Grease Cookie for Muzzle Loader?

[GregLaROCHE]

Has anyone ever considered using something like a grease cookie in a muzzle loader to help keep the fouling soft? Maybe a card on top of the powder and then a cookie that’s on the hard side, followed by the patched ball.

[elk hunter]

As I understand it the grease cookie must be vaporized by the ignited powder so it can mix with the fouling to keep it soft. I would think that a card wad between the powder and grease cookie would prevent that occurring. Again from what I understand the black powder cartridge shooters use a wax paper wad between the powder and the grease cookie. Most of my black powder shooting has been with muzzleloaders and the very dry climate where I live makes cleaning or at least bore swabbing every few shots a necessity.

I won't hurt to try a grease cookie and may help.

Let us know how it works.

[waksupi]

I just use moose milk, and don't have any problems with hard fouling.

[dogrunner]

I've been using a 50/50 beeswax/crisco combo in my ML revolvers........punch the combo 'wad's' from a pan spread to the appropriate wad width when dried......punch is a modified ctg case.

To load I do the usual ball over powder followed by that round plug...........lot less messy than greasy lubes or crisco alone....accuracy is excellent and the number of shots prior to a cursory clean up seems no longer than the grease alone method.

I see no reason why the same 'disc' couldn't be adapted to rifle use, mayhaps a lightly wrapped ball with that disc atop.............?

[bedbugbilly]

It's not that unusual to use a over the powder card in a muzzleloader whether a rifle or smoothbore. Some find that it helps with the accuracy of the patched round ball with certain rifles - again - every rifle is different. In my 20 gauge Fusil, it shoots a patched .610 round ball better and with a greased/lubed patch, the lube keeps the fouling down and I can shoot several rounds before having to run a wet patch between shots - and my patch/ball is a fairly tight fit in the smoothbore. If loading shot - I still use and over the powder card with a cushioned fiber wad on top of the card and under the shot - soaked in my melted beeswax/crisco lube and it does a good job of keeping the fouling down as well. I have never felt the need to try a lube cookie and actually think the too much lube may contribute to heavier fouling IMHO.

If you think a cookie would help in your rifle/smoothbore, then the best thing to do is to try it and see what your results are. It may or may not work out but it will depend on the rifle, the humidity conditions, your powder, etc.

As far as BP cartridges - for 38 and 45 Colt BP loads, I just finger lube the grooves of the slug prior to seating and making a compressed load and it seems to be ample as far as controlling fouling. I know that some fellows use a cookie - especially in some rifle cartridges. Usually a card between the powder and cookie to prevent migration of the lube into the powder. I know that if I used a cookie of my bp lube in my pistol cartridges here in AZ I would probably get some migration into the powder due to the high heat if they sat around.

If you are having problems with a particular rifle as far as excessive fouling build up, you might want to experiment with different bp lubes to see which works the best as well.

[arcticap]

Has anyone ever considered using something like a grease cookie in a muzzle loader to help keep the fouling soft? Maybe a card on top of the powder and then a cookie that’s on the hard side, followed by the patched ball.

I apply extra Bore Butter to the patch, with some of the excess getting squeezed out at the muzzle.
The extra lube that remains in the patch makes loading easier by allowing the softened fouling to be pushed back down the bore when ramming the next shot.
f someone needed to use a patch that was too thin to hold enough lube for their load, then a lube pill may be an alternative.
But I doubt that it would leave as much liquid lube behind as Bore Butter does unless it were a very soft lube pill to begin with.
Harder lube pills have more wax content which doesn't remain a liquid like Bore Butter does.
But trying lube pills would be worth a shot.

[Nobade]

I have tried lube cookies under conical bullets. Didn't see any improvement in accuracy and it is more work than just wiping between shots so I went back to that.

[charlie b]

When shooting full bore bullets I use an over powder card wad (also used to compress the powder charge), then a lubed felt wad and bullet. The little bit of lube on the wad keeps the fouling soft enough.

FWIW, when firing subsequent shots, the card wad (which is a very tight fit) scrapes a bit of the fouling as it is seated, making the seating of the bullet much easier.

[oldracer]

If I understand what you are shooting, for a rifle or even a single shot pistol such as the one I made then powder in, lube a patch or portion of patch strip then in goes the ball. If necessary cut the material off so there is no excess. Many use spit, Bore Butter, ETC, ETC on the material. After firing the shot, I and most of the shooters in our matches use a blow tube for 5 rounds or so then wipe with a wet/dry patch.
John

[Chemoman]

I sort of use one. I have a 32 side lock.down goes the powder in the barrel. Then a 60 thousand fiber wad. Then a felt wad. Then a small lop of black powder grease. Then i place a over sized bullet, buckshot on the muzzle. I tap that into the bore with a very small rubber headed hammer. That is set all of the above. Never leads or strips out. Very very accurate and easy to use. Does this count as a grease cookie?

[arcticap]

Does this count as a grease cookie?

It sounds more like grease cookie dough! :)

[Hanshi]

I've found that a good lube used on the patches almost always keeps the fouling soft. I do often use op wads but they aren't lubed.