Best Lube For Patched Ball In T/C Hawken

[GBertolet]

I recently rediscovered my 45 cal 1970's T/C Hawken. I inquired in a previous post about the percussion caps, and I have since ordered 1K of mag caps, and a couple of pounds of 3F powder, to offset the hazmat charge. I have the maxi ball mold, and the .440 RB mold. I kind of like the traditional RB better. I had some patches from decades ago left, and was trying them. A prelubed .010 patch loaded easily, but tears and burns through upon firing. I had a few dry .020 patches, which were much more difficult to seat, but doable. I used Hoppe's BP solvent/lube on them. How does this rate as a patch lube? Maybe swabs the bore every shot?

I ultimately purchased several hundred .018 unlubed pillow ticking patches, which I think will be about right. Now for the lube. I hear some use Ballistol and water, 1 to 7 ratio. Soak the patches, lay them out flat and let dry. How does this rate? I do have some Ballistol. Or just use the Hoppe's BP lube/solvent on the patches. Is one method superior to another? With all this stay at home stuff, I have plenty of time to experiment, and go on the computer and ask questions.

[scattershot]

I use the T/C lube. You will probably get as many suggestions as there are member here, but the important thing to remember is to never use petroleum based lubes. They add to the fouling and are difficult to load after a few shots.

[Brassduck]

I've always used bore butter in my 54 lyman.

[Martin Luber]

+1 on wiping between shots with a soap and water solution soaked patch.

[Tasbay]

Olive oil

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I use Ox Yoke pre-lubed patches.

[Beerd]

Best loob?
spit.
..

[mooman76]

Spit patch is my favorite as long as it is shot right away before it dries out.

[dondiego]

Moose milk

[Regular Joe]

Hoppe's BP lube/solvent for me

[indian joe]

Moose milk

Moose milk shot a little damp beats all for target events or plinking - can shoot all day without swabbing between shots or fouling out and needing to clean.
Some guys are using MM or Ballistol mixes and drying the patches before using - yeah maybe that works - been there and done it and you much more likely to burn patches.

Hunting is a different deal - needs some kind of a greasy lube that wont bleed into the powder nor dry out in the bore. Dont matter if you can only shoot a few shots before a clean - bambi and bugs and their mates are long gone after a few anyways.

[RU shooter]

What I've come to realize about patch lube is especially if it's a shallow groove barrel . The wetter the lube the less you need to swab between shots or if at all . With stuff like bore butter or any kinda greasy or waxy stuff it just gets harder and harder to seat that ball until you swab it . Some don't mind having to swab after every so many shots , I'd rather shoot for just killing paper I use spit for hunting I use tracks mink oil .
.

[waksupi]

Moose milk shot a little damp beats all for target events or plinking - can shoot all day without swabbing between shots or fouling out and needing to clean.
Some guys are using MM or Ballistol mixes and drying the patches before using - yeah maybe that works - been there and done it and you much more likely to burn patches.

Hunting is a different deal - needs some kind of a greasy lube that wont bleed into the powder nor dry out in the bore. Dont matter if you can only shoot a few shots before a clean - bambi and bugs and their mates are long gone after a few anyways.

For hunting, a dried moose milk patch works fine for your first shot.

[Adam Helmer]

I recently rediscovered my 45 cal 1970's T/C Hawken. I inquired in a previous post about the percussion caps, and I have since ordered 1K of mag caps, and a couple of pounds of 3F powder, to offset the hazmat charge. I have the maxi ball mold, and the .440 RB mold. I kind of like the traditional RB better. I had some patches from decades ago left, and was trying them. A prelubed .010 patch loaded easily, but tears and burns through upon firing. I had a few dry .020 patches, which were much more difficult to seat, but doable. I used Hoppe's BP solvent/lube on them. How does this rate as a patch lube? Maybe swabs the bore every shot?

I ultimately purchased several hundred .018 unlubed pillow ticking patches, which I think will be about right. Now for the lube. I hear some use Ballistol and water, 1 to 7 ratio. Soak the patches, lay them out flat and let dry. How does this rate? I do have some Ballistol. Or just use the Hoppe's BP lube/solvent on the patches. Is one method superior to another? With all this stay at home stuff, I have plenty of time to experiment, and go on the computer and ask questions.

GBertolet,

Patch lube comes in many varieties. The simplest, and very serviceable, is Crisco, butter flavor is optional. I use my own Secret Hungarian Formula from my NH days which is beeswax, some Alox, and some Vasoline.

Spit is not worth much as it dries quickly and encourages rust in the breech. Bore Butter is good as is Spit Patch and other commercial patch lubes.

Adam

[Nobade]

RV antifreeze.

[kaiser]

+1 on Crisco; its works well for a patch lube, is cost effective, and has a multitude of other uses.

[Woodnbow]

Spit. Or Eezox.

[yeahbub]

GBertolet, you ask a very good question. There are numerous concoctions which work with varying degrees of success in the barrels of their owners, but you don't mention whether you are shooting right after loading or leaving it loaded for extended periods. Water-based lubes work great for shooting matches, with little need for in-between cleaning. I competed in local matches for some years and used spit, moose milk (synthetic water-soluble machining oil mixed with half the recommended water), Murphy's Oil Soap:water mixed 1:5 and a handful of commercial preparations. All worked well enough and kept me shooting without having to clean between shots. Hunting lubes are another matter, and I have yet to discover a non-water based lube which keeps loading easy. When I walked the hills defensing myself against hostile cow pies and dangerous dirt clods, osage oranges and knotholes in tree stumps, I needed a lube which I could leave in there without corroding the barrel. I've tried ballistol, which wasn't bad on target for three or four shouts, but loading got progressively difficult - which may not matter, since hunting doesn't usually involve shooting often. THE WORST I ever used was 1:1 Vaseline:beeswax. I could barely hit a house from the inside and it was very difficult to load even the second shot, yet some people report good results, though I don't understand how. Bore Butter works well enough accuracy-wise, but loading gets harder with just a few shots. By the fifth loading, I'm not interested in being that hard on my hickory loading rod, so I clean. I haven't tried olive oil, which some seem to like. One I'd like to try is bear oil which has never been available to me. It's the permanently liquid portion of rendered bear fat, referred to in historical writings as second only to sperm whale oil for repeated ease of loading. The last commercial availability of sperm whale oil was as automatic transmission fluid in the 1950's but is no longer available, at least not in the US - saving the planet and all that. I've often wondered if there wasn't a can of that still around on a dusty shelf somewhere, but it would probably be more valuable as a collector's item by now. I wonder if some rendered whale blubber could be bogarted from the Inuit, perchance. I'm in the lower 48, so it hasn't happened yet.

[koger]

This has got me to thinking, I have about 9 pints of bear grease I rendered down last fall off of one, I may just give that a trial.

[OverMax]

Seems to be many fair weather B/P shooters posting. As read the use of one patch lube through-out the seasons.~~ Really?
Not in the cards for me. I'll try everything once except for those stinky patch lubes laced with wintergreen. Ish!

Got no bear or deer tallow here. {dogs ate it as quick as it fell into their bowls.) Although I did rendered a small ham of its fat lately. Found such patching grease remarkably pleasing to the nostrils and noticed barrels fouling? >stayed soft. Although not the best for use in cold weather lard isn't.