C&B cylinder lube

[Buzzard II]

Hi everyone.
I'm looking for lube for a 1858 Remington .44 to seal the cylinder chambers. Home made would be good. I've been looking under lubes but haven't been able to find one. I'm in the northeast (N.J.). I can't use wads under the ball. I need lube I can smear on the chamber mouths, over the ball. I would appreciate any help. Thanks!

COMPETITION RULES: NO WADS. ANYTHING BETTER THAN CRISCO?

[Tom_in_AZ]

Why can’t you use wads? Try t/c bore butter. It works well for that purpose.


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[JM7.7x58]

I’ve used Crisco in the past. It works just fine on my cap and ball revolver.

[Walks]

I use dry lube wads. Crisco added for first cylinder.

This method would get me through 5 stages for both guns at a Cowboy Match, before I broke down my 1860's for a wipe down and start over for 3-5 stages.

[Tom_in_AZ]

I use dry lube wads. Crisco added for first cylinder.

This method would get me through 5 stages for both guns at a Cowboy Match, before I broke down my 1860's for a wipe down and start over for 3-5 stages.

Did you fill the first cylinder until it was flush with the end of the cylinder?


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[Petrol & Powder]

Why can't wads be used?

I've used T/C bore butter over the ball with decent results but I always prefer lubed wads under the ball. Crisco over the ball is the old stand by. Beeswax with a little light oil added to soften it is a decent substitute. In a real pinch, a light application of wheel bearing grease will work but it sure is messy. (I've used it just to see if it would work in an emergency and the answer is yes but I don't recommend it)

[arcticap]

Many folks use a combination of 50/50 Crisco and beeswax which shouldn't melt in ordinary summer temperatures.

Some substitute lard, tallow or olive oil for the Crisco, with Canola oil being another option to use instead of olive oil.
Some substitute other waxes for beeswax, or mix more than one wax together as a substitute for beeswax, such as soy wax or paraffin wax.

They also vary the recipe to make it 60/40 adding more oil, lard, tallow or Crisco depending on the temperature and personal preference.

Some folks also use a large feeding syringe, meat syringe or irrigation syringe to dispense it with if the recipe is soft enough.
These are available at Walmart, Petco or farm / agricultural stores.

Vaseline and generic petroleum jelly are another option and not very much is needed, only a little more than a bead around the ball.

[swheeler]

I've used Crisco for this and it works fine, but after a few cylinders full you'll need to wipe the revolver down.

[bob208]

the Crisco is not for flash over. it is for lube. one to lube the ball the other is when the gun is fired it is driven everywhere which lubes the gun and keeps it working.

I did some tests ran a pistol dry two cylinders and it was dragging almost to the point of locking up. the next cylinder I just used Crisco on the balls never took the gun apart fired it. it started to free up the second cylinder it got batter. the third it was back to normal. I did this with a 1851 navy a walker and a 1858 Remington.

[dtknowles]

Crisco worked great for me.

Tim

[pietro]

I’ve used Crisco in the past. It works just fine on my cap and ball revolver.


+ 1,267


Crisco, although sloppy, will keep all fouling loosey-goosey for an entire day's shooting - AND is super easy to clean up.

I buy it by the (small) can and use a popsicle stick to apply a smear across each chamber mouth.

In very warm weather, a little paste wax (like beeswax) mixed into the Crisco will usually keep it from becoming liquid.


.

[Fly]

I make my own felt wads & lube them with mink oil.

Fly

[charlie b]

When I used it, Crisco was the one. I would use an old toothpaste tube to apply it.

I used mine more for a field gun so rarely put lube in the cyl at all. If by some chance I did shoot two cyl loads I'd put some oil on the cylinder pin (Remington). Then it would go for a couple more cyl loads.

Never used wads. Never saw a use for them in CB revolvers.

[stubshaft]

I use homemade wads for ball shooting and smear plain old lard over the chambers for conicals (too long to use a wad).

[RED BEAR]

+1 for Crisco because its what i had. Worked great.

[TheOutlawKid]

Crisco is great...but raw shea butter is way better. Its a beauty product for skin. Its stiffer , solid like cold butter but melts into a crisco consistency when you handle it with warm hands...it melts easy but stays very solid at room temp...like mutton tallow. I mix it with beeswax. Its actually my secret lube recipe :-P Its natural and a very slick solid oil. Try it out sometime...everyone ive let use it loves it. Its as close to mutton tallow as ive tested yet is way slicker. Use as is over chambers but use sparingly..or make it stiffer using beeswax.

[Buzzard II]

Thanks to all, I appreciate it.
Bob

[mazo kid]

I can't understand why you couldn't find lube recipes, there are a zillion of different ones. Search for black powder lubes. While Crisco works, it is very messy. I use several variations of the beeswax/oil lube; everything from beeswax/bear oil to beeswax/olive oil or tallow or paraffin, and everything in between. Very easy to mix to the consistency you need. Just don't use petroleum oils/grease. For keeping your cylinder turning freely on the arbor, I use synthetic grease. Not PC but it works!

[Gray Fox]

When I first started shooting SASS with a pair of repro '58 Remingtons I used either Crisco or T/C Wonder Lube over the balls. After only a couple cylinder loads the guns would be swimming in lube sprayed out of the forcing cone area. I switched to using wonder Wads over the powder and that stopped. I have since started using the high-temp synthetic red wheel bearing grease on the '58 cylinder pins and on Colt arbors since it doesn't melt and run all over the guns either. One of the best BP revolver gunsmiths packs the revolver actions with a similar grease to keep the majority of BP fouling out of the actions while protecting all the internal parts. I haven't done that yet. I wonder if packing it in the arbor recess would keep the fouling from building up in there, too? GF

[charlie b]

That might work ok on the Colt's as they have a larger arbor and it has grooves in it to retain the grease. The Rem has a smaller dia pin so not sure if the grease would hold up as well. Would be worth a try.

I never understood wads behind a ball. The powder build up in the bore is next to nothing so using lube behind the ball is kinda not doing much. It might protect the base of a conical, but a ball doesn't need that.

[Gray Fox]

There is a enough room around a '58 cylinder pin so that the red grease keeps the fouling from building up. I used this in a SAS environment where I used 30 grain charges with sometimes up to 40 or so shots through each of two revolvers and the wads did help to control the barrel fouling. I have shot them with no lube and can tell the difference. The biggest mess is trying to contend with the results of putting something thin like Crisco or Bore Butter on the cylinder pin and the chamber faces and shooting in Georgia summer temps. It gets so slippery it is almost a safety issue on the line. If I were going to carry one on the trail I would not put any lube on the chamber faces and if I were expecting only a cylinder full or less of shots I'd omit the wads, too. For conicals I cast the 210 grain Big Lube boolit and I pan lube them with a home brewed BP lube and carry an extra 10 in capped plastic tubes on the trail. That's probably the best solution in terms of a revolver lube system as well as projectile effectiveness. GF

[Martin Luber]

One fellow "geojohn" had written to use grease under the ball as firing just blows away grease over the ball. Another champion shooter used corn meal under the ball, have to re read his notes on grease...

[drago9900]

Corn meal should protect from chain fires, I think they are mostly from poor fitting caps anyway. I read somewhere where someone made grease cookies to put under the ball for lube. A mixture of bees wax and something else mixed in a pan then cut out with a punch.