The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - BP bullet lube question- no-no or O.K.?

Model-P · July 2, 2009, 07:33 PM

I have always heard not to use any petroleum based products in BP lubes because it will combine with the BP fouling and form a tar-like substance which is difficult to remove.

Here are my bullet lube recipes that I pretty much lifted from internet articles:

Smokeless:
1 part Beeswax
.75 parts petroleum jelly
.25 parts parafin

BP:
1 pound Bees Wax
1 pound Citronella Candle
2 Tablespoons shortening

My question is this:
The smokeless recipe is supposedly no good for BP because it contains petroleum based products- i.e. petroleum jelly and parafin wax.

However, the BP recipe has Citronella candle wax in it, which I'd also bet is a parafin-based wax. If it is, and since the BP recipe seems to be working fine, then why couldn't I just adjust the smokeless recipe to make it softer for BP? Is it the petroleum jelly that is no good, but the parafin wax is O.K.? Is citronella wax (parafin?) not such a good thing to use for BP afterall? What is it in smokeless powder lubes that is so nasty for BP shooting?
I'm confused!

July 2, 2009, 07:33 PM	#1
Model-P Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2009 Posts: 727	BP bullet lube question- no-no or O.K.? I have always heard not to use any petroleum based products in BP lubes because it will combine with the BP fouling and form a tar-like substance which is difficult to remove. Here are my bullet lube recipes that I pretty much lifted from internet articles: Smokeless: 1 part Beeswax .75 parts petroleum jelly .25 parts parafin BP: 1 pound Bees Wax 1 pound Citronella Candle 2 Tablespoons shortening My question is this: The smokeless recipe is supposedly no good for BP because it contains petroleum based products- i.e. petroleum jelly and parafin wax. However, the BP recipe has Citronella candle wax in it, which I'd also bet is a parafin-based wax. If it is, and since the BP recipe seems to be working fine, then why couldn't I just adjust the smokeless recipe to make it softer for BP? Is it the petroleum jelly that is no good, but the parafin wax is O.K.? Is citronella wax (parafin?) not such a good thing to use for BP afterall? What is it in smokeless powder lubes that is so nasty for BP shooting? I'm confused!