SharpsShooter
06-16-2006, 09:21 PM
B.S. NASA Lube
1st Test report.
It was an interesting afternoon at the range. Don’t get me wrong; I am rarely bored at any shooting range. The temperature was 75* and the relative humidity was steady at 50%. It was especially interesting because I had a new Black Powder lube to try. Now I shoot Black Powder extensively in the 45-70 and can tell you the search for a lube that keeps the fouling soft the entire length of the barrel is akin to the search for the Holy Grail.
Bullshop has developed a new formula lube for the Black Powder shooter and he sent me a generous quantity to use in testing. I use his #2 recipe of lube and it works well, but he felt there was room for improvement specifically in the area of moisture retention to keep the fouling soft during extended firing strings and eliminate the need for cleaning or swabbing every few shots.
I chose for a test bed my 1875 C. Sharps. It has a heavy Badger barrel and is equipped with C. Sharps long-range tang sight and front globe. It is a consistent 2” group gun. It doesn’t seem to care what I feed it, but 2” is the best I can squeeze out of it. Interestingly it will group the same at 50 as it does at 100yds. I got to find someone to explain that to me some time. Still it is a proven performer and I’m confident of its capabilities.
The humidity was not too high, so I decided to use the blow tube for the first 5 shot string and then toss it back in the shooting box for the rest. I prepared 20 rounds for the test. I assembled them with meticulous attention to detail to ensure the shot to shot consistency for the test.
Lyman 457125…517.5gr Sized to .460 and lubed with NASA
Remington Cases
Federal 215 Primers
Walters Vegetable .030 over powder wad and .030 Cardboard Boolit base wad.
Goex Cartridge Grade, 55gr by weight, drop tubed 24” and compressed into the case to a depth of .645 with the wads to allow the Boolit to be completely seated and a light crimp applied.
The results were a real treat and I’m quite happy to report the 2” barrier has been soundly defeated.
Shot String #1:
5 shots fired at a rhythm of 1 per minute using 6 long breaths with the blow tube between shots yielded a group size of 1.57” center to center. That in itself is good, but the bore was still shiny on the lands the entire length of the barrel. Almost clean is how I would describe it. The muzzle had a nice lube star too. I ran a patch with my range solvent (windshield washer fluid) down the bore and it was spotless clean. One dry patch and it was clean. I set it aside to cool completely and went to exercise a 45LC SAA for a few minutes.
Shot String #2:
This string would also be 5 shots, but this time the blow tube stays in the shooting box and all shots would be fired 30-45 seconds apart in an attempt to foul the bore and see accuracy go south. I fired all five in a span of 3 minutes and upon ejecting the 5th case and helping the smoke clear in the barrel with a puff of breath into the breach, I discovered a slightly dirty bore that simply appeared to be smoked, not really fouled like I have seen in the past with another big name lube when I tried the same trick. Clean up was a one wet and one dry patch proposition again, but you could really see the lube on the wet patch. It is a dark shade of green in color and can easily be distinguished from black fouling. The group size…..1.53”….Yep I shot faster, did not use the blow tube and the group got smaller. I think it is important to mention that the humidity was only 50% today. That is fairly dry air, but the lube was capturing what was available and putting it to good use keeping the fouling soft. Back to the 45LC to let the rifle completely cool.
Shot String #3:
I was encouraged by the results of string #2 but tiring of the recoil generated from the 500+grain boolits when fired so rapidly from the bench. But, here we go. 10 shots fired as fast as possible to aim accurately, fire and reload. I was ejecting them with enough authority to kick them over my right shoulder several times. The rate of fire was steady and I’ll confess the last three just plain hurts. The time was under 4 minutes for all ten. My shooting pal, James was spotting for me and when the last empty cleared the gun, he stepped up and slapped me on the back. I asked him if I needed a shotgun to improve the group I had just fired. He replied “Nah it’s one hole” You’re Bullsh..ing I says and he hands me a set of binoculars. It was a ragged 10 shot hole that gave up a measurement of 1.59”. While I was rubbing my soon to be bruised shoulder, James pushed a damp patch through the bore and it was SHINY CLEAN. Not just clean, spotless. Two dry patches and it was a mirror of perfection.
Have I found the grail of Black Powder Lube. I think so. Every now and then a lube comes along and makes a difference in accuracy and that is one thing, but to control fouling at a high rate of fire in a black powder firearm when there is virtually no available ambient moisture and maintain accuracy too is something special. James asked what I thought about melting enough to saturate some precut patches for his Muzzleloader so he could try it there. I guess I can spare a little, but only a little.
Thanks to Bullshop for two things. One, for giving me an opportunity to perform a 1st run field test for you and two, for coming up with this magic elixir for the Black Powder community.
This is likely not a perfect scientific test, but it is actual results from actual shooting. I attempted to foul the rifle by failing to introduce moisture to the bore to keep the fouling soft and increase fouling by increasing the rate of fire to a ridiculous point and by doing so ruin any chance of accuracy. Ya know what happened, I ended up with an average group of 1.56” from three groups and 20 shots. This is a ½” improvement in group size from any load I have fired in this rifle since it followed me home from Moodyholler’s place many years ago.
Yeah I found the grail or actually I think it found me.
SS
1st Test report.
It was an interesting afternoon at the range. Don’t get me wrong; I am rarely bored at any shooting range. The temperature was 75* and the relative humidity was steady at 50%. It was especially interesting because I had a new Black Powder lube to try. Now I shoot Black Powder extensively in the 45-70 and can tell you the search for a lube that keeps the fouling soft the entire length of the barrel is akin to the search for the Holy Grail.
Bullshop has developed a new formula lube for the Black Powder shooter and he sent me a generous quantity to use in testing. I use his #2 recipe of lube and it works well, but he felt there was room for improvement specifically in the area of moisture retention to keep the fouling soft during extended firing strings and eliminate the need for cleaning or swabbing every few shots.
I chose for a test bed my 1875 C. Sharps. It has a heavy Badger barrel and is equipped with C. Sharps long-range tang sight and front globe. It is a consistent 2” group gun. It doesn’t seem to care what I feed it, but 2” is the best I can squeeze out of it. Interestingly it will group the same at 50 as it does at 100yds. I got to find someone to explain that to me some time. Still it is a proven performer and I’m confident of its capabilities.
The humidity was not too high, so I decided to use the blow tube for the first 5 shot string and then toss it back in the shooting box for the rest. I prepared 20 rounds for the test. I assembled them with meticulous attention to detail to ensure the shot to shot consistency for the test.
Lyman 457125…517.5gr Sized to .460 and lubed with NASA
Remington Cases
Federal 215 Primers
Walters Vegetable .030 over powder wad and .030 Cardboard Boolit base wad.
Goex Cartridge Grade, 55gr by weight, drop tubed 24” and compressed into the case to a depth of .645 with the wads to allow the Boolit to be completely seated and a light crimp applied.
The results were a real treat and I’m quite happy to report the 2” barrier has been soundly defeated.
Shot String #1:
5 shots fired at a rhythm of 1 per minute using 6 long breaths with the blow tube between shots yielded a group size of 1.57” center to center. That in itself is good, but the bore was still shiny on the lands the entire length of the barrel. Almost clean is how I would describe it. The muzzle had a nice lube star too. I ran a patch with my range solvent (windshield washer fluid) down the bore and it was spotless clean. One dry patch and it was clean. I set it aside to cool completely and went to exercise a 45LC SAA for a few minutes.
Shot String #2:
This string would also be 5 shots, but this time the blow tube stays in the shooting box and all shots would be fired 30-45 seconds apart in an attempt to foul the bore and see accuracy go south. I fired all five in a span of 3 minutes and upon ejecting the 5th case and helping the smoke clear in the barrel with a puff of breath into the breach, I discovered a slightly dirty bore that simply appeared to be smoked, not really fouled like I have seen in the past with another big name lube when I tried the same trick. Clean up was a one wet and one dry patch proposition again, but you could really see the lube on the wet patch. It is a dark shade of green in color and can easily be distinguished from black fouling. The group size…..1.53”….Yep I shot faster, did not use the blow tube and the group got smaller. I think it is important to mention that the humidity was only 50% today. That is fairly dry air, but the lube was capturing what was available and putting it to good use keeping the fouling soft. Back to the 45LC to let the rifle completely cool.
Shot String #3:
I was encouraged by the results of string #2 but tiring of the recoil generated from the 500+grain boolits when fired so rapidly from the bench. But, here we go. 10 shots fired as fast as possible to aim accurately, fire and reload. I was ejecting them with enough authority to kick them over my right shoulder several times. The rate of fire was steady and I’ll confess the last three just plain hurts. The time was under 4 minutes for all ten. My shooting pal, James was spotting for me and when the last empty cleared the gun, he stepped up and slapped me on the back. I asked him if I needed a shotgun to improve the group I had just fired. He replied “Nah it’s one hole” You’re Bullsh..ing I says and he hands me a set of binoculars. It was a ragged 10 shot hole that gave up a measurement of 1.59”. While I was rubbing my soon to be bruised shoulder, James pushed a damp patch through the bore and it was SHINY CLEAN. Not just clean, spotless. Two dry patches and it was a mirror of perfection.
Have I found the grail of Black Powder Lube. I think so. Every now and then a lube comes along and makes a difference in accuracy and that is one thing, but to control fouling at a high rate of fire in a black powder firearm when there is virtually no available ambient moisture and maintain accuracy too is something special. James asked what I thought about melting enough to saturate some precut patches for his Muzzleloader so he could try it there. I guess I can spare a little, but only a little.
Thanks to Bullshop for two things. One, for giving me an opportunity to perform a 1st run field test for you and two, for coming up with this magic elixir for the Black Powder community.
This is likely not a perfect scientific test, but it is actual results from actual shooting. I attempted to foul the rifle by failing to introduce moisture to the bore to keep the fouling soft and increase fouling by increasing the rate of fire to a ridiculous point and by doing so ruin any chance of accuracy. Ya know what happened, I ended up with an average group of 1.56” from three groups and 20 shots. This is a ½” improvement in group size from any load I have fired in this rifle since it followed me home from Moodyholler’s place many years ago.
Yeah I found the grail or actually I think it found me.
SS