beef bullet lube

[Bunk]

Howdy Partners,
Since I am in the beef cattle business my bullet lube is based on beef tallow. The fat from the kidney renders out to a very hard tallow which does not get rancid. It is simply mixed 50:50 by weight with either bees wax or canning wax or a mixture of both.
This results in a product that is hard enough for Texas summer but soft enough for Texas winter. It has shown to be useable from +100° to +30°.

I cannot speak for weather north of Amarillo, but who wants to be very far north of Amarillo? In fact, is there anything north of Amarillo? My best guess is the Llano Estacado, Comancheria, and the Medicine Line then snow and ice.

But I digress.

My observation is that any oil will bleed out unless there is some method of emulsifying the mixture to prevent the oil from separating. This is something that I am not aware of but for sure that oil will contaminate the powder charge.
This mixture has the consistency of SPG™ and smells like a grilled steak. It works both in a lubricating/sizer or soaked into felt pads for making wads.
The fat from beef trimmings is not as hard as kidney fat and is out of the purvey of this suggestion.
Yr' Obt' Svt'
Bunk

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

 I hung a deer in the shop last week and as I was raking globs of fat out for the dogs to snack on, I wondered if it would be any good for BP lube. They're dang sure hard little rascals when they're about 45°.

I'm about 225 miles SE of you and it gets HOT here.

CHT

[Bunk]

Hi there Cholla Hill Tirador,
It is possible that deer tallow would make a fine lube. However it would take a lot of experimenting with different mixtures of tallow and wax and then shooting them to see which is best.
A dirty job at best, but somebody would have to do it (ha ha).
My 50:50mix looks good but Mark Hubbs (Eras Gone bullets) calls for a one tallow to four canning wax by weight. He was using hog lard,which I think is a lot softer that beef tallow.
More experimenting is in order.Gee what a shame.
Bunk

[hellgate]

There are a gazillion lube formulas and most of them work. My all around BP & smokeless lube is 50/50 deer tallow & beeswax. It goes thru the lubrisizer and does not sweat out any oil. I started it after my brother shot a fat, barren doe with about 1 1/2" of fat on her back that I just couldn't toss out. Deer tallow is pretty stiff stuff. I've rendered fat from a second deer (done when the wife's out of town).  It works fine for BP, 777 and any smokeless loads I've made up. It is my go to wad lube for the perCUSSIN' pistols.

[Coffinmaker]

Beef Bullet Lube makes your range time smell like a Cheese Burger   

[Mogorilla]

For just a general all purpose cap and ball lube (more on cylinder pin than over the ball) and I use it on leather as well.  Equal parts extra virgin olive oil, bees wax and neatsfoot oil.   I heat the olive oil to warm enough to melt the wax, then blend in the neatsfoot oil.  Last time, I used an old hand mixer and whipped it as it cooled.  Nice and fluffy, spreads well.  On warm days it can be messy though.   
As to using the kidney fat from beef, that would be awesome in a lube, but you are killing me, that is perfect suet for Christmas puddings!

[44caliberkid]

To Bunk, Dahlhart, TX. is north of Amarillo, I go through there every December on my way to Arizona.  I make my BP bullet lube the same way you do.  I also entered it as period correct lip balm in a Lewis and Clark 150th Anniversary event and won a blue ribbon. So I can officially say my lube is blue ribbon lube.

[Dick Dastardly]

For black powder, continued enjoyment without the fuss, it's more the amount of lube than the exact formula that does your work.  With lube, the more the better.  Thus the development of the Big Lube® bullet designs.

DD-MDA