Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
I know SPG is a superior bullet lube for black powder cartridge loads but I generally keep 50/50 on hand. Can NRA 50/50 be used as a subsitute or is that just asking for trouble in a black powder cartridge load?
I've found Finger lubing goes better for me with a soft lube, than pan lubing...I HATE pan lubing.My requirements are minimal, so I would prefer to not change out the lube in the lubersizer. I could just pan lube for the small number of bullets needed but they will likely still need to go through the sizing die. In a perfect world……..I could just leave the 50/50 in the sizer.
Yep, I agree.I can't answer your question directly, but here is my thought.
The Purists say not to use any petroleum products in a BP lube.
Now, if I were gonna go against that rule of thumb, I wouldn't use Alox.
Maybe mix up a batch of Emmerts lube?
I just ain't gonna answer that one.50/50 is certainly not ideal for this application but is it adequate ?
Yeah, but if I'm going to run them through the sizer, it sure would be nice to just get away with the 50/50 lube and be done."10 shots now and then"
I'd definitely finger lube, then size 'em.
You could use your 50/50 lubesizer setup, and just don't put any pressure on the lube reservoir.
While it works, it does in my experience require wiping the bore every five shots for decent accuracy. My thought is that it holds the black powder residue in the bore much more than the thinner lubes. FWIWYeah, but if I'm going to run them through the sizer, it sure would be nice to just get away with the 50/50 lube and be done.
In my experience those purists were the ones who got in character by dressing in buckskins and having nothing in their camp that didn’t exist in that period. E.g. no plastics etc. They used animal fat, beeswax etc. for lubes.I can't answer your question directly, but here is my thought.
The Purists say not to use any petroleum products in a BP lube.
It depends on the application, but in general petroleum-based lubes result in build-up of hard fouling over multiple shots. Quality of the powder seems to be a factor in this, but the fouling build-up is there even with the best powders, and gets worse with lesser-quality powders (like some lots of Elephant from the '90s).I don’t believe it was because petrochemical lubes were actually inferior.
I almost exclusively pan lube the NASA. Melt in a double boiler. Stand bullets in a shallow black plastic deli tray. Pour to desired dept. Allow to cool and push the bullets out of the hardened cake with my thumb. Grease groove(s) perfectly full, bases clean, shot as cast of course.My requirements are minimal, so I would prefer to not change out the lube in the lubersizer. I could just pan lube for the small number of bullets needed but they will likely still need to go through the sizing die. In a perfect world……..I could just leave the 50/50 in the sizer.
I have used SPG with standard "special" pistol cartridges and it works just fine. Also for GC rifle bullets up to about 1500 f/s. My only complaint is that it cost four times as much as any other lube. Since I only plink with BP, I just don't have that much experience with it. The flintlock gets a pint of water at the range, the brass cases go into a milk jug of soapy water. A wet wool mop down the bore is good here in the desert. But again I have never shot matches with BP.OK, how about the other direction. I clean out the lubersizer when I need to lube & size a batch of bullets for BP loads. Put just enough SPG in the lubersizer for that batch. And then go back to 50/50 when that job is done - There will undoubtly be some SPG left in the lubersizer when I switch back to 50/50. Will SPG work for low velocity smokeless rounds?
I guess you are not gonna try the finger lubing thing.OK, how about the other direction. I clean out the lubersizer when I need to lube & size a batch of bullets for BP loads. Put just enough SPG in the lubersizer for that batch. And then go back to 50/50 when that job is done - There will undoubtly be some SPG left in the lubersizer when I switch back to 50/50. Will SPG work for low velocity smokeless rounds?