44 RB wads what lube

[DCB]

I have 3 different lubes that will work. I have Blue & Gray patch lube, maxi lube, and Traditions wonder lube 1000 plus and its frozen ? not sure I would use it in cold weather..
What do you use I also have a batch of bullet lube that I mixed with wax, petro jelly and JJ paste wax.
What is the best way to lube the wads?
Thanks Dave
276217

[Hellgate]

For winter use I used 2 parts olive oil to 1 part beeswax plus a blue crayon to mark it as the cold weather lube. For summer I mixed the two ingredients in a 50/50 mix. Recipes for wad and BP lubes are too numerous to count. Beeswax & lard is a little firmer and cheaper with the same proportions.

[hylander]

I use 1 part Bee's wax and 2 parts Mutton Tallow.

[Gray Fox]

For what they are used for, especially in a pistol barrel, I've used just olive oil on Dura Felt distributed in a sandwich baggie, then put out on some paper towels to absorb any excess. In a rifle length barrel I melt it together with some Crisco. GF

[DCB]

Thanks for the Ideas, worth a try, not sure where to get mutton tallow.

[Nobade]

Get mutton tallow from Dixie Gun Works.
I use Gatofeo #1,
2 parts mutton tallow
2 parts gulf canning wax
1 part beeswax

It's hard enough to not contaminate your gunpowder when you ram the ball down, a problem I have had with several other lube recipes. Also makes a great dip lube.

[gunther]

if this is for a cap & ball revolver, Ford moly EP lube in a tube from a parts store will get 'er done. Doesn't freeze in the winter, doesn't run in the summer. I've used it since 1980 in a Ruger Old Army stainless. A buddy has had similar experience with the same gun. A few years ago.I' shot a NMLRA pistol agg in two 30 minute relays. That's lot of fowling in a hurry. Took second, but that was not the lube's fault.

[Hellgate]

If you know a deer hunter who shoots a fat deer the backfat is what I use for mutton tallow. Chop it up, boil it, and skim it clean.

[Nobade]

If you know a deer hunter who shoots a fat deer the backfat is what I use for mutton tallow. Chop it up, boil it, and skim it clean.

Making mutton tallow out of a deer is quite a trick!

[DCB]

thanks for all the ideas.

[nightwolf1974]

I've always used the T/C lube for dry wads.

[shaggybull]

Anyone powder coating round balls

[rfd]

Anyone powder coating round balls

that would be anti-productive. the reason for a patched ball down a muzzleloader's throat is two fold - lube to keep the powder residue soft, and to act as a "soft sabot" of sorts to keep lead off the rifling.

use whatever ya like for lube that actually works well, even spit will keep the gunk soft after ignition.

the two lubes that have worked best for me in the last 67 years is gato feo #1 (see nobade's post) and rendered bear oil (thank you edward!).

[rfd]

Heating gato feo #1 into the weave of cotton patch strips ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQnAcCnAOek

[DaveM]

Another lube that works well to keep powder fouling soft in percussion revolvers is 100% neatsfoot oil (not "neatsfoot oil compound"). Just punch out the wads, soak in the neatsfoot oil, and squeeze out the excess.

Neatsfoot oil is also a great patch lube.

You can get a quart from Amazon for under $20 shipped.

[DCB]

Neatsfootoil Had to look it up. Neatsfoot oil is a yellow oil rendered and purified from the shin bones and feet (but not the hooves) of cattle.
Thanks Dave

[Caswell Ranch]

that would be anti-productive. the reason for a patched ball down a muzzleloader's throat is two fold - lube to keep the powder residue soft, and to act as a "soft sabot" of sorts to keep lead off the rifling.

use whatever ya like for lube that actually works well, even spit will keep the gunk soft after ignition.

the two lubes that have worked best for me in the last 67 years is gato feo #1 (see nobade's post) and rendered bear oil (thank you edward!).

I think the original poster is requesting information on WAD LUBE for .44 revolver as apposed to patch lube for rifle.

[DaveM]

Neatsfootoil Had to look it up. Neatsfoot oil is a yellow oil rendered and purified from the shin bones and feet (but not the hooves) of cattle.
Thanks Dave

Sure thing. It's generally used for treating leather, so it's handy to have around aside from lubricating patches or wads.

[LST-1185]

I make paper cartridges for revolvers so the wads are kept dry till I use them. During loading I'll place a small amount of crisco between the wad and ball unless I'm using conicals as the bess wax lube is already on the bullets.

[hylander]

Pure Bees Wax and Mutton Tallow

[gitzitfish]

Beeswax and tallow. Both can be gotten easily online. Well used to be able to be gotten online pre COVID. Haven’t looked for any recently

[DCB]

Thanks for all the comments and ideas.
Dave

[Hellgate]

Nightwolf said re lubing the chambers: "I know "that's what they historically did". I politely beg to differ.

Actually, I don't believe they ever smeared a lube over the ball after charging the cylinder chambers. Every set of instructions from the manufacturers and Army field manual of use for the C&B fails to mention putting any lube over the ball/bullet or a wad under. The first mention I heard was in Jeff Cooper's book "Sixguns" where he mentions using a felt lube wad under the ball when shooting '51 Navies. All this lube stuff for the most part has come out with the popularity of Italian reproductions in the 1960s (got my '61 Uberti Navy in 1965) and even more so when guys like me started using the perCUSSIN' revolvers in Cowboy Action (SASS) matches and needed to prevent fouling out while shooting 30-50 shots in a row.

When Colt's "six shooter" came out it was at a time when most soldiers/gunmen carried one or more SINGLE SHOT pistols. Once the gun was fired they drew their fighting knife (Bowie!) or sword to keep at it. Along comes Colt and suddenly you have SIX TIMES the firepower as before but probably still carried a big knife (or sword if in the military). The six shooters were expected to be shot dry and after the confrontation, to be cleaned , oiled and then reloaded. If one needed more than 6 shots he carried one or more extra revolvers (hence the two gun rig) or if he was a Confederate irregular he may have carried 4 to 6 revolvers. The C&Bs were then reloaded when convenient and safe after the action. They were never expected to be shot more than 6 times in a row and therefore there was no design specifications to deal with extensive fouling.

Also, there has been no documentation of anyone using loaded & capped extra cylinders during any gunfight or battle. That is all Hollywood/Pale Rider. Extra cylinders might have been ordered from the factory but they were not standard issue nor is there a place reserved for them in boxed presentation sets from the original manufacturers that I know of.

[Hellgate]

I'll have to check him out further. I've seen most of his videos on shooting historical guns & their reproductions. He is AKA "Bottom Dealing Mike" in SASS parlance. I subscribe to his youtube channel too. I honestly don't remember him saying that but I may have snidely said to myself "yeah, right" and went on with the video watching. I'll see if I can find it and am willing to stand corrected. My wife corrects me all the time. I've just never seen the use of lubes cited other than actually on the bullet in the lube grooves of dipped onto the bullet.

[Hellgate]

Nightwolf,
I just went through about 10 of his C&B videos over the last 2 1/2 hours and can't find where he says anything about older recommendations as to over ball grease or wads. If you can find it PM me.

[RoyEllis]

Nightwolf said re lubing the chambers: "I know "that's what they historically did". I politely beg to differ.

Actually, I don't believe they ever smeared a lube over the ball after charging the cylinder chambers. Every set of instructions from the manufacturers and Army field manual of use for the C&B fails to mention putting any lube over the ball/bullet or a wad under. The first mention I heard was in Jeff Cooper's book "Sixguns" where he mentions using a felt lube wad under the ball when shooting '51 Navies.

Not trying to be a picker of nits, but the book "Sixguns" was written by Elmer Keith, not Jeff Cooper...just sayin'

[Hellgate]

Yer so right. Now someone's gonna say it was by Skeeter Skelton! LOL! I knew it was one of the classic gunwriters. Geeze, and how many bullets were designed by Keith? Lots.

[GregLaROCHE]

As far as lubing felt wads goes, I once thought I had a good idea and heated lube and let the felt wads soak up the lube. I was loading .45cal BP cartridges. The dry wads fit just fine, but the soaked ones swelled and were impossible to get in. I ended up using a grease cookie on top of a card, under a dry wad.

[nightwolf1974]

Nightwolf,
I just went through about 10 of his C&B videos over the last 2 1/2 hours and can't find where he says anything about older recommendations as to over ball grease or wads. If you can find it PM me.

I was pretty sure it was him that said it, so I'll RETRACT that certain statement. In any case, I'll stick to the wads.
I'm not an expert, just someone who likes black powder firearms......

[Walks]

Back in the early 1960's when I started my casting life, the first bullets I cast where Round Balls out of an OLD Ideal 1cav .36cal mold for My Dad's original .36 Colt 1851 Navy Revolver.
He put some sort of grease over the chamber mouths for the first cylinder full. That was all the lube those revolver loads ever got.
Much later (1988) after He passed, I used a pair of spaghetti 1860's for Cowboy Shooting.
I never got more then 3 cylinders full before the 1860s stated to "tie up" .
That never happened to Dad. Switched to dry lubed wads;
BIG DIFFERENCE.