For about three years now, I have been spreading the gospel of:
1 pound canning paraffin
1 pound mutton tallow
1/2 pound beeswax
I found this recipe in the February 1943 American Rifleman magazine, in an article entitled, "Bullet Lubrication." The original article simply listed paraffin and tallow, but I use canning paraffin for its purity (who knows what lurks in old candles, especially scanted ones?) and mutton tallow.
I've tried beef tallow (lard) but found that mutton tallow definitely creates a superior product. I'm told that mutton tallow contains lanolin, but can't confirm this.
The above recipe was listed as the factory concoction for outside lubricated bullets, such as the .22 rimfires and .32, .38 and .41 Colt. The recipe was old in 1943 so I'm sure it dates to the 19th century, when nearly all ammunition was assembled with black powder.
For convenience's sake, I use a kitchen scale to measure:
200 grams paraffin
200 grams mutton tallow
100 grams beeswax.
These 500 grams of ingredients will fit handily in a quart, widemouth Mason jar. Place the jar in three or four inches of boiling water. When all ingredients are melted, stir well with a clean stick or disposable chopstick. Remove the jar from heat and allow the lubrican to cool at room temperature. Hastening cooling by placing in the refrigerator may cause the ingredients to separate. When hardened, screw the jar lid down tight --- to keep crud out and retain the ingredients' natural moistness --- and store in a cool, dry place.
As made above, it very closely resembles SPG. In fact, unless someone tells you it's not SPG, you probably wouldn't notice.
It works equall well too, but is much cheaper pound-for-pound.
I use the above recipe for all black powder applications: lead bullets for black powder cartridges (.32 Long Colt, .44-40 and .45-70 rifle, and .45 Colt revolver), felt wads in cap and ball sixguns, patches in my .50-caliber muzzleloading rifle and --- in a warm barrel --- as a rust preventaive.
Don't eat it. Though it's non-toxic, I'm sure it'll give you a fine case of Colorado Quickstep!
I live in the remote Utah desert, where temperatures often reach well over 100 F (38 C) and humidity is down around 6 percent. At these temperatures, this lubricant is soft if left in a can in the sun, but still prevents fouling from building up.
In these conditions, I prefer to load a felt wad, lubricated with the above, in the cartridge case before seating the lubricated bullet. This wad adds more lubricant to the bore, while the felt wad scrapes fouling from the grooves with each shot.
Recovered wads show negative impressions of the rifling, indicating they do their job. I believe that their work is greatly aided by the addition of paraffin in this recipe, which stiffens the wad somewhat.
When I shoot cartridges assembled as above, at the range, I keep the ammo in a small cooler. I've never increased the amount of paraffin to raise the melting point. I suppose it might be done, but I wonder if it would be at the cost of lubricity?
For those interested, this same article lists the factory (pre 1943) recipe for lubricated lead bullets:
9 pounds Japan Wax
4-1/2 pounds paraffin
4-1/2 pounds beeswax
I'm not sure what Japan Wax is, or where to get it. I've never tried this recipe.
For convenience sake, you could convert the above recipe to:
1 pound Japan Wax
1/2 pound paraffin
1/2 pound beexwax
I'm uncertain if you could get 2 pounds of ingredients to fit in a quart Mason jar. A 3-pound coffee can with a plastic snap-lid would work, I suppose. After making it, snap the lid down tight, then wrap a layer of plastic wrap around the lid, to keep in the moisture.
I presume the above recipe was also made for use with black powder. I'll have to make up a batch sometime for curiosity's sake.
