Gun lube for BP revolvers.

[Big Bear Lowe]

I am also a fan of Ballistol.  It is an extremely versatile cleaner/lubricant.  I like a slightly thicker mix on my base pins so I use either Rig gun grease or Thompsons Bore Butter.
Now you are going to think I am pullin' your leg here but my favorite all around lube for guns and leather is good old fashioned bear grease.  If you are a hunter  (or know one) harvest the fleecy snow white  fat off of a bear (nowadays most people throw this away as a "waste" product from their kill but back in the day it was a cash item from bear kills).  Render this down under a moderate heat.  More heat and a longer rendering time will give you a nice clear oil  slightly less heat and/or cooking time will give you a really nice creamy white grease.  Cook it over too hot a temperature and it gets a reall nasty burnt french fry smell.  Monitor and stir.  Do not boil! You can get enough off of a single bear to last you many years if you store it properly.  Yes it has a smell which some find unpleasant.  I do not as I am so pleased to be using the genuine article that I overlook such minor issues but some do find it offensive.  When you read that the old timers could smell Injuns about what they probably meant was that they could smell the bear grease that many native peoples used in their hair or on  clothing items.  If you use it on your moccasins please don't use it on the soles.  It will waterproof leather very nicely but you will fall on your arse if you do the bottoms.  I had a compadre who did this very thing.  Just once!  Bear grease and oil has many uses in addition to gear maintenance one of which is in primitive lighting sources such as oil lamps or "Betty" lamps.  Once again there is a slight odor.
Sorry to have strayed from the main topic but thought I would share some knowledge some may not be aware of.  By the way you can't buy the stuff as it is illegal to traffic in bear "parts".  As mentioned most hunters today just throw the fat away and use the meat and hide so if you know a bear hunter I bet you could get a large supply just for the askin'.  Ain't nothing more authentic and useful in the blackpowder shooters trick bag.  Makes a great patch lube and cylinder sealant as well although I think this might be a waste of good bear grease in a world with plentiful Crisco about.

[G.W. Strong]

Thanks for the tip Big Bear It was very interesting. I do not know any bear hunters around these parts and the Bears here in Chicago tend to be wearing helmets and pads so shooting them seems counterproductive. (Packers fans please refrain from comment.) However if I discover any of my range buddies are going hunting for bear I will see if they will being me the fat.

[Crow Choker]

Ref Noz's note in the search for a lube for Remington arbors. I've shot the Colt's alot longer, but as I advised in my March 11th post about the use of lithium grease, I've had just as good of results with it on my Remington as the Colt's. As reported, Victor brand has always worked the best. I've tried Permatex and another forgotten brand and they didn't work as well, seemed thiner. The Victor brand seemed a little tackier, never had problems with it drying out or having it have any adverse reactions with black powder residue. Without overlubing with the lithium grease, it seems to also seal up the gap between the arbor and cylinder. Need to find someone in my area that sells Victor (the auto parts retailer I have gotten it no longer handles it), might have to go online and check. A while back a post came up about soy grease. The plant that makes it is only 30 miles south of me, was going to get some at the time of the post and try it, never did. May have to make getting some a spring project and give it a try.

[Fairshake]

Noz, You may not want to try something different but I'm telling you to spend just $5-6 dollars and buy a can of Mobil-One Synthetic bearing grease. Or you can buy a tube for a grease gun for about $3 or 4 dollars. I have purchased both and the can has a plastic top that may be replaced and the tube has to be covered with tape after each use.
The can will last for years and even be used around the home. This stuff is unreal please believe me.
I have used it for going on 5 years now and have yet to have a match problem with fouling that causes the cylinder to bind.
I shoot USFA revolvers with the removable base pin bushings.
I clean the center hole of my revolvers with Ballistol (MOOSEMILK) and then put a light coating with my fingers over the length of the pin. When I reinsert it I wipe off the excess. I then coat the base pins and insert them. You will have some push up around the take down pin that is wiped off. I make sure that I put some on the bottom of the base pin where it is exposed to the hammer area.
I shot as many as 7 stages and the guns are free spinning like they were at stage one.
It is sold at Auto zone or Walley World.
Every person that I've had try it tells me that it is by far the best product they have used with Black powder.

[Noz]

I'll give that a try although I have no problems with the Colt style arbors. Always looking for something better.

I had hoped to meet you in LA last spring at the Bayou Blast. I talked to Fingers and he said not to bother you because you were feeling poorly. Next morning you were gone. Maybe down the road.