Lube, with graphite

[thebigmac]

I ACQUIRED 18+ LBS OF LUBE USED BY A COMMERCIAL RELOADER. HE SAID IT WAS NRA'S RECIPE WITH ADDED GRAPHITE. I ALSO KNOW HE USED QUITE A LOT OF IT OVER THE YEARS. QUESTION: DOESN'T GRAPHITE CAUSE EXTRA WEAR ON THE BARREL? IS IT SAFE TO US? I HATE TO THROW IT OUT, BUT......NEED ADVICE...
THANKS, Mac

[sargenv]

Um.. I'm curious why graphite would cause barrel wear? It's just a form of carbon and I thought it acted as a lubricant? Doesn't the LBT lube also contain graphite?

[sheepdog]

I have seen bags of graphite coated commercial wadcutters for match loadings.

[Ricochet]

Graphite's been used in all sorts of machinery greases. ARCO used to sell motor oil with graphite suspended in it. I don't think it'll wear your bore out.

[beagle]

Other than the mess caused by handling, I see nothing wrong with using it. When we first started back in the late 50s, the Lyman graphite was all that was available commercially that I knew of and I used a lot of it. I never noted any appreciable wear on any of my handguns or rifles but maybe I was ignorant in those days (maybe still am).

But.....it gets all over everything on the bench and the management especially complains about fingerprints on the light switches and refrigerator.

If you don't have anything else and want to use it, go ahead./beagle

[Casting Timmy]

I would say to use some and sell some of it. Unless you do enough shotting that you think you can use over 18 lbs. In that case I would have to say I'm jealuous of how much you get to shot.

Just out of curiousity, is it the old NRA formula or the new NRA formula?

[thebigmac]

it had to be the old one. This stuff came to me back in the early 70's. I lost it when i moved in '89. Recently found it when rooting.. Just in time too, i'm using my last tube.

[HORNET]

You misplaced 18 pounds of lube for 20 years??? Why does that sound familiar?

[gidgaf]

Like a lot of things ... it depends.
Graphite has come up every so often, here and everywhere.
Some of the WW2 German machine guns used an occasional round of a gunpowder and graphite mix to kinda clean and lube the barrel. Then again, their barrels were expendable.
;+}
Some of our old(er) guns have soft(er) metal barrels- the ones that shouldn't use clads- and supposedly the rifling corners can eventually become rounded in these.
I wouldn't know- I haven't used it for that.
BUT- here in LALALand, some folk use graphite in their vehicle paint as a radar/ lidar absorber. They call it a "satin" finish.
ANYway, you could always mix it with something else. Maybe 50/50 this stuff and Felix?

[thebigmac]

o.k. Fellows, thanks a lot for your information. I knew i'd find the answer in this forum..... Bigmac

[John Boy]

Graphite lubes have been around for a 100 years:
H.M. Pope, about 1900 - 3 mutton tallow, 2 bay wax, 1 beeswax, 1 steam cylinder oil, .2 of 1 acheson graphite. The bay wax could be omitted.

[sundog]

Steam cylinder oil. Whale oil maybe?

[Ricochet]

No, even back then it was a very heavy mineral oil.

[gjemba]

I coat 2 times with LLA and then drop a very small amount of graphite powder in and swirl it until the boolits are nicely coated. This dries completely and after sitting for a couple of days, I have very little, if any rub off on my hands during loading. This is for my .45 acp and I am happy with the lack of leading in the barrel and the accuracy. I am using almost pure lead. I found a full 10 - 12 lb. can at work. We used this years ago for lube and don't need it with our current business.

The drying of the LLA is a very nice benefit and graphite allows me use pure lead without a lot of adding or searching for tin and antimony.

I would highly reccommend giving it a try if you have the opportunity. The barrels clean up nice and shiny with no real effort.

Gary

[Jim]

Been using graphite as boolit lube in various methods for years.

[1917]

Graphite coated patch run through a cold barrel is an old benchrest shooters trick. Works good, mumm good.

[Bad Water Bill]

Graphite is a great lubricant. I went to open a door lock last week and I had to push the key forcefully past each tumbler. One shot of the black stuff and you have to pay much attention to feel any tumbler movement. Slick as owl *@# on an old hickory limb.

[thebigmac]

OK guys, I guess I'll be casting lube for a while. 4" solid for my Star, and
4" with a hole for my Lyman... THANKS AGAIN... Mac

[madsenshooter]

Originally Posted by Ricochet

Graphite's been used in all sorts of machinery greases. ARCO used to sell motor oil with graphite suspended in it. I don't think it'll wear your bore out.

This is somewhat off topic, but Ricochet, you made me think of an old mechanic friend I had, who is wrenching in a better place now. I once had a Jeep Wagoneer that had a bad main seal. I'd been buying that ARCO Graphite oil by the 2 gallon jug to keep the old thing going. Finally got my friend to fix it. He said it was the messiest damn thing he'd worked on in 60 years of working on cars. Black oil everywhere underneath, and dripping down on him the whole time he was working on it.

To make this more on topic, I once bought some stuff called Clean Ballistics from Midway, because it was on clearance for $1.95. It appears to be paraffin with either graphite or moly in it. I think graphite because it settles out when you melt it to dip lube and you have to stir it every 4 or 5 bullets. It actually seems to work pretty good as a bullet lube. It sets up to be less sticky than say, Carnauba Red, and I've shot 2000fps loads using it without leading.

[Ricochet]

I suspect that what really killed ARCO Graphite is that people are used to equating blackness with dirty used oil that needs changing. That stuff was black as India ink when you poured it in the engine.