I think that the big deal with the steam cylinder oil is it's durability rating under high pressure. This may sound strange, but here goes. From an engineering standpoint on oils, oils are flammable and do burn, some can explode given the right conditions. Steam cylinder oil is like rock drill oil, a rock drill is fed oil to lubricate the percussion drill steel to keep it from galling and ruining the drill. This oil has to have a very high detonation level or it will detonate with severe consequences, I know been there done that. We ran out of rock drill oil over seas and my boss said hell try any oil we can't stop working. We ruined 5 drills before he gave up and got us an emergency shipment in. A rock drill running at night with the bad oil is easy to spot as it sounds like a single cylinder engine on steroids and shoots flames out the exhaust port. If you use an oil like steam cylinder oil or rock drill oil it is rated at a very high detonation/pressure level before it goes bang on you. Some of the problems that we encounter with fouling I think is caused by using lube formulas that do not use a high detonation oil as a base ingredient. I may be wrong here but I think not. A large amount of the old formulas used the steam oil for that very reason. A lot of the old timers never cleaned there rifle until they got home after shooting all day, they did not need to as they were using a superior oil/lube mixture.
Mike

There is a little more to lube than just to keep a bullet from leading and powder fouling isn't much of (if any) factor with smokeless but, a big factor in BP.

Lubes shouldn't be as slippery as possible (these are my own opinions) but, should exert some resistance to dampen pressure variations in the bullet travel down the barrel.

When I've tested lubes (and I did a lot of it years ago) I used Darr lube as my standard to measure others against (ok but, not the best with BP). Darr lube is one of the ALL time best lubes for plain base, BSed bullets. It's only limiting factor is temperature. Somewhere above 80/85 degrees it will lead! In those conditions, I kept my bullets in a small ice chest until ready to shoot and that worked ok. After starting back shooting, I've switched to Smilley lube for a all around lube.

My point here is, test your lubes against Darr Lube and if it's as good or better accuracy wise, it's good to go.

The formula for Darr is simple and cheap....... 50/50 Paraffin and Vaseline with 1 - 2 table spoons of STP or a tube of the old RCBS case lube (what I've always used). I've had guys tell me that they don't use the STP or case lube and it does just fine. Darr lube will shoot 248's and 5 shot groups of 7/8" at 200 and it's cheap!

I'm not advocating Darr as the best possible lube but, it is a lube that you have to exceed the accuracy of to KNOW that you have a excellent lube.

Frank

The Javelina 75% Alox and 25% Bee's Wax is one that deserves a try, it Smiley's old formula and the business has just been purchased by a close friend and competitor. If you have an interest in purchasing some let me know and I will pass it onto him. Once he gets his business license and other related items in order he will be advertising his products as well as his contact information. Until then I don't mind helping him out and actually I enjoy doing so. 

J.Louis

Hi Frank, Thanks for the reply, and again for the advice. I do understand your point about trying and making a comparison. However I'm so new to the game I have really only my first batch of lube to use as a bench mark. It seems to work well. I don't get any lead in the barrel and the bore cleans up rather quickly. You have pointed out that some lubes will prove to help the rifle shoot more accurate. That got me to thinking about my experience shooting rim-fire bench-rest. I have seen how lube plays a role with accuracy in that game. Starting with a clean barrel in my rim-fire bench-rest rifle I have to shoot several rounds before the rifle settles down and starts to perform. The barrel is a fine Krieger and I'm shooting Eley ammo. So it's not some old worn and pitted bore that had to get a bunch of fouling before it starts to look like it may shoot accurately. Here is what I believe is happening in the bore. Even with a bore that has been cleaned and dry patched out there is a residual amount of oil or bore cleaner left, and the absents of powder/primer and lube fouling. Once that first shot goes down the bore the fouling starts to be distributed the length of the bore. It may take several shots to bring the fouling full length of the bore for a consistent surface resistance for a bullet to run on. Once that has been achieved the rifle will shoot more consistent. In this mix of bore fouling there is a residual amount of bullet lube that is mixed in the primer/powder fouling. The viscosity of the fouling is established by the lube and the temperature it is held at while shooting. Let the rifle set for a short while in cool weather and return to shooting with the barrel previously fouled and shooting accurately and I find that the first few shot are not where they should be. 
   I would tend to believe that the same would hold true for shooting smokeless and cast lubed bullets in center fire rifles. Would like to hear your thoughts on this.
   Thanks, Sendaro

Sometimes we just don't know when an opportunity was knocking. One of the last of the old Schuetzen rifle men was A fairly well known chap by the name of Harvey Donaldson. He was well on in years when I was introduced to him at the Pine Tree Rifle Club of Johnstown New York. At that time Harvey was playing with some cartridges that Remington had legitimized (22-250 and the 25-06). Being an wood chuck hunter I was interested in fast flat shooting modern cartridges and the talks I had with Harvey were around those matters and not the fine points of his by gone days shooting cast bullets in single shot rifles. I wish that he was alive today to share his knowledge. About that same time I was working part time in a sporting goods store in Johnstown. Some items came into the shop that were from a close friend of Harvey's. Mixed into the box of odds and ends was a small booklet about 4"X4". It had sheets of tissue paper separating sheets of a substance that looked like wax,grease, and graphite. A customer in the store was also looking through the box with me and told me that Harvey advocated the use of grease and graphite wads in all his cartridges. I'd be willing to bet that this practice was something that Harvey carried over with him from his earlier days with cast bullets. 
   Anyone adding a little of graphite to the lube?

Several years ago I came across a photo that I found very interesting. One of the men in that photo is E. O. Leopold from the great State of PA. As I understand it E. O. Leopold made and sold a bullet lube that was very popular back in the 1890s through the early 1900s. Anyone know anything about this? I just love the photo. It was taken in May of 1911 at Shushan NY when four of the most noted riflemen of the time were out on a woodchuck hunt. How times have changed! Sendaro

"Once that has been achieved the rifle will shoot more consistent. In this mix of bore fouling there is a residual amount of bullet lube that is mixed in the primer/powder fouling. The viscosity of the fouling is established by the lube and the temperature it is held at while shooting. Let the rifle set for a short while in cool weather and return to shooting with the barrel previously fouled and shooting accurately and I find that the first few shot are not where they should be. 
   I would tend to believe that the same would hold true for shooting smokeless and cast lubed bullets in center fire rifles. Would like to hear your thoughts on this."

Yes, I believe this is true but, with center fire there is more heat and it comes back quicker. I've found that just two shots will usually bring it back to the prior condition. But, these things can do unexpected things, too 

BTW, great photo

Frank

Hey guys, is there a substitute for Lead Stearate, hoping to making some 59C lube.
another question, would Ivory snow dishsoap work?
thanks