I apply the softer but similar Bore Butter paste by rubbing it in by hand (wearing thin vinyl gloves
) to work it into the patch. It usually melts into the patch as it quickly reaches body temperature.
I do tend to use too much rather than not enough, but the excess lube seems to mostly get squeezed out at the muzzle when the ball is started.
By applying it liberally the accuracy may suffer a bit, but the trade off is that I can shoot moderate loads for hours without needing to swab out the barrel at all.
Since I carry so much stuff to the range as it is, I would rather just leave my cleaning rod, attachments and cleaning solution at home.
I never used Crisco, but if I did I would melt it in or apply enough to throughly saturate the patch. How over saturated I make it may depend on the type of powder that I'm shooting, the size of the powder charges and how much fouling it leaves behind, the length of the barrel that I would like to keep coated with lube, and the thickness of the patches.
A very thin patch may not hold enough lube for shooting heavy powder charges out of a long barrel. So the amount can be adjusted depending on your needs and remember that most of the excess lube gets squeezed out at the crown when the PRB is loaded.
No one likes to load a barrel when it gets crusted up with powder residue. So be sure to use enough to keep it soft all of the way down to the breech unless you want to swab out the barrel more often.
Some guns need to be swabbed out very often for better accuracy and some guns shoot a little better (or at least good enough for plinking
) after they're warmed up and a little bit fouled.
