Looking For Cold Weather Lube - 45-70 -

[devinp]

Hey Everyone!

This is my first post on the forum. I've been reading over the many articles on this site and I am a little overwhelmed with the many, many lube options out there; bullet casting and reloading is fairly new to me. From what I have read I would like to try making some felix lube but the fact that it performs poorly in cold weather is a bit of a deterrent. I'm from northern Canada and it can get fairly cold during our hunting season. Last year, on the weekend that I shot my moose it dropped below 30 degrees Celsius. I have heard that there is a way to modify felix lube to work in cold weather situations but have not been able to find a recipe. If someone would be able to point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it. I'm open to alternative lubes as well. The only stipulation is that I would prefer to make my own lube rather than buy it.

[Elkins45]

You won't like my first suggestion (because you have to buy it) but I would try tumble lube. It's all I used when I owned a 45/70 and I had good accuracy and no leading all the way to max loads. One of the strengths of the coatings is that they aren't temperature sensitive.

If you want to make your own then you could try a time tested formula like beeswax and vaseline, but increase the percentage of vaseline so it isn't quite so stiff in cold weather. My experience is that 45/70 doesn't require an exotic lube to shoot well.

[Bullshop]

Speed Green was developed in the cold in the Alaskan interior. I have used it to -50F

[devinp]

Elkins, it's nice to know that the 45-70 isn't too picky.

Bullshop, how do I go about getting ahold of some of your Bullshop lube?

[runfiverun]

that or 357 max's MML lube.
it is flat out a cold weather lube, designed around getting those critical one-two hunting shots out the barrel and having them be on target.

[357maximum]

Simple solutions are normally the best.....for your local....I would start with .....1Part Beeswax/ 1part vaseline.....I shoot equal parts Beeswax/paraffin/vaseline in my 45/70 but, I am a bit south of you. Lube alchemists have a tendency to overcomplicate Boolit Loob....it need not be complicated to work.

[Toymaker]

I used Barry Darr's lube for years in my 45-70 rolling block. It's simple to make, tacky but suitable to hand lube or lubi/sizer. Not so good for pan lube. It remains soft in cold weather and doesn't run in hot weather. We don't get as cold as you do, but I've shot competitions with the temperature in the single digits with no change in the lube characteristics. It worked with either smokeless or black powder loads. I also use it in my .451 Creedmoor Rigby muzzleloader. While it calls for canning wax you can use hobbist candle wax or bees wax instead. A little more wax stiffens it. A little more Vaseline softens it. Currently experimenting with Ben's Red. It's a terrific round and I've found it's really only picky about the bullet weight.

[devinp]

Thanks for the input everybody. I think I will just play around with a couple of the different lubes mentioned here and their variants and see how it goes. In the end I might need to use two different lubes: one for summer and one for winter/fall. One of the joys of living up north is that we see a huge temperature swing throughout the year from 30 degrees in the summer to -40 in the winter (in celsius). Oh well, worst case scenario I simply have to spend more time shooting to figure it all out. I'm just waiting on a couple of moulds that are coming to me from Tom over at Accurate Moulds and then I'll be busy, busy,busy.

[Jailer]

I shoot equal parts Beeswax/paraffin/vaseline in my 45/70

Same here in my Marlin and it works great for me.