Bear Grease and Beeswax for BPCR lube

[huntrick64]

A friend of mine offered me some "black bear" grease to use as a traditional finish on some of the selfbows that I build. I figured he would bring me a couple of ounces. Nope, he brought me a quart of the stuff already rendered and strained. I will not live long enough to use that much sealing bows, but I would use it up in my lifetime as a BPCR pan lube.

I am thinking 5 parts (volume) beeswax, 4 parts bear grease, 1 part Ballistol. Any thoughts or experience on the bear grease?

Please, no comments on other uses for the bear grease; I'm not using it as a hand balm, foot balm, lip balm or aphrodisiac! (side note - any woman attracted to the smell of this stuff better sneak up on me while I'm in a coma, cause I'm gonna resist her advances! I won't even say "can you just hold me tonight?")

also,

I'm dern sure not going to waste this stuff making donuts, pie crusts, or other pastries.

It's BPCR lube or bow finish!

[Teddy (punchie)]

I work for any old butcher. Let me say he was a meat cutter, knew is trade very well. Any way he said that bear grease can be used for many things, lube for his 45 and 357 was one. Not sure if he mixed it or not.

[Nobade]

Check out Providence Tool company. The guys who make Peabody rifles. I noticed yesterday that they are selling a BPCR lube based on bear grease. I seem to recall they had the recipe on the web site.

http://providencetoolcompanyllc.com/products.html

Yep - bear lard, mink oil, and beeswax. Sounds tasty! Pretty neat rifles and peep sights too.

-Nobade

[Don McDowell]

Leave the ballistol out of the lube, mix the bear grease and bees wax close to equal volumes it'll probably work pretty fair.

[John Boy]

Any thoughts
The bear lard would be a substitute for mutton tallow, therefore:
40% bear lard
40% paraffin
20% beeswax
Good lube for BP and smokeless

[CanoeRoller]

Here are some traditional lubes that are built around tallow:


US Army 1855 - 1 part beeswax, 3 parts tallow

US Army 1861 - 8 parts beeswax, 1 part tallow

(these two pre-date cartridges obviously)

Maynard Rifle 1890 - 1 part beeswax, 3 parts tallow

Marlin Firearms Co. 1891 - 1 part beeswax, 4 parts tallow

S&W 1891 - tallow

H.M. Pope 1900 - 3 parts mutton tallow, 2 parts bay wax, 1 part beeswax, 1 part steam cylinder oil, .2 of 1 part Acheson graphite.
Modern BP lube based on Pope - 6 parts of beef tallow, 4 parts bayberry wax, 2 parts beeswax, 2 jojoba oil

Good luck with your experimenting

[mazo kid]

Mix up a small batch to try. You can then alter the amounts of either ingredient to make the lube harder or softer.