Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

[robwall1861]

I know it's ok to use modern gun oil to do the inside of your barrel when you get home after an event, but what is a good source for oil in the field to take care of the inside of your barrel?

Hopefully this makes sense...haven't had my coffee yet:).

Thanks in advance!

[David Fox]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

The body of some models of the British Enfield combination tool held a reservoir of oil which, given the capacity, was likely more intended for lubrication of moving parts. My C.S. and U.S. ordnance manuals are on local museum display, however as I recall they speak to this inquiry. Since the U.S. petroleum industry was in its infancy in the early 1860s, I'd guess (Oh! fatal word) sperm whale oil was still in general use. I have some left over from my granddad's tackle box. Artificial sperm oil is available these days.

[Pvt_Sullivan]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Robert,

Two oils documented by period competitive shooters were "Sweet Oil" essentially modern olive oil and Neetsfoot Oil. You can get one from the grocery store and one from the hardware or farm supply store. I've tried both, I prefer the results from neetsfoot oil. I use it during events and at home for my period arms.

After the bore of the piece is clean, I run an oiled patch a few times to get coverage, then a dry patch to make sure there is limited excess. This will inhibit rust, especially with differing temperatures and morning dew we often experience in the field. You can bring the oil in a small period bottle or simply soak a couple rags in the oil and put in a tin container or your cartridge box implement pouch.

[robwall1861]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

I have a small round screw top container that I used to carry in my US knapsack, but I wanted to "minimize" my knapsack contents....this is what led me to thinning down my field cleaning kit for my springfield. Basically I'm trying to keep everything in the implement pouch of cartridge box like they did back then (since the knapsack was more for personal/sleeping gear).

Thanks in advance,

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Robert,

Simply this...soak sweet oil (olive oil) on 2-3 patches that will just be oily and put them loose in the implement pouch of your cartridge box. Put some dry patches in the pouch on the other end. It's as simple and light weight as that. No muss, no fuss, no bottles, no broken glass and oil going everywhere, got it when you need it. I've done all the mentioned methods, and adding 2-3 oiled patches or a cloth in the implement pouch has worked perfectly for me for years now.

[Grabenkater]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Since the U.S. petroleum industry was in its infancy in the early 1860s, I'd guess (Oh! fatal word) sperm whale oil was still in general use. I have some left over from my granddad's tackle box. Artificial sperm oil is available these days.

I have read that jojoba oil mimics sperm oil in many aspects, since both are actually a liquid wax and not an oil per se. I have used jojoba on several of my flintlocks with very good results.

[robwall1861]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Matt,

Thanks I'll try that....don't know why I didn't think of that before (maybe the idea of putting oiled patches in my cartridge box made me nervouse (messy, etc)). The tin can I mentioned before can be put in my modern gun kit for when I'm at home.

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Robert,

Two oils documented by period competitive shooters were "Sweet Oil" essentially modern olive oil and Neetsfoot Oil. You can get one from the grocery store and one from the hardware or farm supply store. I've tried both, I prefer the results from neetsfoot oil.

References???

Paul B.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

A little piece of bacon on a wiper works for me.

[john duffer]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

"A little piece of bacon on a wiper works for me.'


GENERAL REGULATIONS for the MILITARY FORCES OF THE STATE of NEW-YORK, 1858 says:

“A rind of fresh pork, without salt, is better than oil for greasing the metallic parts of the musket.”

[Pvt_Sullivan]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

References???

Paul, You can be a real pain in the tookus at times...

Notes on Rifle Shooting 1864, by Henry William Heaton. See Page 73 for the reference about Neatsfoot Oil.

The Gun and How to Use it. 1860, by John B. Johnson. See page 17 for the reference about Olive Oil.

Michael Schaffner posted these references a few years ago...

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Pete,

Thanks for the references...will need to look these up.

On that note, what about the use of Rangoon Oil? Has anyone found any contemporary evidence of Rangoon Oil being used in the Americas, and by US/CS Military?

http://www.britishmilitaryequipments.com/

Paul B.

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Thanks, Pete. For those who are interested, I've attached a little compilation of gun-cleaning articles I dug up a few years ago. Most are English and they're dated from 1841 to 1875. They all have some interesting detail, though no two agree on the perfect way to clean a weapon.

Scott's Military Dictionary contains the army's official guide to dismounting and cleaning the 1855 Springfield under the entry for "Arms, Small." It mentions both sperm and linseed oil as appropriate for cleaning the stock, but doesn't specify the best oil otherwise. "Notes on Rifle Shooting" recommends three oils -- linseed for the stock, neatsfoot for the barrel, and "watchmaker's" fine oil for the lock, which probably refers to sperm oil. Chapman's Instructions to Young Marksmen (1848 -- not quoted in the attached) mentions using spit-soaked patches for cleaning or, if the weapon's really fouled, boiling water followed by oil, for the outside "good bear's or lamp oil, either of which is better than Florence olive oil. Some people are very particular about what kind of oil they use in the favorite rifles, but good clean bear's oil or best fish oil is good enough and more 'comeatable' than squirrel, coon, or deer's leg oil." Lamp oil in this case may have meant some kind of whale oil.

The neatsfoot oil referred to in the articles would not have petroleum in it -- you can still get this in some places. Some of the sources recommend "clarifying" it to remove any water, generally by letting it sit for a time with some lead shot in it.

The Revised Regulations mention both sweet and armor oil as proper items for sale by sutlers. W. S. Lincoln's History of the Thirty-Fourth Massachusetts mentions their sutler selling oil in "vials," which I assume were glass.

The Ordnance Department's instructions for filling out OD paperwork mentions "brass oilers" among armorers' tools.

Advertisements in the 1864-65 issues of the Army and Navy Journal include some for "Paraffine" oil, which may have been an early petroleum based gun oil.

I too have heard about jojoba oil as a substitute for sperm oil. It's basically a liquid vegetable wax with a slightly sticky sebum finish that offers some protection against rust.

But in all honesty I still prefer Ballistol -- it's only a century old, but the best I can find in the absence of something from a whale. :)

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Hallo!

Correct...

There is a difference between Period Neatsfoot Oil and the modern Neatsfoot Oil Compound we normally see for sale most often these days.
(The same is true for so-called "Boiled Linseed Oil.")

In the Modern ersatz realm that looks like spearm whale oil, behaves like sperm whale oil, and acts life sperm whale, shortly after new sperm whale oil became illegal, lads were touting the virtues of Jojoba oil.

Curt

[Jam3853]

Re: Oiling Inside of Musket Barrel...In The Field

Any ideas on the contents of "armor oil" listed in the crc volume 1?