Was reading a post about using synthetic based greases for lubrication purposes and was wondering where to get some at a decent price. It occurred to me that grease is basically oil thickened with soap and that I had a bottle of fully synthetic motor oil that I use in the car and a block of soap I'd used for making a lube based on stiffened moly grease.
For my first attempt I used 40 grams each of 5W-30 oil and finely grated soap. After just an hour in the toaster oven at 120 degrees Centigrade the soap was fully dissolved in the oil and the result was a VERY smooth grease just a little bit thicker than regular axle grease. I added 20 gram of paraffin wax and back in the oven for another hour and I had what looked and felt like it should be a decent bullet lube.
Tried it out by smearing the lube into the grooves of some Lee .310-150s for the K31 and .308 and some .312-185s for the mosin. With loads in the 2000 - 2100fps range I got the same accuracy as with other lubes and the bore scope revealed only normal fouling. So success!!!!
Now before someone takes me to task for using engine oil, I fully realise that it contains more than just oil. There are emulsifiers, anti-ashing agents, detergents amongst other things, but the soap went into suspension in the oil at room temperature and stayed there. I didn't need to stir the mix at all except when I added the wax. There was no smoke or smell whilst it was cooking, which is a bonus. The lube flows easily under pressure and is just sticky enough to stay in the grooves.
I've got to to do a bit more playing with it to really make sure it can hold its own against other lubes but so far, so good.