Lube cookie?

[Tom-ADC]

Define lube cookie?
Thanks Tom

[Southern Son]

Tom, it is a disc of lube placed under the boolit but over the powder, usually to help keep the fouling from Black Powder softer. It can be put in between wads, I put a sheet of bees wax over the powder to stop the lube from effecting the powder and a 60 thou LDPE and newspaper wad goes under the boolit to stop the remains of the lube cookie staying on the base of the boolit.

[Harry O]

As stated above. I shoot my BP cartridges without the lube cookie first. If I get excessive hard fouling near the muzzle (which happens with most rifles), I add a lube cookie. That has always solved the problem.

There are doodads sold for extruding lube for cookies. I just boil some water in a discarded kitchen pan, melt the lube on the top of it, and then let it cool (and solidify) before lifting it off. If it is not the thickness you want, you can melt it again with either more or less lube.

I have found the compressing BP usually helps, too. In addition, it is easy to invert the cartridge/powder without any of it falling out in order to push the mouth of the case into the lube wad. If you don't compress, a fiber wad will do the same thing.

[Tom-ADC]

What about the lube getting into the powder? I compress all but the last .08 and finish that when I seat the bullet wouldn't that compress (squirt) the lube cookie around the veggie wad and contaminate the powder? What about long term storage?
Maybe I'm worring were I don't need to?

[BPCR Bill]

Lube cookies can be a nightmare that doesn't need to occur. Lube cookies (or wads) were originally intended for use with paper patched booits. Grease groove boolits essentially did away with the need for the lube wad. That being said, the traditionally accepted way to use the lube wad is to first place a vegatable fiber wad (either news print or a gasket material) over the powder. Cut the lube wad with the case mouth, and place another wad over that. This is so the lube does not stick to the boolit base. As for worrying that the lube may migrate into the powder, there is little to no chance that will occur unless you are in extremely high heat conditions. Many old vintage paper patch cartridges (some over 100 years old) have been disassembled and inspected, and there has been no indication of lube migration. One issue that you will encounter with the use of lube wads is fouling control. A lube wad will leave considerably more fouling in the throat, and you will find that cartridges are more difficult to chamber. Paper patches can be damaged in the process of chambering the round, and that won't do for good accuracy. Many paper patch guys (shooting BP of course) find it necessary to wipe the bore between shots. This is just my opinion, but if you have to wipe between shots, why use a lube wad in the first place? The purpose of the lube is to keep fouling soft between shots.

Now that I have pontificated at length on this, I must ask if you are shooting paper patch or grease groove boolits. If you are shooting grease groove boolits, and not getting a nice lube "star" at the muzzle, then your boolits do not have sufficient lube or a lube that is not compatible with BP. You also get hard fouling at the muzzle end of the barrel. I would try another boolit design. I shoot a Shiloh 45-110 with a 34 inch barrel, and I have no lube issues. The boolit is a Hoch 550 grain nose pour and lubed with SPG. In summation, it's like the three bears and the porridge. Not enough lube, too much lube, or just the right amount.

Regards,
Bill

[Don McDowell]

Like Bill said if you need a lube cookie with a grease groove, bullet either your lube isn't working, or you bullet isn't carrying enough lube, except in very hot and dry conditions.
As to the lube cooky migrating into the lube, that shouldn't be an issue except in hot conditions.
If you decide to use a lube cooky you'll need to compress the powder and wad enough extra so that the bullet doesn't mush the cooky, as the lube will either migrate up the bullet or down past the wads and either contaminate your powder or hydraulically lift your bullet out of the case, or in some instances bulge the case to the point it won't chamber.
If I'm shooting a paper patch bullet and don't want to wipe between shots I use a 1/8 in lubed felt wad sandwiched between two fiber wads. The felt wad does a much better job down the entire length of the barrel of both keeping the fouling soft and scraping previous fouling out.
Lube cookies seem to mostly dump the biggest share of their goo in the chamber throat and the first few inches of the barrel, and that can cause another fouling mess in its own right.

[Tom-ADC]

Boolits are grease groove type, reason I asked is this question came up on another board and it seemed odd to me that if the boolit was lubed why would I add a lube cookie,
Thanks for the replies it just enforces what I thought.
I'll find out tomorrow if my 32" barrel is to long for the lube on the boolit.

[BPCR Bill]

Tom, just put a few down the barrel and inspect the muzzle for the grease "star" I mentioned. If the grease is appearing at the muzzle, you have enough lube in the tube. It should be no problem with a 32 inch spout.

Regards,
Bill

[Oyeboten]

In Revolver anyway, Cap and Ball or Cartridge, I have been using a Home-Made 'Lube Wafer' made of Bee's Wax and some Olive Oil...the proportions are forgiving, but I prefer the outcome once cool to be about hard enough in the Melting Can, to accept a finger tip 'dent' only with fairly hard pressure.

I just run strips of Paper Towel through the molten mix...these, once cool and firm, I cut out discs with a Hole/Gasket Punch over the end-grain of a Board, electing a Gasket Punch size so they are a little oversize for the Cartridge or the Cylinder Bore.

These work very well, no Leading, no fouling, and easy clean up after Shooting.


Made this way, the Wafers come out around .040 thick.