Deer tallow????????

[Cuts Crooked]

Ok, I've now got about 5 pounds of deer tallow rendered and strained. I'm wondering about this stuff as bullet lube. Questions I've got: Should I mix this stuff with bees wax (It seems pretty danged firm as is, but it does feel very "slick" to the touch), or should I try it straight up?

How well does this stuff keep? Should I refriderate it or will it stay good in a cool dry basement enviroment?

Or should I just set it aside and use for patch lube in my front stuffers?

[Silver Creek Slim]

Rendered deer tallow will stay good outta the frig indefinitely. Mix it 50:50 with beeswax fer boolit lube. It is also a good treatment fer eczema. 

Slim

[Delmonico]

Cuts, I have been using it since early 1996 as a 50/50 mix with bees wax, (by weight)  I have not had it melt out on the hottest days, enven had a friend leave a box of bullets I made for him in a locked pick-up for 3 days in July.  He was ready to cry when he discovered it, figgered it was in his seat covers and he called me when he found out it was in the boolet grooves yet.  I ain't shot it at below 0 but what I have around 0 it leaves a wt lube star on the end of the barrel.  

If you got it hot enough to get all the H₂O out it will keep fine in a sealed jar.  Dug out some that was 5-6 years old, a while back and it's fine.  Everyone I have had try it loves it.  BTW that mix or straight tallow also makes the world's best hand lotion and lip balm.  Used to use straight tallow on my hands when I painted for a living and I don't mean that mild water bassed junk.  It was the only thing I found that kept my hands from cracking and bleeding all winter.

Try it and let me know how you like it.  

There Slim chimed in with another medicinal use.   Never seen any other homemade or store bought that claims any medicinal benifits.  That even makes it more proiper for the 19th Century.  Might even work on piles, so if anyone has them let us know.

[Cuts Crooked]

OOOOOOKay....... I ain't prone to enny of the above afflictions, but I do have sinus problems at times. Somehow I cain't see stuffin tallow up mah nose though!

This stuff is actually firmer than what I normally use fer bullet lube. So I think I'll try it straight up and see what happens. I like a really soft lube for my BP loads, 'specially in them danged Remmies of mine! If that don' werk, I'll try adding bees wax in small amounts until I like it.

If it keeps that well I reccallow as how I might/could try putting one pound chunks of it in them vacum pack thingies 'n jist toss it on the shelf. Waddaya think?

[Delmonico]

Sounds like a good way to store it.  I have just used my mix in the Sharps but love it.  I think it would work to water proof yer boots also.

[Dr. Bob]

Del,

But would it be PUPPY PROOF???   I fear he would think it was HIS new chew toy!!   But his lips wouldn't be chapped!

[litl rooster]

 Cut's I rendered around 5 pounds last year and added 2 toliet bowl rings. I store it in a old crock pot. I used it on my shotty fiber wads. Haven't used it ond bullets yet.

[hellgate]

Hey cuts, I'm a little late on the thread but could you tell me how ya rendered it? I've had big chunks of tallow while butchering that I'd look at and then figure I'd never get to it before it spoiled so I ended up tossing it. This year the deer were really fat but I didn't save it. Oh well, there's always next year (God willing). I have been using 50/50 lard & beewax. Works OK but the bullets don't seem to smoothly move up out of the lubrisizer on the up stroke like they did with SPG or Alox lubes.

[Cuts Crooked]

Hellgate,

I just cut the fat into chunks a little over two inches square and cooked it over low heat in a frying pan. Poured the liquid off, through cheese cloth, into containers and let it cool. The results is a fairly firm cake of cream colored stuff that is very slick to the touch.

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy Cuts,

You've got some great makins for bullet lube.  The suggestion to add some bowl rings is a good one.  The tallow, by it's self, will tend to be too brittle in cold weather.  The bowl rings will act as a modifier.  They will also help the lube to cling to the inside of your barrel some better than the tallow would alone.  The beeswax would add stiffness, if you need that.  Soy wax would be a bad idea because your tallow is already plenty stiff.  Some cheep olive oil would work as a thinner it the stuff isn't soft enuf for your tastes.

A really good source for deer tallow is your local deer processing business.  They have to pay to get rid of it.  It takes some time and energy to render it out, but it's worth the effort if you have the time.  Think of it as recycling a waste product and putting it to good use.

I'd enjoy reading your results.

DD-DLoS

[Delmonico]

Hellgate, here is a link to a thread in Cosie's Corner.

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,4841.0.html

[hellgate]

Thanks, just copied & saved it.