Best lube for BP

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JD Pinardi

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Hello,
I'm new to black powder, I just recently inherited a 1960 New Model Army Centennial. I'm assuming cleaning it with a simple green solution isn't an issue. But from what i'm seeing the lubes I use in my other guns like CLR or FP-10 are no good with BP. So what's a good lube?

JD
 
Anything slick and organic will work. Common ingredients are bee's wax, vegetable shortening, tallow, cooking wax, soy wax, olive oil etc. Many commercial lubes of which I prefer SPG are sold by the parts stores like MIDWAY USA etc. Some of us are using Mobil 1 products with good results.

Clarification: Mobil 1 for gun lube, beeswax concoction or SPG for bullet lube.
 
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I've been using Ballistol and like it. Some don't care for the way it smells.
 
JD Pinardi said:
thanks Noz,
Mobil 1 products? Aren't petroleum products a problem?

Just trying to wrap my head around this.

JD
Click to expand...
Mobil 1 is a synthetic and does not seem to have the "bad" stuff that makes petroleum products off limits.
I know a few folks that use white lithium grease.
 
I like ballistol quite a bit. Mix it with water, spray it down, oil remains. I use bore butter to lube the arbor. I don't grease over balls. I use lubed felt wads.
 
i use mobile one on the trigger, bolt, hammer, rotation areas. i use lubed under ball wads and over ball lube including on the arbor pin. crisco in cool weather, mutton tallow/bees wax mix in hot weather. plus the revolvers get a hot paste wax treatment, including the bore, after cleaning
 
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Howdy

If you are talking about lubricating the parts of the revolver, I have been using Ballistol for many years.

If you are talking about bullet lube, I have been using SPG. I also used to pan lube bullets with a 50/50 mix of Crisco/Beeswax.
 
Simple Green will remove or significantly thin your sixgun's bluing.

Bore butter works just fine for cleaning and lubrication and is natural, easy and cheap to make.

5 Parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Parts Beeswax
 
I clean with moose milk (50/50 Ballistol/water)
Lubricate and protect with Ballistol
Ball Lube is 5:1 Olive oil to beeswax

Cheap and works perfectly. Also for me, as I live in the UK, it's easy to get hold of.
 
JD Pinardi said:
... Aren't petroleum products a problem?...
JD
Click to expand...

As already mentioned, Mobil One is synthetic, however it is also worth mentioning that all petroleum products are not a problem. It is just that many, many of them will gum up with BP, so the safe bet it to avoid any petroleum products that you have not confirmed compatibility from a trusted source.
 
Thanks for all your feedback, sounds like there's many ways to skin this cat. And some ways not too! Looks like I'm in for a another education. I think I managed a couple of pics.

Thanks again,
JD
 

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swathdiver said:
Simple Green will remove or significantly thin your sixgun's bluing.

Bore butter works just fine for cleaning and lubrication and is natural, easy and cheap to make.

5 Parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Parts Beeswax
Click to expand...

That was my first thought as well!!

OP, I wouldnt risk anything unknown or unproven on that guns blueing. Its a semi rare find and there will never be another like it... Besides, one can use any PROVEN gun oil on the outside, its only the working parts that dont like petroleum.

I do fine with beeswax, canning wax, olive oil, crisco, unsalted lard... I even use canola oil from a spray can and it seems to work fine so far... The gold standard however seems to be beeswax mixed with lambs tallow.
 
For cleaning I use warm water and a dash of dish or laundry detergent. The water is all that is needed for the fouling but there's often a lot of left over lube so the detergent aids in cutting through the oils and wax and such so the gun comes clean a bit faster.

Simple Green ain't so simple or green as the advertising would have you believe. It's also been known to rust bicycle chains on more than one occasion when someone decided to "go Green" instead of using solvent. So Simple Green has no place in my shops or on my toys any longer. And frankly it didn't work that well as a cleaner either.

For lubricating I've used Ballistol up to now. But I'm liking what I'm reading from the replies above about Mobil 1 full synthetic for inside the action. But we'll see. It's easier to just use one lube for it all and I've got the Ballistol out anyway.....

Early on I saw a video on You Tube about using a drop of cooking oil over the balls to both lube the ball as well as seal off any small gaps against a chainfire. That seemed a lot easier and neater than dealing with over ball greases and a lot less fuss and expense than using lube wads. So that's what I've done for the past 7 years and quite a few thousand rounds through my revolvers. Leading is non-existent and cleanup is a breeze with the Canola oil I use for this. And a drop of oil on the arbors of my open tops at each loading or a drop on the base pins at the face of the cylinder on my Remingtons keeps the cylinders spinning freely all day long. I tried some bore butter I was given and found that using it on my arbors and base pins made the cocking seem draggy and gooey. But my main use is in cowboy action shooting so I want the guns to cock quickly. Using the Ballistol with Canola oil applied at each loading provides this.

I was worried about the Canola oil possibly containing complex food acids or other issues. So I tried out my own corrosion testing. The Canola oil worked out extremely well in this regard so I have no reservations about recomending it. However over time and with warmth and sunlight it does polymerize to a hard varnish like film. So don't use it for long term lubrication and protection. But if cleaned and lubed with Canola oil the gun will be just fine a week if kept in a cool dark place. I typically use it on two day meets as my overnight oil after cleaning the guns at the end of the day. But for longer term storage I go with Ballistol.

I've done a little testing with Fluid Film as well since it doesn't rub away as easily. Initial findings seem positive. So that might be another option. FF seems to be as costly or even moreso than Ballistol. But if I can't find Ballistol locally I want another option.

One nice thing about using a combination of Ballistol and Canola like I do is that the dash of detergent I use in my wash bucket is going to clean away the oils without any issue. With Mobil 1 it may be more resistant to cleaning in the same way. I may well find that it's better to use the OK but slightly less resistant oil option just so there's a balance between protection and lubrication and ease of cleaning.
 
This is all great info, and not to stir the pot, but in the mid 90's I built a 1911 45 on a Caspian slide and frame, I sent it Tripp Research for a Cobra Coat finish, they said cleaning with a 10% simple Green solution was fine. I've been cleaning all my handguns with it since. Simple Green is a non toxic bio degradable soap.

I think any non abrasive soap would be fine?

Thanks again,
JD
 
Here are some other options: Printing press blanket wash is a good cleaning additive when cut with about 6 parts of water to one part blanket wash.
Automotive windshield washer fluid is a cheap alternative for cleaning fluid.
I carry my parts lube oil to a match in an eye drop bottle. Probably more than enough for a years shooting.
 
Once again, I appreciate all the input, the gun came with a melting pot and a .451 cast, I made some balls this morning. So while I've got everyones attention what's a good lube and wad between powder and ball?

Don't mean to be such a rookie, but years of knowing it all have taught me to go slow and try to do it right.
PS I'll watch the blueing with care the gun is in excellent condition.

Thanks,
JD
 
Once again, I appreciate all the input, the gun came with a melting pot and a .451 cast, I made some balls this morning. So while I've got everyones attention what's a good lube and wad between powder and ball?
Click to expand...

This is what my revolver likes,

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/174/1

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/175/1/OX-REV-44-SEAL (For hunting)

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/156/1/OX-LUBE (For the range)


Yours will probably be different.

Good Luck.
 
Durafelt products in Arkansas sells a hard 1/8" wool felt that is perfect for punching wads. I punch them, 11mm punch for 44s and a 3/8" for 36s, then soak them in hot wax/oil mixture.
The punches can be purchased from Harbor Freight for little money.
An alternative source for felt is a trip to the local Christian Service Center or similar and buy felt hats for a couple of bucks. One hat will make enough wads to keep you shooting a while.
 
Basically what Noz said, however for cleaning I've found that 1/3 Murphy's Soap Oil, 1/3 Hydrogen Peroxide, and 1/3 rubbing alcohol works really well in cleaning and lubing most real BP bores as well as internals. After a thorough cleaning I prefer Thompsons bore butter to preserve the bore and the arbor. Just my .02 cents.
 
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