SPG vs. beeswax/tallow

[Dick Dastardly]

I'll put in a plug here for my PL-II.  It stores well, stands heat and works well in cold.  It moves properly thru my Star lube/sizer.  I've just completed shooting Smoke in the Hills with some of my oldest ammo.  No hickups, accuracy problems or function questions.  Of course, I was shooting only Big Lube®LLC boolits in my 44 ELR guns.  That's 44 Extra Long Russian to us black powder shooters.  44 Magnum to those in Rio Linda.

So, for accuracy, function, price, convenience, I offer PL-II.  Love the stuff.

DD-MDA

[Driftwood Johnson]

Not to be a pissant, Noz, but I think paraffin is a petroleum wax, prolly wasn't around for the Spirit of '76 . . .

In Britain, the word paraffin is commonly used to describe what we here in the states call kerosene. I suspect that is what is being referred to in the quote from Noz.

Believe it or not, kerosene has been around a very long time. It was described by a Persian scholar in the 9th Century.

[john boy]

I'll put in a plug here for my PL-II.

Can anyone with some real-life  experience compare it with  "traditional" home-made lube recipes, like beeswax/tallow 50-50 ?

Dick - you forgot to tell the poster the recipe!  

[Advertising]

[wildman1]

Crisco and deer tallow, 50/50. After using various mixtures of canola oil, paraffin, beeswax, Crisco, EVOO, and a few other things I settled on Crisco and deer tallow. Seems ta work the best of all of them. WM

[Dick Dastardly]

Ho JB,

There are three ingredients.  Two are from the original published recipe.  The third is not, nor will it be.  But, that said, PL-II is an excellent black powder AND smokeless powder lube for Cowboy Action Shooting.  The hallmark of PL-II is the ease of cleanup.  The combination of Big Lube®LLC bullets and PL-II assures continuing accuracy and function regardless of the number of shots taken, even in consecutive days of shooting, without need to clean.  This holds true for both Genuine Powder, kiss your sister wanna be substitute black powder and heathen fad smokeyless powder.

How am I doing JB?  Is this what you were asking for?

DD-MDA

[Fox Creek Kid]

Any regular BP lube can work well in CAS shooting or in humidity for that matter. The real test is when it is 100F and less than 20% relative humidity that most lubes fall flat on their face in BPCR (Silhouette & Long Range). Aeordynamics prevent bullets with deep lube grooves from achieving good accuracy at long range which also hampers the matter.

[Wolf Killer]

Hello Lads,
Have been following this line, I am a new BPCR shooter, and all this lube talk makes my inbred head hurt.

I read Paul Matthews book on lubes, and his comments on his two favorite blends was the problem of crystallization of the end product, causing brittleness and it's reaction to temp extremes.

This got me to thinking, I have in my past hobbies and a small business worked with silicone casting rubber and two part resn for casting models, toys and parts for vintage items.

One of the problems we had in using these products was voids in the end product caused by trapped air, and  crystals in the end products due to improper mixing and handling. We solved this problem by using a vacuum chamber to pull a vacuum on the resins in their mixed state. this removed the trapped air and halted the Crystal formation.

I am wondering if this would work on some of the lube recipes while they are in their liquid state.. The end product would be smoother no doubt, and should cause a better adherence to the bullet and the iron in the rifle.
I know that Crisco and similar shortenings are run through a vacuum to remove the air and moisture before packing.

Just 2 cents and being bored at home.

Wolf Killer
DB

[Oregon Bill]

To Steel Horse Bailey: It's heartening to hear you recite the reasons why we use real black powder, just as the old dead guys did. Thanks for restating the case so concisely and so eloquently!
 

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Oregon Bill,

It's very nice of you to say that.

BP is FUN!

[john boy]

The joys of BP loading ... and shooting.  It ain't for the faint of heart ... But when your shooting Pard lets loose with a full load of BP and you see that big red, white 'n yellow flame, plus the beautiful cloud of billowing white smoke and hear that deep B*O*O*M! you'll know WHY  you go to all the trouble to load your shells with that most wonderful of all shooting powders!

Every Friday, a bunch of us old timers get together for an informal trap shoot.  Today, on the first round I fired a box of black powder.  Now, these guys have never smelled BP smoke - but they did today and we had a a good conversation at the end of the round because they couldn't figure why the clouds were indicating the wind direction down range.  Plus what was impairing their vision when it was their turn for the bird

[Dick Dastardly]

Fog of war JB, fog of war.  Let them eat smoke.

DD-MDA

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Every Friday, a bunch of us old timers get together for an informal trap shoot.  Today, on the first round I fired a box of black powder.  Now, these guys have never smelled BP smoke - but they did today and we had a a good conversation at the end of the round because they couldn't figure why the clouds were indicating the wind direction down range.  Plus what was impairing their vision when it was their turn for the bird

John Boy, I'll bet they were suitably impressed!  Did any of them express any interest in trying BP?

Keep getting the word out, pards!

[PJ Hardtack]

I use SPG in my BPCR loads foir convenience, but my own bees wax/olive oil mix for cap & ball. Simple is good. I make the mix firm enough to not melt away even on a hot day.
One of the best cap & ball shooters I know does NOT use lube at all on his Walkers, and Ruger Old Army's. Chain fires and fouling - nil.

I have noticed the drying out and flaking of SPG in bullets that have been stored improperly for a few years. Easily solved as noted by others.

[john boy]

Did any of them express any interest in trying BP?

Bailey, the 99.9% population answer ... No.  Heck I only clean my shotgun once a year

[PJ Hardtack]

A guy with a Winchester gas operated shotgun won the trap event at a BP national match I put on. That night he got royally drunk and was sick for two days.
When he got around to cleaning his gun, he was shocked .... said it was in a pretty sad state.

I also just found out that a cap & ball pal has shot BP in his 1911. It worked, but I don't know for how long. That must have been one dirty gun .....

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Bailey, the 99.9% population answer ... No.  Heck I only clean my shotgun once a year

J.B., sadly, you're right.

A guy with a Winchester gas operated shotgun won the trap event at a BP national match I put on. That night he got royally drunk and was sick for two days.
When he got around to cleaning his gun, he was shocked .... said it was in a pretty sad state.

I also just found out that a cap & ball pal has shot BP in his 1911. It worked, but I don't know for how long. That must have been one dirty gun .....

Dirty indeed!

I've heard of folks putting lower-power springs in their 1911s and running that way, but I don't wish to do that, myself - no matter HOW much fun I have shooting BP!

But it might be interesting just once ...
 

[fourfingersofdeath]

A few shooters I know are travelling to NZ to compete in the 'Wild Bunch' shoots (pump action shotguns illegal here and 45s heavily controlled). They all seem to be using Black Powder in their 1911s. I must ask them about it when I come across them.