Tracks mink oil lube , no joy for me !

[RU shooter]

I bought a tin of the mink oil patch lube track sells as all I ever hear was glowing reviews of better accuracy and many shots without swabbing ect ect ect . . Well I finally tried it yesterday in my shallow groove Dixie poor boy 50 cal flinter. When I normally shoot I use spit as the patch lube and can shoot tones of shots all afternoon and load the next one easily . My normal hunting lube was a mix of bees wax and a healthy dose of olive oil , I could normally get at least 3 shots before I had to swab . Well I loaded up the first shot with 80 gr 2f my normal patch material (ticking) and just fingerrubbed the mink goo onto it well . Loaded fine fired hit were I aimed all is good so far , tried to load the second shot the same way and was expecting all the best seated the ball with the short starter inserted ram rod and she wouldn't budge with only one hand on it grabbed it with both hands and nothing ! Gave it a couple short pokes maybe got another inch or tried again and ended up breaking the rod almost through my hand . Had to get my fiberglass range rodfromthecar and beat it in against a tree to seat it fully , one thing that was odd I've never experienced was that after i got the ball to the lower third of the barrel it seated a lot easier ? Don't know why ? Anyways I'm going back to my old BW and Olive oil mix for hunting . Anyone else use mink oil in shallow groove barrels ?

[country gent]

Could the minks oil rubbed in caused the ticking to swell expand making for the tighter fit? Another is did you have enough worked into the patch for the whole length of the barrel? Ive never used mink oil here but those are 2 concerns I see. The right lube and enough of it to make the full trip the length of the barrel. PA shouldn't be hot and dry this time of year causing issues. It may not be the shallow grooves but the length of the barrel. Powder used can have fouling issues also.

[arcticap]

I'm curious if you've ever tried TC Bore Butter?

I recall one flintlock shooter in particular who always touted it highly. He would say that it kept the fouling soft and helped to push it back down into the breech while ramming the next shot. IIRC he would switch to Hoppe's No. 9 Black Powder Solvent & Patch Lube during cold weather.
I also use Bore Butter when shooting cap lock rifles with Pyrodex. I probably saturate the patches with too much but a lot of the excess usually gets squeezed out at the muzzle during loading.
It's probably better to use more than needed than not enough.
Nothing wrong with trying something new, but perhaps your gun needs swabbing between each shot if using mink oil, especially with heavy loads.
You could always try a slightly thinner patch.
And humidity can always cause more hard & crusty fouling.

[TheOutlawKid]

I have tried that mink oil and even tried to make my own lubes out of it and even mixed with other ingredients and tried it as a revolver arbor lube etc and i had to stop. Ill never use it again...it oxidized into what i think was rust...not sure...like it didnt cause surface rust but it caused the lubes to leave a wet rust film and when u wipe it with a rag it stains it permanently. It smelt like rust...but i could be wrong. I stopped using it after i was sure mink oil was the culprit. Again...dunno if it was rust but it smelled like rust and stained the rags permanently rust colored. Even using mink oil alone on metal caused the oil to turn a brownish red rust color. It was very weird since the metal didnt have any pitting or signs of wear or damage from rust.

[Edward]

I bought a tin of the mink oil patch lube track sells as all I ever hear was glowing reviews of better accuracy and many shots without swabbing ect ect ect . . Well I finally tried it yesterday in my shallow groove Dixie poor boy 50 cal flinter. When I normally shoot I use spit as the patch lube and can shoot tones of shots all afternoon and load the next one easily . My normal hunting lube was a mix of bees wax and a healthy dose of olive oil , I could normally get at least 3 shots before I had to swab . Well I loaded up the first shot with 80 gr 2f my normal patch material (ticking) and just fingerrubbed the mink goo onto it well . Loaded fine fired hit were I aimed all is good so far , tried to load the second shot the same way and was expecting all the best seated the ball with the short starter inserted ram rod and she wouldn't budge with only one hand on it grabbed it with both hands and nothing ! Gave it a couple short pokes maybe got another inch or tried again and ended up breaking the rod almost through my hand . Had to get my fiberglass range rodfromthecar and beat it in against a tree to seat it fully , one thing that was odd I've never experienced was that after i got the ball to the lower third of the barrel it seated a lot easier ? Don't know why ? Anyways I'm going back to my old BW and Olive oil mix for hunting . Anyone else use mink oil in shallow groove barrels ?

I suspect you might have ran 2 patches by mistake and with that much force it tore the 2nd ,hence the sudden ease of loading There is no reason not to use mink oil ,it works and its time consuming squeezing those mink/ :bigsmyl2:

[RU shooter]

I'm positive I didn't use a double patch , I did use a goodly amount of lube on the patch as I had a ring of it on the muzzle when I short started it . This barrel is only 36" but grooves are .006 but like I said I can shoot all day with spit soaked .018 patch and load easily no matter if I use 30 gr of 3f or 80 of 2f , No ive never used TC bore butter as all I ever heard was bad about lit leaving tar like stuff in the barrel , maybe I'll try some of the TC 17 lube I was given last christmas I think it's the same thing just a new name ? I almost have a new rod made up so hopefully I'll try some different things out today if the rain holds off .

[Maven]

RUs, While wet lubes, e.g., saliva or 1 Ballistol : 6 water, are my favorites, there are occasions when a grease lube is the better choice. The one that works best for me is Stumpy's Moose Snot, which you can make at home. Depending on the BP brand, granulation, and charge you can get as many as 8 accurate shots without having to wipe the bore. However, were I hunting, I'd wipe after each shot just to be on the safe, i.e., accurate, side. Here's the recipe:


Stumpy's Moose Snot



Beeswax, 2 oz.
Castor Oil,* 8 oz.

Murphy's Oil Soap, 1 oz.




Heat beeswax in a soup can set a pot of water or a double boiler. I keep my beeswax in a one pound coffee can and measure out what I need by melting it and pouring it into measuring cups. Add just enough water so the inner can does not begin to float (should be just short of the lube level in the can). Heat the water to a low boil. In a separate can, add the castor oil and Murphy's oil soap (cold). Once the beeswax is melted, swap the castor oil can in the pot of water for the beeswax. Add the beeswax to the oils. It will clump up. Stir with an ice tea spoon as the mixture heats up. When it fully melts there will be a scum that floats to the top and just won't mix in. Be patient. DO NOT COOK THE MIXTURE. Once the solids are dissolved there is no need to heat further. Skim the scum off. Remove the mix from the heat and wipe the water off the outside (so it won't drip into the container when you pour it out). FINAL TOP SECRET STEP: Add a teaspoon of Murphy's Oil Soap and stir vigorously. This last step makes the lube frothy and smooth - really adds to the appearance; though it doesn't seem to matter to the function of the lube. Clamp the can in the jaws of a Vise-Grip pliers and pour into the waiting tins. Allow to cool a half hour. 

Note: it if is a hinged tin - line the edge that has the hinges with a strip of aluminum foil so it doesn't ooze out before it cools.


*Use any vegetable oil, e.g., canola, olive, peanut

[waksupi]

I stick with moose milk, and can shoot all day without swabbing the bore. I mix it with winter blend windshield washer fluid for below freezing shoots. If you shoot in cold weather like we do out here, anything with beeswax will put you out of business fast.

[RU shooter]

I stick with moose milk, and can shoot all day without swabbing the bore. I mix it with winter blend windshield washer fluid for below freezing shoots. If you shoot in cold weather like we do out here, anything with beeswax will put you out of business fast.
Do use this mix as a "wet" lube like spit for trail shoots ? Or do you let it dry out and use it as a lube for hunting situations possibly sitting loaded for a week or so ?

[Maven]

Not waksupi, but I'm guessing he uses it wet, as I do, but that's for trail shoots woods walks when you don't wait long between shots. Winter grade ww fluid is good (and you can't beat the price!), but I use 1 Ballistol : 6 water + 1 isopropyl alcohol (90%) and it works great.

[waksupi]

Do use this mix as a "wet" lube like spit for trail shoots ? Or do you let it dry out and use it as a lube for hunting situations possibly sitting loaded for a week or so ?

Wet for trail shoots, dried for long term hunting loads.

[sghart3578]

I'm fairly new to blackpowder and my rifles are range toys. I don't hunt any more.

I use very wet patches of Hoppes #9 plus with great luck. No swabbing between shots. Easy loading after 30 rounds (a long day for me).

After reading about mink oil I bought some to try. I have had it to the range twice. It seems to work just like my wet system with Hoppes. For now I will stick with Hoppes at the range but if I ever do get another deer tag I would be confident with a patch lubed with mink oil.


Steve in N CA

[RU shooter]

Well I tried it again on Sunday . This time I used varying amounts of the mink oil goo , more was a complete fail the second shot had to be beat down the bore as before but also same as before seems only the first 12-18" was real tight after I got past that I could seat it by hand pressure alone.
Next I tried a lot less and actually was able to seat the next shot by hand still purtty tight though third shot was a no go .
Tried my old BW/ olive oil lube got three shots before a wipe was needed . Maybe it's just my barrel and I'm doomed to wipe between shots except when using a wet lube like spit .ive tried the moose milk before for trail walks and worked fine wet but spit was never an issue so I just stayed with spit . Too close to flintlock season to change up and try new stuff now so I'll just have to remember to swab the barrel if I need that second shot . Will try the dried out moose milk for sure

[Hanshi]

I use TOW mink oil in the bush and use Hoppes #9 BP Lube at the range and often mink oil. I've had great success with mink oil and, same as with Hoppes, can shoot an afternoon with no swabbing. A thick patch, .024" unbleached canvas is what I use, helps along with smoothing the rifles crown.

[jjarrell]

Try Angelus mink oil paste for boots. It works for me whether it's 90 or 10 degrees. It's cheap and WORKS. The 30th shot will load as easily as the first.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

Sounds to me like you need to run some polishing lube down that bore. I've used the track mink oil with good results, didnt care for the smell . Now i manf. my own lubes and one thing i learned, i needed something to polish my bores up and then that took care of the sticky fouling issue. 20-30 shots with a thick .020 patch and .490" and no problem.

I had one rifle that after 2 shots it would hang a ball up real good. I polished the bore afterward and after that, not a problem.
https://i.postimg.cc/VkJH4WVv/54-450x-2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/Mpn1gPxk/54-450x.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[dondiego]

What polishing lube did you use?

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

I call it Shoot Out patch lube and bore enhancer. You soak a patch in it and gather up the polishing compound, load the gun and shoot it. 15-20 shots on a new bore or a bore in great condition normally is all thats needed. Super gentle on the bore, I've done over 300 shots with the shoot out without ill affect on the bore. The tighter the patch you use, the better the results. No having to hand lap, use conicals and messy lubes. Just go out and shoot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkuiM-skQ9o

[jjarrell]

Sounds to me like you need to run some polishing lube down that bore. I've used the track mink oil with good results, didnt care for the smell . Now i manf. my own lubes and one thing i learned, i needed something to polish my bores up and then that took care of the sticky fouling issue. 20-30 shots with a thick .020 patch and .490" and no problem.

I had one rifle that after 2 shots it would hang a ball up real good. I polished the bore afterward and after that, not a problem.
https://i.postimg.cc/VkJH4WVv/54-450x-2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/Mpn1gPxk/54-450x.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I've used it, and it works.

[Swampwalker]

I'm still very much a noob in the bp world but what I've found is that mink oil works great if used sparingly. I had similar issues in my .54 renegade when I pre lubed patches by melting it and soaking them. Terrible loading. Now I rub a small amount on each side of a patch then rub it in between two dry patches. I get little to no oil ring when I load and half a dozen shots before I need to swab. I'm using pyrodex rs and about to switch to 777 fffg as that was on sale and I have heard it fouls less. I'm still looking for real black but have yet to find anyone that carries it. 90 grains ffg .015 cotton patched rb is what I've been using so far.232057

[Edward]

I'm still very much a noob in the bp world but what I've found is that mink oil works great if used sparingly. I had similar issues in my .54 renegade when I pre lubed patches by melting it and soaking them. Terrible loading. Now I rub a small amount on each side of a patch then rub it in between two dry patches. I get little to no oil ring when I load and half a dozen shots before I need to swab. I'm using pyrodex rs and about to switch to 777 fffg as that was on sale and I have heard it fouls less. I'm still looking for real black but have yet to find anyone that carries it. 90 grains ffg .015 cotton patched rb is what I've been using so far.232057

Look no further than the internet ,Graffs/Powder inc are two I buy BP from and you can buy in small quantities /PS it does not go bad Ed

[OverMax]

All B/P side-locks have there quirks.

It appears yours OP has to do with its preferred Patching lube.
I have used this Track product for years in Northern MN in its extremely cold weather. As that is what Mink Lube was designed for. To be honest. I have little ambition in any weather to slobber up a dirty old patch before its shooting. Perhaps appropriate for our ancestors. "Not something I care to do."
Don't know if my T/c Hawken has shallow groove or a deep groove rifling. I'm actually more concerned with {it shoots when I pull its trigger}
Never incurred the problem you mentioned OP in the cold. Although I have in Hot weather very occasionally when {fun & giggles} shooting.

Spring & Fall patching lube? My preference. I simply buy a tub of OX-Yoke Patch Lube. __T/c Bore Butter. No thanks I'll pass on that stinky stuff.
Summer time lube preference? For the time being: Shenandoah Patching Lubricant seems to do what its advertised to do. Reason being: I don't like having a too deal with "greasy_waxy melting patching lubes.

BTW: I'm not of the crowd that blends or makes his preferred patching lube. TOTW and Cabelas are both 20 minuets away from me by Freeways as its fun to check on. Perhaps try. What's new and going on every now and then. So~~ hopefully I answered your question RU shooter.

[RU shooter]

Well I'm gonna give it one last chance tomorrow as our season starts day after Christmas this time I'm gonna use the bare minimum on a patch and try 3F powder as my gun generally shoots better and cleaner compared to 2F .