Mutton Tallow

[Doc Hoy]

I want to emphasize....

...I have never so much as held mutton tallow in my hand so I am only speculating on what I have read.

Everyone here who has ever used it is far more knowledgable than I am.

I have some lard. I have some mutton tallow coming. I am going to compare the two as used in recipes for bore lube for cap and ball revolvers and for BPCR lube (and I think for that application I will try it as a pill rather than just as lube groove lube)

I'll mix up two batches with identical portions (Prolly use Gatofeo 1) and then observe the properties and performance of each.

I know there are those here who are comitted to mutton tallow as desirable over lard. I am not disputing anyone's opinions. I just want to see for myself, if a lard based lube will work as well as mutton tallow.

I do question the idea that lard goes bad over time more quickly than mutton tallow. Lard lasts for years when refrigerated and even has a long shelf life at room temperature if it is kept in a sealed container. The lard I bought yesterday was in the same unrefrigerated section of the store as the vegetable shortening. It does not have a shelf life on it.

 

[noelf2]

Good luck Doc. I think you'll find that lard is no better than crisco. The only advantage I found with mutton tallow was it's consistency. More solid at room temp. Not as greasy as other greases. Use a bit more beeswax than lard or crisco, and you make up for the lack of tallow.

 

[maillemaker]

Yeah, I didn't find anything magical about the tallow - I only bought it because I wanted to make an authentic Civil War-era lube.

It's grease to keep the fouling soft. Any kind of organic grease will probably work fine.

The grease is to make things slippery, and the wax is to keep it in place.

My Crisco/beeswax lube seems much the same to me.

Steve

 

[Doc Hoy]

Thanks guys.....

Here is a question....

I have ready repeatedly that mutton tallow makes a period correct lube for the era of the War of Northern Aggression (Hows that..and I am from Pennsylvania... ;o) ) .

But the last time I read anything, there were pigs during the war just as there were sheep.

Was there some preparation that was provided to the troops which we are certain consistently made use of mutton tallow?

Do re-enactor groups have rules which specify mutton tallow and if so, What is the basis for it?

Was there some guidance provided by the Union or Confederate government that specified mutton tallow?

Is there historical evidence that soldiers used only mutton tallow?

To Mailmaker,

You and I have been consistently on the same page with regard to bore lubes. You use Crisco because you know it works for you. I use Crisco because I don't know any better but I am about to find out.

To Noel,

It was my plan to try to arrive at the same stiffness by using more beeswax. So I am on the same page with you as well.

 

[maillemaker]

Was there some preparation that was provided to the troops which we are certain consistently made use of mutton tallow?

Do re-enactor groups have rules which specify mutton tallow and if so, What is the basis for it?

Was there some guidance provided by the Union or Confederate government that specified mutton tallow?

Is there historical evidence that soldiers used only mutton tallow?

Page 266 of the 1862 US Ordnance Manual indicates the correct mixture for lubricating bullets:

http://books.google.com/books?id=wwY6DT2Sc_cC

is made using beeswax and "tallow". In this section, it does not specify what kind of tallow, but elsewhere in this manual in multiple places it specifically says "mutton-tallow", and differentiates this from pig lard.

Remember also, that the soldiers did not "use" lube as you may be thinking about it - the bullets came pre-packaged as "cartridges" and the bullets were already dipped in lube.

Period documents like the Ordnance manuals are primary documentation for reenactors.

To Mailmaker,

You and I have been consistently on the same page with regard to bore lubes. You use Crisco because you know it works for you. I use Crisco because I don't know any better but I am about to find out.

Mostly I use Crisco because when I got in the N-SSA I was told to make my lube out of Crisco and Beeswax, so I made up a big batch of it and I have not run out yet in 2 years - I've gone through about half. So I haven't had reason to try much else yet.

I experimented with the Civil War era lube recipe because I was experimenting with making period-correct cartridges.

Edit to add: Think modern shooters tend to use much gooey-er lubes than in period for two reasons: The softer lube makes for softer fouling, which can allow you to shoot more shots before the fouling impedes loading, and we don't have to worry about our lube soaking into paper cartridges and making a mess.

Period 1:8 tallow/beeswax, or even the older recipe of 1:3 tallow beeswax makes for a much harder, waxier lube that doesn't rub off or run and thus won't soak into the paper of a period cartridge nearly as badly.

Steve

 

[Doc Hoy]

Intersting book

I see where the 1:8 comes from.

All a you guys...

I know it seems as though I am being argumentative on this point of tallow and I don't mean to be.

I am happy to know more about it. I doubt seriously if knowing more about it will change my application but at least I will have the suppport of wisdom or I will know that I am acting contrary to tradition for no apparent reason.