubes.
One quote near the end of the article:
"Then their was Uncle Mike's Apple Green patch lube. Another paraffin wax/mineral oil lube with methylsalicin in it."--->>> https://user.xmission.com/~drudy/his.../msg00973.html

[curioushooter]

I can't even get T/C Bore butter to be consistent without a couple fowling shots. First shot a foot high, second 6", then the third onwards are on point.

Water based lubes (in my case, saliva) have been far more consistent for me on the first shot (which is what matters for hunting) but you cannot leave a barrel that way without it rusting in my climate. Even clean barrels will rust if you don't leave some sort of grease or wax in them. This isn't a problem for me with smokeless it seems (thank goodness).

So far I have found no corrosion preventing patch lube or rust preventer that can left in the bore and expect good first shot accuracy. A fowling shot has always been necessary, so I shoot my muzzloader the night before I go hunting, and I shoot it again every night if I continue hunting and don't take a shot that day. I clean it all up at the end of the season and swab it with Bore Butter then have to bust it out again a week or two before the season begins (which is always during firearms season in Indiana) to make sure it is right.

Since I have about 250 LBS of beef tallow I was going to try mixing it was a lubricious vegetable oil (like Peanut or Castor) to see if it would be a workable cold weather patch lube. It is fine in hot weather, but becomes too hard at around 40 degrees to use.

Track of the Wolf says Mink Tallow (not shoe polish) is the ideal cold weather patch lube. And they sell the stuff.

Formerly Sperm Whale Oil and Bear Oil were used, and were reputed to be superior all-weather rust-preventing consistent accuracy patch lubes, but good luck finding them.

[30calflash]

I'll use Crisco for a patch lube for now.

Bore butter was used w/ beeswax on Minies in N-SSA years back. Minimal fouling during a shoot, even near close to 100 rounds a few times. Easy to load HB minies, used Crisco in the HB at the time also. Wanted to run it as a patch lube due to it's performance for me in the past. Also not wanting anything in there that can rust as curious stated.

There's always something that has worked well for us in the past that we like to stick with, even if something newer or old school is available. Being an old guy I don't like to change unless necessary.

Tx for the advice and offers. 30CF.

[arcticap]

I can't even get T/C Bore butter to be consistent without a couple fowling shots. First shot a foot high, second 6", then the third onwards are on point.

Yes, that's a pattern with some guns and many folks need to take a fouling shot before hunting or competition.

One popular patch lube that many folks have said works for them especially in colder weather is
Hoppes Number 9 Black Powder Solvent & Patch Lube.--->>> https://www.amazon.com/Hoppes-Powder.../dp/B000PW20XS

Its formula may have been changed more than once, but some folks are still using it.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

if bore butter is crisco and beeswax, show me the MSDS where it states whats in it.