Round ball info

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big6x6

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Weights and BCs of common lead round balls. Weight is actual in Athens, AL :D

....SIZE....BC....WEIGHT....................................
0.310-- 0.043 - 46gr
0.315-- 0.044 - 48gr
0.350-- 0.049 - 64gr
0.375-- 0.053 - 79gr
0.440-- 0.062 - 129gr
0.451-- 0.064 - 138gr
0.454-- 0.064 - 141gr
0.490-- 0.068 - 177gr
0.530-- 0.075 - 224gr
0.570-- 0.080 - 277gr
 
Dave's "Moose Milk" recipe:

There are two ways you can make this...

#1
4 ounces NAPA Auto Parts #765-1526 Soluble Cutting & Grinding Oil
8 ounces 91% Isopropyl alcohol
1 ounce Murphy's Oil Soap
16 ounces tap water

This is a good lube and you can add or subtract cutting oil to make it as rich or a light as you like.

#2 This was a reciepe by a person named Stumpkiller. He uses Castor Oil because it is a natural oil. So I tried his version after I went through a bottle of mine. I like it and still have some left, so I am still shooting it.

Castor Oil 4 oz.
Murphy's Oil Soap 1 oz.
Witch Hazel 4 oz.
Isopropyl Alcohol (91%) 8 oz.
Water (non-chlorinated) 15 oz.

Be sure when making the Moose milk to mix the alcohol and castor oil together first. Then add the witch hazel. Add all of this to the water and shake. Finally after that mixture is all together add the Murphy?s oil soap.

For a dry patch, I dip my patching in this twice and let it dry between dips on a window screen. This makes a semi-dry patch material that's easy to carry & use. Also it works good in the winter. As the material dries it holds the oil. Personally I like to spritz with liquid lube onto a dry patch. If you don't mind carrying a little bottle it's a GREAT liquid lube as is.
 
i use two patch lubes, selection based on both the trad ml in question and the task at hand.

moose milk ...
1:6 mix of ballistol:water, soak the patch strips, allow to dry off on a FLAT surface. the oil remains in the patching (cotton or linen cloth).

gato feo lube ...
(by weight, NOT volume!) - 1 part mutton tallow (dixie gun works), 1 part canning paraffin (gulf), 1/2 part real beeswax. mix in a double boiler at 140f. awesome for lubing bpcr bullets or ml patching (none to very little barrel fouling control required).
 
started using the original formula lehigh valley patch lube (it's also a cleaner and preservative) - Awesome stuff! no cleaning needed between shots, either. after pure water cleaning the barrel i run some lvl soaked patched down the barrel, then a few dry patches, clean as a whistle, then a final patch with lvl to preserve during down time between shooting. works just as good on white powder guns, too. heck, i just ordered out a gallon of it!

www.lehighvalleylube.com
 
a bit more round ball info ...

i just cast fifty .600" balls that weigh 2lbs 5ozs, and fifty .490" balls that weigh 1lb 4ozs. i like carrying 36 balls in my shooting bag and that means 1lb 12ozs for .62 smoothbore and 15ozs for the .50 hawken. big balls do add some carrying weight! :mrgreen:

mKWg0ny.jpg
 
When used for hunting-only, no barrel seasoning (LVL) and definitely no WD-40.
Being I don't shoot much roundball anymore, I use Mink Oil prelubed pillow-tick patches. Get em' at October Country. Part number 15-5187
 
GoexBlackhorn said:
When used for hunting-only, no barrel seasoning (LVL) and definitely no WD-40....

i don't follow ya ... ?

yes, i agree - no "barrel seasoning" required.

there are a glut of good patch lubes for round ball, and dittos for conical grease lubes. not one is best for everyone but we all find one (or more) that's best for us.

after a shooting/hunting session and after the ml gun gets cleaned, it's prudently smart to coat the iron with something that'll prevent (or slow down) oxidation. don't matter too much what ya use, but using nothing would be a mistake. prior to shooting, that just stuff needs to get swabbed out (or shot out).
 
Muley Hunter said:
I kind of like bear tallow with beeswax. It stays soft in very cold "

Where are you getting the bear tallow from, cooking down bear fat?

Once you have the tallow what are you storing it in to keep it fresh but still soft? Thanks.
 
if yer just starting out with a trad ml, once the barrel and lock are broken in an tuned up, and a spit patch/ball combo seems to work reasonably well, that's the time to experiment a bit with patch lubes. besides the tried 'n' true spit patch, i've used a number of different oils 'n' greases, from mink to olive to crisco to tallow, and lotsa blends of beeswax and all of the preceding ingredients. they all work good enuf to one degree or another. with a specific patch thickness and ball diameter in mind, i look for is a patch lube that'll work in all temperatures, never require a ball starter, and not require swabbing between shots for at least a dozen shots or more ... more is better, for me.

in my patch lube findings ....

high on my list is that original Lehigh Valley Lube. it does require immediate spraying and needs to be used wet. pre-wetting of patch strips or cut patches for a loading block doesn't work with LVL as its wetting ingredient will evaporate over a short time. but it does work amazing well and no swabbing required between shots, not ever. it also makes barrel cleaning a breeze during after session cleaning. this is a multi use lube that will also clean and protect yer gun's steel and iron. it'll do it all and does that extremely well. but patching requires to be used WET.

a double boiler blended mix (by weight) of 1 part paraffin wax (gulf), 1 part mutton tallow (DGW) and 1/2 part pure beeswax is called "gato feo lube" (ugly cat) and that's what i've been currently using because it's rubbed onto patch strips and then melted in with a hair dryer or heat gun to fully saturate the cloth weave. it stays soft no matter what the air temp and will allow continuous shooting for at least a dozen shots or more before pushing down the patched ball will require a short starter. spritzing these patch strips with LVL guarantees no swabbing will be required, ever. this is the grease i use to lube my black powder cartridge rifle bullets that i cast.

mutton tallow (acquired online from Dixie Gun Works) that's rubbed into a patch or patch strip section just before loading can also deliver swab free shooting, dependent on the patch/ball dimensions used. it has a pleasing odor and is good for yer skin, too (lanolin)!

the rest of the lubes and greases and liquids i've used have all had spottier results, which is why each of us needs to test/experiment with patch lubes, ain't no quickie shortcut unless ya get lucky. 8)
 
City Rat said:
Muley Hunter said:
I kind of like bear tallow with beeswax. It stays soft in very cold "

Where are you getting the bear tallow from, cooking down bear fat?

Once you have the tallow what are you storing it in to keep it fresh but still soft? Thanks.


Sorry, I haven't been on this forum for awhile. Here's the patch lube I use. I asked the owner about this and he told me it's 90% bear tallow. It's a good deal if that's true.


http://www.octobercountry.com/bumblin-bear-grease-4-oz/
 
My own mix now for years... slide the .018" pillow ticking, place over barrel and cut with a patch knife after placing .530" round ball and using the ball starter to get things going. I also pre-cut my patches as well.

Patch Lube.jpg
 
I can shoot (without ever swabbing between shots) using Oxyoke competion patch lube $6 for 8oz. I put around 50 precut .018 pillow tickling patches in a plastic film container and put the liquid lube in with them. The container is liquid proof with a plastic (easily removable) snap on/off lid that stores easily in your shooting bag. I use to use 10% dawn dishsoap and 90% water with similar results, however, I have noticed the Oxyoke lube makes cleaning my gun easier. I shoot a .018 patch with a .498 cast ball. The combo is .005's smaller than the lands and fills the .013 grooves correctly which pushes the previous shots fouling down and on top the next charge. I read somewhere on this sight (or another) that the ball neeeds to be no more than .005's smaller than the lands. I listened, bought me a .498 brass mold and shoot sun moa at 25 and 50 yards. and 1.5 and less at 100 yards with my Lyman GPR.
 
I've used the tc prelubed cotton patches for years now discontinued went to oxy one the are quit a bit bigger
 

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