Home Forums Hunting & Shooting BPCR Bullet Lube.

How all y'all doin'? Just a little question for those that want to answer.

Do y'aLL make yerw own bullet lube?

Maybe some would share their formulas?

tnx.

To many other things to get done without worrying about lube. I like Bullshops Nasa and Sagebrush Alox lubes. Both are relatively cheap and very good lubes.

SPG, DGL and a couple or so other commercial lubes do the job.

If you really want to go the homebrew route, go to www.BPCR.net and click on the BPCR Lubes link in the left hand column.

All the recipes you'd ever want. I've used the one with beeswax, lanolin, and Lubegard, but I can't say it's any better than any other, or a commercial lube.

I'm using DGL and SPG these days.

Paul

Half and half by volume bees wax and neatsfoot oil.

Or 50/50 bees wax and rendered bear fat.

In a pinch, you can eat it!

Don't lick it off the bullets.

I like that one. I've been playing with addition of lanolin too. I use rendered bear fat only for round ball patches. Works great for that! I've also been playing with "fat wads." Pork skin with fat on it and bear fat work ok as grease cookies. Use a wad punch.


100 dollar Bill

By volume : 50% beeswax, 50% mineral oil. For colder weather, increase volume of mineral oil, for warmer weather, increase beeswax.

In Paul Matthews' book, How-To's for the Black Powder cartridge rifle Shooter, Matthews' basic lube is 2 parts beeswax, 1 part Neatsfoot oil, and 1 part Muphy's oil soap. He used 1 part beeswax and 1 part Neatsfoot oil for grease cookies. He states that the grease cookies have a lower melting point and can migrate past his wax-paper wads to the powder in hot weather. He wrote that the beeswax/Neatsfoot/Murphy's is better for both uses in warm weather because of its higher melting point and harder consistency. I use a wad made from a sheet of beeswax instead of Matthews' wax-paper wads, and I think the lube is less likely to migrate in warm weather through the beeswax. You can use one of those crude syringes used for cooking, without the needle, to inject the grease cookie made from the softer lube. Keep the syringe warm by running hot water over the syringe.

Of course, the "best" oil to use is sperm whale oil. Hard to find these days. I actually had a small can of it that came with the old barber equipment that I bought years ago. I tried it, and it was fine. Olive oil works, as well as many other non-petroleum oils. When I first started, I used paraffin and vaseline. It worked ok with muzzleloaders, but my long-barreled BPCRs demanded better and I, like many, have switched to non-petroleum ingredients.

100 dollar Bill

Interesting. It was after reading Matthews' works that I began using a pure beeswax cookie directly over the powder, and a lube cookie on top of that, a two-layer cookie.

It seems that few shooters do as you and I do in that regard. My loads using this combo aren't particularly accurate, but they have served me well for the timed 25 shot buffalo "herd" shoots, where you don't have time to use the blow tube or wipe after every shot.

Paul

I got these from Blackwater, I think?

Emmits Lube
All measures are by volume.

4 parts refined beeswax
2 parts LubeGard's "Valve and Assembly Lubricant"
2 parts anhydrous lanolin.

OR

5 parts refined beeswax
3 parts LubeGard
2 parts anhydous lanolin. "This makes a dandy lube for dry, hot conditions."

Note: LubeGard should be available at any NAPA Auto Supply store.
Note: Refined beeswax and anhydrous lanolin are available from: http://www.from-nature-with-love.com/soap/.

Melt the beeswax and anhydrous lanolin in a double boiler. Once both are well melted, add the LubeGard and stir for a minute. This lube works well for pan-lubing, as well as through a lube-sizer.

or

By the way, to make yourself some lube that really works, even when the weather is hot, and your lube starts to melt, take about a pound of 100 percent natural beeswax and melt it in your double boiler. Before you do that, however, go to NAPA Auto and get some LubeGard Valve & Assembly Lubricant (Part No. BK. 765-2602). Squirt it in the melted beeswax about one to eight. Let it harden. Play with the mixture until you get the consistency you want. I like the rich, pink color. LubeGard is a high-quality synthetic sperm whale oil. I have smelled the real thing a friend of mine had and I'll be damned if LubeGard doesn't smell like the real thing - a cross between fish and motor oil.

Use a wad that will prevent migration of the lube into the powder. I use a .030 LDPE wad.


or

The following is the Lube Receipt that I have been using. It works OK, however, it is not as good as my favorite commercial lube (Lee Shaver's BP Moly) but it is cheap and I enjoy the experimentation.
4 tbsp. Safflower oil
4 tbsp. Neatsfoot oil
2 tbsp. Lube Guard
1 1/4 cup beeswax
1 cup of mutton fat
* This seamed to solid to me when I pan lubed, therefore I added another 1/3 cup of Neatsfoot oil. Pan lubed just fine.
During the next experiments I think I will add more lube guard. For those of you who use and like lube guard, more is neeed, right?

My goal for a lube formula was to come up with a lube that would be very simple to make, with redily available ingreadiance, that would be inexpencive, and work well under the worst conditions. I feel I have been succesful in this and am now marketing it as Bull Shop #2lube. A one ounce hollow stick @ $2.00 and a 6 oz can @ $10.00. I will give you the formula as I do not expect to make my fortune with it. As you may know I have a custom bullet casting service and have been lubeing all customers black powder bullets with #2 and have been receiving very positive feed back. Last week I received an e-mail from Leo Remiger a competiter in Ankerage Alaska. Useing Bull Shop bullets with #2 lube he managed a first place in his clubs last match. Some of you will recognise his name from some of his articles in the Black Powder Cartridge News. This lube is very simple.
By weight
1-bee wax
1/4 Pennzoil 2 cycle oil
1/4 Allox 2138F
Some will say that allox has no business being in black powder lube so let me explain a couple things. We all know that BPlube has two functions. I used to use two lubes, one for each. For a long time my best shooting had been done by lubing the bullet with an allox based smokless lube, and using a greese wad of 50/50 olive oil bee wax. The allox also gives this lube a very smooth consistancy that works very well through a lubrisizer, and extrudes in one even continuas ribbon through a ribbon tool. I put some out in direct sun light at 106 F on a black steel plate and it did not run or melt in any way. The allox seems to act as a binder holding the mix together. On the hottest dryest dayes we had this summer I always had a nice greasy lube star on the muzzle. For long strings in extreem conditions a blow tube was still needed.
There were five different lubes I tried but settled on #2 as the simplest to make, fewest ingrediance, least expencive,and equaly effective as the others.
Keep em smokin


Thanks for the info. I have been using a concoction of my own for a while now.
8 oz (wt.) of white beeswax
3 tablespoons of Anhydrous Lanolin
4 tablespoons of Rislone 2 Cycle oil
4 tablespoons of Lube Gard
4 tablespoons of Snow Cap Lard (salt free)
Much as I would rather lubrisize, I am shooting tighter groups with no sizing and pan lubeing which I do just as you have suggested. That lube is surprisingly hard but pan lubes like a dream. Muzzle star is rather hard but not dry. Pushing a dry patch through after 10 rounds (4 blowtube puffs between shots) pushes a rather soft piece of fouling out, one time and clean bore after that.(Cal. .45-90, 78 gr 1 1/2 FG Swiss,.030 LDPE, RCBS 500 GR Sil. 30-1, fireformed Starline case neck-sized. Fouling remains fairly soft to the muzzle (30") This badger barrel has never leaded, no matter what I've tried. I shot this lube this spring at around 30 degrees or so but can't recall the results. Guess I have to keep better records. This lube subject is a fascinating one but without an apparent perfect solution. SPG worked well for me in the cold but just looking to experiment more. After all the posts on this subject last summer, I'm sure everyone is tired of the subject by now.... Thanks for your input.


Just wanted to say thanks to Dan.My 400 yard pattern if it even hit the paper turned into a group. I have been shooting known lubes and ading lubegard. But nothing has worked as well as this.( 4 parts lanolin,6 parts bayberry,2 parts peanut oil)The lube holds the bayberry greenish color and with swiss powder the lube star is the same greenish color. I still havn't found the holy grail with goex. Think I'll try adding 1 part lubegard and see what happens.I might be slipping towards lubaholism.
I have searched the past post about lubes. One heck of alot of good information. Well I made some home made lube today and I was wondering about its consisitency. The lube is 50% Pure Bees Wax, 40% Crisco grease, and 10% Canola oil. The lube is very waxie. But yet is soft, is this about right consistency for this formula?

I think I've got another recipe too, but it's about six pages long.

I just generally use SPG and don't worry too much about it.

I heard thazt Blackwater likes the last mix on crackers with a cold longneck.

Got to wattch dat BW!! He be a tad sneaky!!

But I use this lube ratcher.

4 parts refined beeswax
2 parts LubeGard's "Valve and Assembly Lubricant"
2 parts anhydrous lanolin.

Mr. Dah, dat Lubeguard looks good enough to drank.

I only do all that fancy stuff for my Pedersoli-Sharps 45-120. I've never been to a real match and finding 300 yards to shoot around here is hard to do; all forested except for a few gravel pits. It seems accurate enough and it does keep the fouling soft! That's about all I can tell ya!

My lever guns in 32-20, 38-55, and 50-110 see no grease cookies. I just try to use bullets with big grease grooves that hold lots of lube for those shorter barrels...also my silly old Buffalo Classic in 45-70, which is my current favorite. Something about the dumb break-open basics of it. I love it.

100 dollar Bill

Geeze Louise--

Gotta wonder what RPole means by all that "fancy stuff". Do you employ fouling control methods like a blow tube or wiping between shots?

I use grease cookies only for the very specialized timed fire matches where you don't have much time to do anything other than stuff another round in, aim, and fire. Lots of fun and a real challenge, but doesn't require pinpoint accuracy. And those grease cookie loads are a real PITA to put together, let me tell ya.

Going back to the OP, beginners and even most experienced shooters would do better just buying a good commercial lube, and spend their time and money on things other than messing with concocting lubes.

From one who has BTDT.

Paul

Yes, I have blow tubes. You are welcome to use that method if you choose. I was writing about a different method. I didn't even get into what I've been using with paper-patched bullets which I've started to play with. I have little interest in the sport of poking holes in paper on a range. That is for zeroing in, so I can hunt. While I'm hunting, I don't want to use blow tubes or wipe between shots. I'm sure its not needed while hunting, but I use a grease cookie to keep the fouling soft in my 45-120. And besides, I like screwing around with all that fancy stuff sometimes. The 45-120 has lots of room in the case for such things and the rifle has a long barrel, etc....

Fancy stuff?
Weighing and perfecting case dimensions with consistency, flash hole cleaning and deburing, drop tubes, powder compression dies, wads made of whatever, grease cookies, carefully weighing bullets, etc.





So you do use them. I have no problem putting together fancy loads with all the fun stuff in there. I use grease cookies only in specialized situations also, like when I want to use them. As I wrote, I don't use blow tubes, wiping between shots, grease cookies, whatever in the majority of my BP shooting. In my shorter-barreled BP guns, I slap in a primer, pour in a volumetric measure of powder, card wad (don't usually bother with wads in 45 Colt or 32-20 loads), and a well-lubed bullet is seated to slightly compress the powder. I use several different lubes, home-made and commercial, including the famous SPG lube. I've found that I don't need grease cookies, blow tubes, wiping between shots, or super accuracy to kill bunnies, grouse, coyote, fox, bear, deer, or even moose (maybe a bison some day). And I sure don't need to save money.



Yes, and one could just buy commercial ammo or have someone load for them. Better yet, shoot smokeless and you hardly need to clean your rifle. But I encourage shooters to try all the different methods, including the picky crap/fancy stuff that can make reloading interesting and fun. "Buying a good commercial lube" can be much more expensive than making your own- not much savings in buying lube. But hey, each to their own!



I've read and replied to many of your posts over the years. I think you're getting old and cranky. Loosen up.

Wow, seems like I touched a nerve. Certainly wasn't my intent, in fact, I pointed out the commonalities in our practices.

When I respond in a thread, I try to focus on the interests of the OP, although like many, I occasionally wander off on a tangent.

When somebody new to the BPCR game asks questions, I try to guide them toward the simpler, proven practices, in the hope that it will shorten their learning curve. That's what I mean when I say I've been there and done that, specifically experimenting with homebrewed lubes.

As far as being old and cranky, I plead guilty. I can't help getting old, and I'm occasionally cranky, but that wasn't my mindset when I responded to your post. Didn't mean to pee in your Cheerios.

Like you said, to each his own. You've clarified that your main interest is hunting, and you've found what works best for you.

Paul

Not at all. Just calmly writing my opinion. My writing seems just matter-of-fact style to me. I've even gotten awards for my writing, yet many on hunting forums read it as hypertensive or something. Too long maybe? Not enough smiley faces? I should just leave these damn forums. Too much fighting lately. Everybody seems on edge.

Anyway, I was looking for an old post that I'm sure I saved, but can't seem to find. I forget if it was from the old Marlin forum or from this one. It was a really long and detailed instruction of loading the BPC, including grease cookies and the other fancy stuff. I also forgot who wrote it. It was great! I was thinking it may have even been you; at least I'm somewhat sure you may have read it. Do you remember such a thing?

never mind.

I don't know I haven't priced the materials for awhile, but last time I checked you can buy prooven lubes that have taken folks into the winners circle for less than you could get the makins for some concoction that may or may not be worth the effort to put together.