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Thread: Which is better Suet fat or Muscle fat for bullet lube?

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub Rustynails's Avatar
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    Which is better Suet fat or Muscle fat for bullet lube?

    Is there a major difference in performance between tallow made from suet or that which is made from muscle fat? Anybody have any information on the performance difference?
    I do have black bear muscle fat sitting in my freezer, it's been there a long time, but it should be useful. I can't seem to find any large qualities of Mutton tallow for sale at a reasonable price. My other option was to buy lamb/mutton suet or muscle fat from local butchers, so which should I ask for...suet, muscle fat, or both?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master


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    Fat is fat regardless of location in the body. Suet is the customary term for beef fat. Everything else is "fat". Once in it's rendered state it's tallow or in the case of pork fat, lard. I have only used animal fat (lard) with beeswax for bullet lube for blackpowder.
    “Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”
    ― Mark Twain
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    I render all my bear fat down to a clear oil ,non rancid and works great in my application patch/barrel lube .Have not needed to try/use it for baking (YET) Ed

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Suet is good for making soap that leathers. It contains more of the fatty acid necessary for lathering. Other than that no difference for lubrication.
    QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES?

  5. #5
    Boolit Bub Rustynails's Avatar
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    Thanks to all. I will continue my search for kidney fat, suet, and render the bear fat down to see how it goes.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master rsrocket1's Avatar
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    Animal fat has about 42 mg sodium per ounce. Does that affect the corrosiveness in the barrels? As anyone not cleaned their barrels for a while using animal fat and wound up with a pitted bore?

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    Rendering the fat, melting it in a water bath should get the salt out. It takes multiple water changes and some strainng through cloth to clean up/purify the fat into tallow or lard. Well rendered tallow/lard should be salt free.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    The orig. lube recipe for BP lube for the Fed. gov. in 1873 called for bees wax, mutton tallow, Bayberry wax.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Me.I prefer the fat used in BLL!

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