Who uses Bore Butter in their ML bores?

[Adam Helmer]

I received two tubes of Bore Butter in my Christmas stocking and have yet to use it in my muzzleloaders.

I have heard some folks say it is not a rust preventative when used after cleaning a bore and others swear by it. If it warms up soon, I will get to the bench and try the stuff as a patch lube with round ball. After the hot, soapy water cleanup, I will put Bore Butter in my .54.

Any personal experiences with Bore Butter that would be helpful to this Longhunter? Thanks.

Adam

P.S. The stuff sure smells good.

[BILLY D.]

Me does. I also use it for seasoning patches. Works as a good lube on other parts.

I have to admit all I have ever used for powder is Clean Shot and most of my shooting is with Sabots.

Sorry, I am not a purest at heart. Now maybe if I had a Flintlock it would be a different story. And yes, I have been considering that option. Just ain't got around to it yet. I'm gettin toooooo old to fast.

I have a CVA caplock St. Louis Hawken Don't know much about front loaders other than I love mine, It's the only one like it I have ever seen. The stock is almost a Camo pattern.

I can shoot 1>3" groups on a good day @100yds. when I been practicing, offhand and I think thats fair to middlin for a 70 year old guy with glaucoma and speaks well of the firearm, cause it darned sure ain't all me.

Went deer hunting with it and the only deer I seen was at the zoo when I drove by on the way home. Baad karma.

I love the fragrance of Bore Butter. I wonder if it would work for a cold? And that reminds me, now watch some moron tell me the scent will scare deer away and cause a mass exodus for 3 counties around me. I sometimes wonder how the founding Fathers of this country ever harvested any game at all. They didn't bathe regular, the didn't have Laser rangefinders and they didn't have Camo clothing. And the didn't have rifles that the bolt handle fell off of.

If you decide to use the Bore butter just follow all the destructions and you will do fine.

Best wishes, Bill

Sorry I got so long winded, I'm in a good mood today.

[rattus58]

I've used bore butter as a patch lube but I've never been inclined to use it as a rust preservative or anything like that... and I've heard some horrific stories about "seasoning".

All that being said.... you can eat it I'm told, so you could maybe spread it on a sandwich if yer hungry... or lettuce leaves or whatever should the need overwhelm you ...

I use a wad over powder before I put the ball down, so when hunting the patch lube doesn't contaminate the powder, and I'm not convinced you could contaminate it enough anyway to matter.

Aloha...

[Jack]

I've heard the horror stories, too...
But, not being a purist, Bore Butter is all I've ever used in my CVA caplock. Both to lubricate my home cast Minie Balls, and to season the bore.
No rust that I can detect, or build up, over 5 years or so, so I believe I'll keep using it.
A friend of mine lubricates patches for his .54 roundballs with it, as well as using it as a bore seasoner/preservative. Seems to work for him, too.
Neither of us is a high volume shooter, if that matters- more in the 'if we use front stuffers, we can hunt an extra week' crowd.
We both shoot Pyrodex, if that makes a difference.

[Allen]

Bore Buter is all I have ever used. I shoot a Thompson Gary Hawk which has a stainless barrel, so I cant tell you about rust. I use it as a patch lube and a bullet lube also. (the bullets I use come pre lubed. I clean it off and use the Bore Butter) Never had any trouble, its all natural and it cleans up easy with soap and water.

Allen

[Adam Helmer]

Thanks Guys,

I appreciate at all the good responses.

Billy D: LOL, I liked your observations about the pleasant odor of Bore Butter, etc. I especially liked the lack of bathing by old Longhunters. I read an account of a frontiersman who said he smelled Indians approaching his cabin. Naturally, forewarned was forearmed in that instance. Be well.

Adam

[Catfish]

I use and like Bore Butter. I not only use it for my muzzle loaders, I have a sheep skin I use to wire off my gun and have used Bore Butter on it for several years and like iy better than anything else I`ve tried.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I used it as a patch lubricant,and for lubricating conicals, but for 'seasoning' the bore......nope! Tried this and all I got was a big bunch of rust! They say you can 'season' the bore like you season a frying pan, but if you season a fry pan, you aren't suppose to use soap on the pan....so how do you clean your ML if you can't use hot, soapy water?
As far as a conical lube....if the weather gets too warm, it melts and becomes a mess!
I do think it helps soften and cut down on fouling, however, and that is why I use it.
I remember seeing some that was 'pine scented' one time.....haven't been able to find any of that since.

[hobbles]

Mornin Boys;
I have been usin bore butter for bout 3 years now for both patch lube and as a rust preservative for both my barrels with no problem,.

[roundball]

Originally posted by Adam Helmer

Any personal experiences with Bore Butter that would be helpful to this Longhunter?

IMO, based upon my own experience, Bore butter works fine...specifically I use Natural Lube 1000.
If problems are experienced using NL1000 they are not product problems...they are user/process problems...I've used it for 16+ years on a lot of muzzleloaders and their bores are still like factory new today.

Three steps must be completed at the absolute 100% level and bore butter will work fine:

The bore MUST BE CLEANED 100%
Not just "a white patch clean" as a white patch doesn’t necessarily mean a bore is 100% clean...I've patch cleaned used barrels I've bought that came out white, then went over them vigorously with a bore brush and the patches came out black with crud broken loose with the bore brush.
NOTE:
I use a couple dozen brush strokes as part of the cleaning regimen every time to avoid any bore butter buildup whatsoever...I don't buy the seasoning deal in modern steel barrels...I keep them at the bare raw factory metal state at every cleaning...then after the bore is bone dry, plaster, I mean plaster them with multiple patches of NL1000 while the barrel is still hot/warm.

The bore MUST BE DRIED 100%
If it's not, rust can begin forming underneath bore butter;

The bore walls MUST BE LUBED 100%
To insulate the metal walls from the air (which contains moisture which causes rust)...the thick pasty bore butter does not "run" or "migrate" around like a liquid lube so attention must be given with multiple lubed patches to ensure every square inch of the bore walls are 100% plastered.

If bores are maintained with those three steps done at the 100% level, there can't be any rust...if any one of those steps fall short, there probably will be rust.

Is bore butter better than other type lubes?...that's not what I'm saying...just saying it absolutely is a good lube...however, it is not a forgiving lube...(doesn't displace moisture, doesn't run/migrate and cover metal surfaces automatically)...it requires strong cleaning/drying/lubing disciplines to use it exclusively and avoid having problems.

Like many things, it takes 100 times longer to describe it than it does to do it...I keep jars of patches heavily saturated with Hoppes and NL1000 right on the cleaning bench...just remember the following and you'll never have a problem:
100% clean
100% dried
100% lubed

The two reasons I use it are:

I can sit in the woods all day with an NL1000 patch on the powder and it has no negative effects on powder at all;

I can shoot 50 shot range sessions and never have to wipe the bore between shots.

[Adam Helmer]

roundball,

Many thanks for your informative post about Bore Butter. I will follow your advice on the matter.

Adam