Which wax would you use?

[wbwilly]

Hi Folks,

I'm about to get into casting as soon as all my equipment arrives and I'm having a hard time deciding which recipe to make my lube from.

I will be casting Lyman 457132 Postell bullets for BPCR and Big Lube JP200/45 for CAS black powder shooting.

So my first question is Beeswax or Soy wax. I don't mind saving a few bux with the soy but not at the expense of my long range shooting. I figure for CAS it won't make any difference.

Second question is since Dixie seems to be out of mutton tallow, will a mixture of either of the above waxes and Crisco be sufficient for the long range bullet? EDIT: I take that back, I was able to add it to my cart.

I'll probably add a third ingredient but I haven't decided on that yet, maybe lanolin.

What do you think? And be gentle, I'm new at this :)

Thanks
Willy

[John Boy]

Willy, I shoot cowboy and long range (out to a 1000yds) BPCR. For CAS the bullet is the old Ideal 454190. All reloads are black powder and I use just one lube for everything, including the few smokeless reloads I shoot.

40% - Mutton Tallow
40% - Paraffin
20% - Beeswax which will be changed out to microcrystalline wax when I finish with the existing batch

With every handgun and rifle - I have no leading and no lube starvation with the home brew

BTW, the recipe came from a 1943 issue of American Rifleman

[wbwilly]

John Boy,

Thanks for the reply...you can now ignore my PM on CASCity :)

Why the change to microcrystalline wax and is the paraffin the canning type?

Thanks
Willy

[geargnasher]

While I never tried it with anything other than beeswax at the time, when I used to shoot a lot of BP and substitutes I used Emmert's lube, 50% beeswax, 35% Crisco veggie shortening, 5% or so canola or olive oil (whichever was in the pantry!), and up to 5% anhydrous lanolin.

Nowdays I'd probably just use soy wax formulated for tapered candles and soften it with some olive oil and maybe, just maybe throw in a dollop of lanolin to add some flexibility and tack.

When I first started shooting BP I used straight, stinky old ancient sodium soap wheel bearing grease and had accuracy and fouling problems that were terrible. Later, I tried beeswax and grease, better but not as good, then someone told be about Emmert's and I never looked back. Some people who shoot a lot more of this than I ever did swear by lube containing petroleum stuff, but I never had any luck with it. Natural ingredients worked best, but that's just in my primitive fumblings with it.

Gear

[Springfield]

John Boy: Which microcrystalline wax? And why the substitution for beeswax?

[randyrat]

I believe 430 micro wax....Cheaper, easier to get if the market is high on beeswax or the supply is low. Also the melt temp is a little higher on some of the micro waxes.
I may carry some micro wax for the specialty gurus.

[wbwilly]

John Boy,

Is the paraffin only for a summer mix? How would it do in New England winter?

Thanks
Willy

[wbwilly]

John Boy: Which microcrystalline wax? And why the substitution for beeswax?Slim, I actually use Renaissance Microcrystalline wax for some of my woodworking projects. It is a super fine wood wax and I paid like $16 for a very small amount. I just found it online for $5/pound which is just a bit cheaper than beeswax.

At the price I paid for the Renaissance wax it would make a pretty expensive bullet lube :)

Willy

[mdi]

I think I would suggest buying some lube from Lars http://www.lsstuff.com/lube/ until you get used to casting bullets for your particular rifle. Prolly less frustrating to learn how to make leading free, accurate bullets with fewer "unknowns", ie; home made lube vs a known good blackpowder lube...