This is directly from Thomson Centers web site.
6: Is T/C's Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter really that good? How does it work?
It sure is, and if you've got some friends who are using it, ask them. Our All Natural "Bore Butter" is absent of any petroleum based oil, and contains an ingredient which seasons the bore with repeated use, just as you would season a cast iron skillet. Tar, used to pave highways, is made by heating a petroleum based oil. In other words, heat plus petroleum oil equals tar! That's what causes the heavy fouling when shooting a muzzleloader with conventional petroleum based lubes. The problem of heavy fouling was one not encountered in the old days, as the oils used then were all natural' whale oil, bear fat, deer tallow, etc. Petroleum based oils were not discovered until the mid 1800's, and during the Civil War, fouling did become a problem.
7: How do I use Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter?
It's easy. The first step is to remove all traces of oil from your muzzleloader by cleaning the bore with hot water and a detergent. Then coat the bore with Bore Butter using a patch or swab saturated with it. From that point on, never allow a petroleum based lube to interfere with the Natural Lube. Use bullets prelubed with Bore Butter, and when cleaning, use an all natural bore cleaner like our No. 13. As you continue to shoot, you will be slowly seasoning the bore and will notice that very little fouling builds up. Loading will remain easy from shot to shot, and cleaning will be a snap.
Note about Sabots
T/C's All Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter was designed as a lube to be used with traditional patched roundballs (lube the patches) and all lead conical bullets like our Maxi-Ball and Maxi-Hunters.
If you are shooting sabots, DO NOT LUBE YOUR SABOTS. Sabots are designed to be shot right out of the package____DRY. In fact, you should remove any trace of Natural Lube, or any lube for that matter, from the barrel before shooting sabots. The less lube you have in the barrel when shooting sabots, the better, to achieve optimum accuracy.
When your hunting or shooting is done, and your rifle cleaned after shooting, re-lube your barrel with T/C's All Natural Lube Bore Butter prior to storage. Wipe down the outside as well. It's an excellent rust preventative.
8: Has Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter been tested?
Yes. In 1990, a T/C New Englander was repeatedly fired every day for about 1 month, without having a patch run down the barrel. Over 1,000 rounds were fired, and loading remained as easy on the last shot, as on the first. The velocities of the last five shots were measured, and the standard deviation of these 5 shots was 8.8FPS. That's less than what you would experience with most boxes of centerfire rifle cartridges!
9: Are all natural lubes the same?
No, there are a number of natural lubricants on the market, but only T/C's All Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter has the added ingredient to give you long term performance.
10: Do I have to clean my rifle immediately after firing it?
Only if you are using a petroleum based lubricant, which as previously stated, will create a tar like fouling capable of ruining the bore of your rifle if left unchecked by cleaning. If you are using T/C's Bore Butter, immediate cleaning of the rifle is not necessary. You can discharge the rifle during deer season, for example, and load up again without having to worry about cleaning the rifle that evening. However, that does not relieve you of your obligations to clean your rifle before putting it away, or after extended shooting. It's every shooters responsibility to clean their rifle properly, and maintain it in A-1 condition.
