1860 Army .44 cal , beeswax or lard ?

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45C

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Hey
I’m looking at shooting my .44 army for the first time and was wondering what you think about using lard verses beeswax.
I want to avoid patches.
I can get lard( tubs of shortening )locally but beeswax …. I don’t know
Also I’ll be using a .45 colt case as a measurement device.
What you think? Am I going to blow my fingers off??? Ha ha
 
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just reread your post, still don’t know about lard vs lambs tallow but you can get beeswax on Amazon.

Alternatively you can buy lots of great lubes out there too.

Have a look at Guns of the West, he’s got a great YouTube channel with helpful content and store with paper cartridge kits which make life easier.

You’ll be fine, just grease the wheel and make sure your caps fit snug on the nipples.
Also 45 colt case full might be excessive, I load 25gr, I know historically they were loaded to 30-35 with conicals but I think the 45LC case will scope near 40 gr of powder.
 
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Thanks for the reply.
I have other cases as well, 38,.357,etc.
I’d order the correct measuring device but I’m in a hurry now as son is leaving soon and I’d like to shoot this with him before he leaves 😢
 
45C said:
Thanks for the reply.
I have other cases as well, 38,.357,etc.
I’d order the correct measuring device but I’m in a hurry now as son is leaving soon and I’d like to shoot this with him before he leaves 😢
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I think 357 would be alright, not sure how damnable I am for giving that sort of advice is but last time I checked a 357 case held like 26.2 grains of powder on paper. I know a 38 special holds just under 24g of Schuetzen 3fg.

357 should dip you a good charge.
 
I can understand the desire for originality, but my personal preference is TC or Traditions bore butter. It smells great and cleans up better than the 2 suggested options. YMMV!
 
If by 1860 Army .44 cal, you mean a Black powder percussion revolver,
Shortening works very well in my Colt Walker to fill and close the cylinder.
 
45C said:
Hard to fathom nd in stock anywhere
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https://gunsoftheweststore.com/products/black-powder-bullet-lube-4-oz

https://rustywood.ca/shop_home/spg-bullet-lube-1-14-oz-stick/


Just to show a couple quick examples.

In the meantime plenty of people use all of the above, I’ve personally known and known of plenty of people not to use any lube or filler, but from my experience, and several online, not greasing the wheel more often than not ends up in a chainfire, it may not be thee leading cause, but it certainly can make a difference.

Grease the wheel, tight caps, you’ll be fine.
 
If you shoot the thing a bunch or on a warm day, the lard will not stay solid, which makes a giant mess and prevents it doing the job it is supposed to do. Something more solid than lard is better.
 
Bore butter is perfect with the exception of mid okanagan summer afternoon, or middle of winter. In the summer keep it in the cooler and in the winter, might have to keep it in your pants. The tube is super durable though, I’ve basically hammered it out of the tube ;)
 
I run 28 Grains 3F Swiss a .250 thick felt wad soaked with a 60/40 mix of Bees wax(amazon) and tenderflake lard. Then a .457 Ball. The felt wads are punched out of the sheet with a punch from Track of the Wolf. Lard and beeswax are melted/mixed in the microwave then poured over the felt sheets. The sheets are stacked and spend about 20 ish min in the oven at 200 deg F to get the lube to flow out evenly. Have never experienced a chain fire and shoot My pistols a lot. Mondays range trip was over a hundred shots without problems. Pistols are a pair of Remington replicas in 44 running three cylinders timed to work in both guns and loaded off the guns with a loading tool (Marstar)
The felt comes from( The Felt Store)
Use the 357 mag case as a measure. Have fun
 
I make my own lube. I get my Beeswax from a farm or if I find beeswax candles at a good price I buy them. About a 50/50 mixture of beeswax and olive oil. Wintertime I use more olive oil to keep the lube softer due to cold. Summer I use more beeswax to keep the lube harder due to heat. So my mixture does vary a bit depending on what time of the year I am using it.
 
White lithium grease, is what I used when was doing cowboy action shooting. Comes in a squeeze tube, available at auto parts store. I could get through a complete match with no fowling caused issues. It does accumulate on the side of the pistols by the end of the day, makes 'em slide in the holster quicker. Lol
 
45C: It's dead simple to make your own bp lube. Since you have access to plenty of lard(Make sure it's clean, unsalted lard), all you need is beeswax(Not paraffin). Melt the two together, to about a 50/50 mix. That's your basic lube. Then, as already mentioned, adjust to shooting conditions as necessary.
Can do the same with any clean tallow. Same basic proportions. That's it.
By the way, it's a good idea to invest in a proper graduated powder measure. Will make life far easier, when it comes to adjusting loads for optimum accuracy and performance in your gun. Can order through Track of the Wolf.

ps: Guns of the West is a good information site. Also: Duelist1954. Tons of useful information on all aspects of percussion revolver use.
 
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cycoblade: Would not recommend using bacon grease. A lot of bacon contains salt. Will soon combine with highly hydroscopic powder residue. The result: rapid rusting. Only clean, uncontaminated tallow should be used. That goes for unsalted lard, too. By the way, white-tailed deer tallow works very well.
 
tiriaq said:
Apply lube over the seated balls. Fire one shot. How much lube is left over the balls on either side of the chamber that fired?
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I find that varies so much from one lube to another, of all the home made beeswax/olive oil, or tallow based lubes I’ve greased the wheel with, I’ve never had a problem with grease being discharged out of adjacent cylinders.

I have heard of that happening from people using lard/crisco especially on a hot day.
 
Yeah, the 50/50 beeswax and olive oil works fine too. Probably a better bet for high volume shooting based on price point. Bore butter is just so simple to use and I’ve never shot my cap and ball stuff enough for the price difference to matter too much. Plus, I really like the smell of bore butter!😁
 
So I found a bee farm that’s close by and said I could have some beeswax in a couple weeks time.
Regards to olive oil, is that the same as the cooking oil? What about extra virgin olive oil ??
 
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