Any user's of 'Bore Butter' here?

tokguy

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I've a tube here that I've been using for quite some years now.
The theory is somewhat sound, but does it season a worn bore an amount worth mentioning?
Along this line of thought that Dyna Bore Coat seems like something worthy of scrutiny to deal with worn bores.
Anyone here ever tried DBC or have an opinion on Bore Butter?
 
IMO store bought lubes that claim to "season" a bore are BS. I don't even believe in seasoning a bore. I've never heard an explanation that makes sense. Not that Bore Butter is bad, but a good cleaning and homemade lube is just as good. I mean, what magical solution do these expensive products have that can't be had by anyone. They do smell nice though.
 
I do use nothing but seasoned cast iron fry pans around home but they don't quite get the high pressure pass that even a low powered BP rd imparts on a bore.
But that Dyna Bore is originally developed for the US military. Probably frightfully expensive but one never knows, eh?
 
I would be curious to know how Dyna bore would work.
I beleive 50 bucks does 6-8 barrels. I read a bit about it in the hunting rifle section.
 
Have also been following that DBC thread; and was planning on picking up some DBC asap and trying it out on a couple of antique levers for exactly this reason. Figured I'd try my hand at electrolysis first and follow it up with some DBC...for $50 it seems like it might be worth a shot.
 
IMO store bought lubes that claim to "season" a bore are BS. I don't even believe in seasoning a bore. I've never heard an explanation that makes sense. Not that Bore Butter is bad, but a good cleaning and homemade lube is just as good. I mean, what magical solution do these expensive products have that can't be had by anyone. They do smell nice though.
Products like this made sense back in the day when BP muzzleloaders were predominately made of iron. Iron is more porous than most steels and it's softer structure can benefit from these butter-like protective coatings. Modern steel make this practice kind of moot IMO. And face it, really many of BP shooters like to appear as traditional as possible. We read of Hacker Martin and Horace Kephart with thier daily and ongoing care & treatment of thier beloved Kentucky long rifles and we copy them with a big smile.
 
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Yes, I agree completely.
However, my understanding of this product is that it is a treatment/coating much like a teflon frying pan receives, unlike a "seasoning" as in what a cast iron frying pan receives. The product is not consumed along with firing of the BP charge as is the seasoning/bore butter type product.
Once treated, there is no further need of treatment.

with BP you want to stay away from any petroleum products makes a nice tar inside the barrel
 
I actually use the Bore butter on my old guns which have imperfections in the bbl. Bore butter isn't petroleum based, I'm guessing lanolin is the sliptivity* additive (* made up oilpatch term...sure fills the struggling for a descriptive word though).
BB cleans up well and has a pleasant piney scent too, lol. And it was in the bargain bin...a two-fer!
 
I don't particularly believe in seasoning of the bore and more particularly my experience has been that the coarser the powder and the greasier the lube, the more fouling problems I have. I would use a greasy lube for mini balls but mostly because the water based lubes and the thin oily lubes either dry out or do not stick. I use a petroleum based lube for hunting (Fluid Film) and have for many years as well as protecting my bore with it.

If I had an old pitted barrel and was looking for some form of smoothing it out a bit (which seasoning sort of is) I have used a very tight patch and valve grinding compound plus a smoothly rotating handle on the ram rod. I think it removes some of the sharp edges from the pits although it really does not remove much metal

cheers mooncoon
 
My own experience, which confrms the writings of numerous "experts", is that non-petroleum-based lubricants like BB -while they do not eliminate fiuling - are good for keeping the fouling soft. This, with proper patching, prevents - or at least retards - the biuld-up of residue that can eventually render it excessively difficult to load. As for seasoning, the earlier remarks make perfect sense to me.
 
I have been using bore butter on my BP guns for years. It makes cleanup faster and you don't have to swab the barrel every 5 shots or so. I don't think about the "seasoning" effect. I would agree with others that it is probably negligible.
 
I don't believe in seasoning the bore. I have used BB for a decade and have pretty well relegated it to being my patch lube for hunting on sub-zero days. Otherwise, I use a liquid patch lube: one of the many Moose Milk recipes and can go at least 50 shots on a summer day without having to swab the bore. With greasy stuff like BB I would have to swab about every 10 shots on a trail walk and that's too much hassle. In a pinch I have used BB in lieu of oil to protect the bore after cleaning - at least for a day or two until I could get some oil. There isn't any abrasive in BB that would help polish a bore any more than your cloth patch with any other greasy stuff...
 
Bore butter may have an application for ML rifles, but it's a bust for use with cap & ball revolvers on a warm day. You can literally watch it melt before your eyes!

Most of our cap & ballers have concocted their own blends of bees wax/olive oil to get the desired viscosity. Some add a little Murphy's Oil Soap. Mine is quite stiff and I apply it with a popsicle stick.
 
I had good results with it as a lube on PRB and Conicals.
I don't believe it can season a bore like a cast iron pan, but it does allow easy reloading.
 
I have used bore butter, neatsfoot oil, tender flake pig lard, vegetable lard, and a host of other barrel lubricants. Can not see any difference in any of them except for neatsfoot oil and sweet oil. Have not found a difference in the accuracy no mater what is used as a bore lubricant, sealer. Except f for the fact that neatsfoot oil is not as messy as the others I have used. I also swab and clean my bore between every shot with Butches black powder bore shine. As for (seasoning the bore) that's a bunch of poppycock. The steel used in today's modern rock locks and cap locks is far superior to anything used in the 18th and 19th centuries. A frying pan is cast iron not ordnance grade steel and ordnance grade steel can not be seasoned with anything it is too hard and non porous. Just lube your bullets with what ever non petroleum based grease you happen to have around the house, just be sure there is no salt in the lube and yur good to go. You can even use sweet oil (18th century name for Olive Oil). One more thing always clean your barrel after shooting with warm soapy water. I like to dry my bore and then soak with WipOut for 24 hours, then patch out again. WipeOut will remove any carbon fouling left from the warm soap and water treatment. I read the patch if it is clean I am good to go and the cleaning is finished, if the patch shows any fouling at all I do the WipeOut treatment for another 24 hours. WipeOut also has the advantage of being a rust inhibitor for storage. Everybody and their dog has a different method off greasing their patches and cleaning their barrels, use what ever works for U as there is no absolute written in stone right way to do it.
 
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I have been using bore butter in front of the wads on my 1858 Rem. I got a free tube with a T/C inline rifle I bought.
Not sure about the seasoning but it seems to keep fouling soft for easy cleaning. I too use fluid film on the bore and cylinder for protecting.
The Remington I just acquired is an older Armi San Marco and the whole revolver was rusty especially the bore and inside the cylinders, due to being stored dry and unoiled. It was cleaned up and the bore is rough and I'm still getting some rust when I clean after shooting. It seems to shoot very well. I think sometimes we worry too much about a worn bore. I have shot Enfields that looked like there was no rifling left and still where pretty darn accurate.
 
I use mink oil. It is useable in -50 arctic weather. Most modern concoctions are not effective below 0 degrees Cenius! Does not run in +30 temperatures in the summer and is 100% natural product.
 
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