Lube question

johnnyjr

Well-Known Member
I don't understand what it means when some say too much lube is not good..seems more would be better..please explain.. john.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
It does seem to be opposite of what common sense would say, but it seems to be true. Why? 'Cuz that's what that gun wants with that particular bullet. Might be totally different in a different gun. What the gun wants is all that matters.
 

Snakeoil

Well-Known Member
When I clean my .32-40 after a match, my first patch is a dry one to see how the bore feels. What I have been noticing is that there seems to be a bit more drag in the last 12 to 15 inches of the bore. Now, it may just be that the dry fouling is building up on the patch and causing more drag. But I'm thinking that I might not be lubing enough of the grooves. I'm currently only lubing 2. I may try 3. The rub is it is a tapered bullet and lubing the 3rd groove may make a mess as in lube squeezing past the bullet and up the die. We'll see.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
it's just your old lube drying out.

think about a freshly waxed floor, and then how it hazes over in a week or so.
run the buffer over it and zingo all shiny again.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
it's just your old lube drying out.

think about a freshly waxed floor, and then how it hazes over in a week or so.
run the buffer over it and zingo all shiny again.

:headscratch:

Old lube dried out is one issue but the OP question was too much lube, a completely different thing.
 

Ian

Notorious member
He was responding to Rob.

A pin head speck of lube is enough to coat the whole barrel. If you need more than one groove lubed you're either using black powder or your dynamic fit sucks because your alloy, pressure curve, and barrel aren't balanced to to make and keep a decent seal all the way to the muzzle.

Many of my modern rifles group best with only the space in front of the gas check filled with lube.
 

johnnyjr

Well-Known Member
IME the only way to tell how much is too much, beyond the muzzle being a greasy mess, is to experiment a bit. If you're using a Loverin with 5 lube grooves, try just filling 3 or 4 and see what the target says.
I'm going to try that. Maybe that is the cause of my occasional flyer fryers..
Thanks for the information..John
 

Snakeoil

Well-Known Member
it's just your old lube drying out.

think about a freshly waxed floor, and then how it hazes over in a week or so.
run the buffer over it and zingo all shiny again.
Not sure my lube has time to dry out. My bullets get lubed the night before the match and the rifle gets cleaned after the match. But I suppose it could dry out after the match on the ride home.

My .30-06 uses the NOE 210314 which only has 2 lube grooves. Might be a bit of room ahead of the GC, too. But their drawing shows no room there.
 

quicksylver

Well-Known Member
NOE'S 30 Hunter shows how little you really need, two shallow grouveshttps://www.artfulbullet.com/index.php?threads/noe-30-hunter.1410/
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
The 30 hunter I took advice from Fiver and Ian on the 2 very small shallow lube groves when I had Al draw it up. It was made for a SAMMI chamber in 308 Win. We took measurements off a fresh chambered barrel. But hearing from Al several times he sells it for the 3006 more than 308W. That was how it came up with the term 30 hunter as a bunch of guys that have killed a bunch of Elk and Mule deer have contacted him and told him.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
exactly.
you do have to remember what he was dealing with for lube though.
anyone that goes through the trouble to test home made bear tallow and finds that a spring bear is better than a fall bear,,,
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Try you pet load with a lube consisting of steam cylinder grease, circa 1908, sperm oil (good luck!) and some wax. You'll probably want more lube grooves!!!
 
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Snakeoil

Well-Known Member
Try you pet load with a lube consisting of steam cylinder grease, circa 1908, sperm oil (good luck!) and some wax. You'll probably want more lube grooves!!!
Yeah, some of those ingredients were not only interesting but a mystery. When I was shooting BPCR silhouettes seriously, the one thing that became very apparent was a lot of the knowledge behind what worked and what didn't was lost when smokeless became the norm. Shooters were having to experiment to come up with techniques and ingredients to get the BP rifles to shoot well and consistently. I tend to think that might be partially true about shooting cast bullets. Some stuff is understood by those who have done it for some time. Not sure all of it is in a book somewhere. How much lube, what kind of lube, how to make the lube, how many lube grooves, what size to use, etc., it just scratching the surface of what needs to be known to do well. Sure, one can get lucky, buy commercially made bullets of unknown alloy with unknow lube, pick a powder and load from a book and shoot well right out of the gate. The downside to that is the shooter probably learned nothing from that experience and will struggle when he tries the same approach the next time with a new gun.