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Silicone grease as an ammo lube

TOP PREDATOR

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 19, 2008
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SCRANTON AREA PENNSYLVANIA
I had touched on using a silicone grease I "borrowed" from work in a previous thread and finally got the oppurtunity to do a test today.

I tried 3 different ammos - CCI Standard Velocity, Fed bulk pack, CCI blazer, and then used a group of Wolf MT as a comparison. For todays trial, I shot 50 and 100 yards, the 200 yard targets below were from another session.

I've done alot of lube testing using the different lubes on different ammos. Just going on group sizes alone without having a complicated recipe, Moly or graphite spray lube rated #1, Bowstring wax (beeswax) being #2, and Alox bullet lube being #3. Another 10 types of lubes / waxes were tested 22 ammo lubrication

The drawback to the moly or graphite spray is that it was almost as pricey as to just purchase match ammo and time consuming to spray on a large amount of ammo. I just found out today that the Alox bullet lube (which has the consistancy of ear wax) gets really thick in the cold and tends to not allow the casing to extract easily if too much is applied, the beeswax actually gummed things up both in the cold and warm climate if too much is applied. Even though the Alox groups did improve group size, I omitted the Alox photos as the silicone groups were smaller, and the amount of stuck casings due to the Alox in cold temperatures now made it less of a good lube to use in cold climates thus bumping down the ladder as a preferrable lube for year roound shooting.

So the silicone grease seemed to be the answer as far as the consistancy goes while on the ammo, both in cold and warm climate. But how will it fare on paper?

Seemed to have fared very well, and has a few additional advantages I didn't consider before:

1. Easy to apply - either by fingertip or a small paintbrush
2. Stays pliable in cold, doesn't liquify in warmth.
3. No distinctive odor or staining color.
4. Doesn't get cases stuck in the chamber even if a rediculous amount is applied.
5. Actually works well as a rust inhibitor. Next pictures are two nails. "U" is uncoated, "C" is coated. Top is before, bottom is after being let sit in a saltwater solution overnight, removed, then left to sit for 7 days in a somewhat humid basement.
luberust2.jpg

luberust4.jpg


6. Actually works pretty good as a bolt lube - I put a little on my bolt and any bolt guides, wiped off the excess, cycling is very smooth.
7. Causes less fouling in the barrel. Took alot less patches to wipe barrel fouling out of the barrel once the barrel was cleaned, silicone grease applied, then 100 rounds shot as compared to other protectants or lubes I've used.

So on to the targets. I used a Savage MKII F sproter barreled rifle as it tends to show up differences in ammos and lubes more distinctively, bipod, rear bag from the bench. Optic was on 12 X at 50yds, 14x at 100. A 1" circle was used as the point of aim. Temperature was 29 deg F, 55% humidity, wind 5-7 MPH 5:00, cloudy. 10 round groups were fired with being unlubed, lubed with Alox, and lubed with the silicone grease. The barrel was dry patched before each ammo or new lube was introduced, then 10 rounds of the different ammo or new lube was shot off paper to get the barrel somewhat conditioned to the new ammo / lube. Each round was weighed and rim thickness sorted, then shot sequentially with the greatest amount of weight and rim thickness difference to allow the greatest amount of deviation in the ammo itself and have the groups rely on the lube itself. They were shot through a chronograh, the treated ammo FPS increased on average 10- 15 FPS as compared to the untreated.

I omitted the Alox groups in the pictures for the CCI standard velocity and Fed bulk ammo (as the FTE problem mentioned previously made the Alox less than optimal in cold weather). The CCI blazer target had gotten destroyed due to a "misplaced" cup of coffee, however both the Alox and silicone had improved the CCI Blazer groups at 50 and 100 yards, with the Alox shrinking the groups by .25" @ 100, and the silicone by at least .5" @ 100 for an average 1.25" group.

CCI Standard Velocity:
FEDBULK002.jpg


Fed. bulk (a few extra shot were taken on the unlubed, as the group was quite open at first and remained open even after the additional rounds):
FEDBULK001-Copy.jpg


200 yard (from a previous session, prone, bipod, and no rear support. Will shoot 200 yd again from bench and rear support in the future when the wind conditions will facilitate better objective results):

WITHOUT ADDITIONAL LUBE (12" X 8.5" group)
dec11200yd.jpg


WITH ADDITIONAL LUBE group shrank to 6.5" x 5.75", even with the MKII F
dec11200ydlubed.jpg



The silicone grease did leave a little slippery feeling on my fingertips while loading, however not any more excessive than the Wolf MT or a similiar lubed ammo would.

As I had good results with Moly and graphite in the past, the next step may be to mix a little with the grease and see what happens. I'm forcasting that it may leave a grey slippery susbstance that may stain fingers and clothing, but may produce even better results than just the grease alone. As my stock of various ammos has been depleted after this test, it will probably incorporate only the CCI Standard Velocity, Fed. bulk, and Wolf MT as a comparison.

In the mean time I'll try to locate the manufacturer of this particular silicone grease so i don't have to "borrow" it from work and post the source of supply at a later date. But I would believe that any similar high temp / low temp silicone grease should suffice.


For whatever reason I cannot edit that bullet lube post linked in the top of this post, so to give an updated rundown of lubrication I've tried:

FOR PURELY GROUP SIZE:

1. Moly or graphite lube spray
2. Silicone grease
3. Bowstring wax (Beeswax)
4. Alox bullet lube
5. Parrafin wax
6. Carnuba wax and Crayon tied
7. White lithium grease
8. Crossbow rail lube, RCBS case lube, Pam high temp cooking sray, furniture wax, pledge, miltec and other gun lubes - all not providing much difference in group size.

FOR COST, EASE OF APPLICATION, DRAWBACKS, AND GROUP SIZE:

1. Silicone grease (cost per generic Google search for silicone greases)
2. Carnuba wax - easy to apply, economical, stable in different temperatures.
3. Bowstring wax (Beeswax) - easy to apply, economical, but tends to gum up magzines, bolts, and chambers if excessive amounts are applied.
4. Alox bullet lube - easy to apply, economical, but causes stuck shells in cold temperatures if excessive amounts are applied.
5. Moly or graphite spray lube - Gave best group results, but is pricey, more intensive to apply, stains fingers and clothing.
6. White lithium grease - easy to apply, not that expensive, but leaves a tacky residue over everything.
7. Parrafin wax - economical, best applied if melted and ammo is dipped which is a bit time consuming and a little messy.
8. Crayon - easy to apply, economical, doesn't adhere well (flakes off).
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

#1: Thank you for the testing & write up!

#2: What about a spray on silicone lubricant such as THIS vs. applying with paintbrush/fingers. You could slip the racked 50 rnds out and give it a quick spray which may give you a nice even application. The only downside of this may be lubricant getting all over the casings & perhaps making more build up near the chamber although I'd bet it would be minimal.

#3: Thanks again for your work, now I've gotta try this!
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

I took a hundred round CCI plastic box and mixed Liquid Alox and Ronsonol lighter fluid per another site. I "dipped" some Federal hi vel but have yet to try it out. Mainly wanted to see how it would do in a revolver.

I will be doing this to some CCI std. vel to test in the rifle soon also. Thanks for your write up, this confirms what I've heard elsewhere.
 
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Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ryanmc</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
#2: What about a spray on silicone lubricat The only downside of this may be lubricant getting all over the casings & perhaps making more build up near the chamber although I'd bet it would be minimal.
</div></div>

it probably would work, but much like other sprays (moly or graphite spray lubes) it does tend to get all over the place. not only on the casings, but everywhere else. i've tried to more or less mask off the rest or stack several .22 plastic holders over shells that are standing up to only expose the bullet portion (like a jig) but it still tends to make a mess. then you have to spin the jig around to try to get complete coverage 360 degrees around, and most of the spray gets used up with a minimal amount of product ending up where i want it (on the backsplash cardboard or dripping down onto the casings anyhow - not very effecient, too time consuming, and messy IMO.

the stuff i was looking at and "borrowed" from work comes in a tube, much like toothpaste - squeeze s little dab, put it on a fingertip or paintbrush then spin the casing with the other hand.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

Very interesting read. I have always wondered how much the lubes for 22lr ammo changed how they shot. Most of the cheapest stuff is almost dry and shoots like it, where eley and wolf are big time greasy.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

TP, I did a bit of testing with the spray silicone lubricant on CCI Blazer rounds, I haven't been able to test on CCI SV yet because I haven't been able to find them locally for the past month.

I placed the CCI Blazer in 50 round racks that the plastic cased CCI Stingers etc. come in then gave them a quick shot of the silicone lubricant from each side. Gave them a shake to let any excess drip off.

Results were very poor. At 100yds the non-lubed CCI Blazer were grouping around an inch. As soon as I tried the lubed CCI Blazer the groups immediately at least doubled in size & were consistently poor.

I plan on doing some more testing perhaps with CCI SV or some more with the Blazer when I can do a more formal test but figured you guys would like some follow up info.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

yeah, i tried the spray on stuff, it didn't do much if anything. i think the thicker grease made a better gas seal, or whatever it is that makes bullet lube work.

i just shot what i think is my best ever 200 yarder this weekend, with a pencil barreled mkii F and cci sv that had the silicone grease on it. hopefully tomorrow or the next day i can get enough time to post scores in the rimfire comp section.

BTW i did find the maker of the grease i used:
http://www.sspinc.com/ssp_store/heavy_bodied_FDA_grade_silicone_grease_14.htm

in a 5.3 oz tube (like a toothpaste tube)

i was thinking of mixing this silicone grease with dry moly used for moly coating bullets, but figured it would stain fingers and clothing a bit too much and leave a nasty grey residue everywhere.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: GotCox</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Very interesting read. I have always wondered how much the lubes for 22lr ammo changed how they shot. Most of the cheapest stuff is almost dry and shoots like it, where eley and wolf are big time greasy.</div></div>

Ditto the Eley is big time greasy!
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

next up on the subject of lubes is to try some wolf with the lube, then take as much of it off (i'm thinking acetone and a rag) then compare the two.

i'm sure just the very nature of premium ammos like wolf, eley, etc. shoot well without lube, but how much can be contributed to the lube in the better ammos....i don't know yet.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TOP PREDATOR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">next up on the subject of lubes is to try some wolf with the lube, then take as much of it off (i'm thinking acetone and a rag) then compare the two.

i'm sure just the very nature of premium ammos like wolf, eley, etc. shoot well without lube, but how much can be contributed to the lube in the better ammos....i don't know yet. </div></div>

I've got a fresh box of Eley. I will try that next time at the range.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

OK, I tried this last week and I must say, it appeared to work. Unfortunately, there was some wind was does not help things at 100 yards. That being said, I usually shoot CCI Green Tag which is very accurate in my rifle. This day I used some bulk Blazer. I shot Blazer out of the box and Blazer sprayed w/ lube. Groups were much better w/ lube, almost half.

I'm going to spend some time on this on a better day and do 4 targets, 10 rounds of each to get a bigger sample. When I do, I will post pics up as above.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

A lubricant designed for use between dissimilar metals,
under explosive pressures and high temperatures,
functions well at high velocity, a little goes a long way,
easily available, ashless, friction cutting, detergent to clean,
dispersant to prevent deposits, rust inhibitor, oxygen inhibitor...
sounds like 2 cycle air cooled 24:1 racing oil to me.
Then again, I've been known to play with weed eater oil at the range.

Echo 2CAC on Federal bulk 36 gr cphp at 50 yards

fed36-lilja50.jpg


 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

no problem, as a side note i just shot my best silhouette scores with the silicone greased ammo.

my other scores and groups here on the rimfire matches have improved at 100 and 200 even with the pencil barreled MKII

everything is pointing i the right direction with this stuff.

i haven't yet tried the wolf ammo with stripped lube as it has been a busy month or two and haven't had the chance to tinker.

i'll have to try the 2 cycle oil too, that sounds as if it has potential.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

Eley uses beeswax i belive and so greasy that it makes my action look disgusting after a box of 50. It has never shot any better than the more normal "lubed" ammos like SK or wolf so i personally dont use it.

Maybe just because im not a good shooter I cant tell the difference. idk.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

You mentioned moly but has anyone used the Ms. Moly spray? The best part was it came with a little foam block that allowed you to slip in 50 rounds with just the bullets sticking up then you sprayed on four sides and were done. The coating was dry after about an hour and they did not appear to be dirty to shoot. I had planned on doing some great test but I dont recall every really putting them on paper.

Ok my brain engaged, we were trying them on CCI stingers to try to get more consistency and it seemed to help by minimizing fliers but no definitive paper results.
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

Thanks for all your time and effort. I have some silicone grease made by Danco it comes in a little round container with a pop up lid. It's sold at home depot for lubricating o-rings in the plumbing aisle.

Would this yield the same results in other calibers?
.17 hmr or even centerfire
 
Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

I did some more testing on this and thought some might like this.

I went back to the range and did this again, with some more variables and control. I was shooting a Savage TRR-SR with bulk Blazer at 100 yards. The best this rifle ever shot at 100 yards was this target below. Target is 2.75" and group is just over 1".

DSCN8969.JPG


That was CCI Green Tag. Got similar results with Eley Tenex. However, Tenex was even better at 50.

This time I cheap used bulk Blazer as the control. I also tested with 30 wt oil, silicone spray, non-stick cooking spray (I will explain that one) and carnauba auto wax.

Many non-stick cooking sprays have "lecithin", which has amazing non-stick and lubricating properties.

I started with the Blazer out of the box. After every 10 rounds, I pulled the bolt, sprayed some solvent down the barrel and ran a bore snake to minimize material left from previous rounds.

In this video, the two left targets are just sight in targets for adjustments if needed. The 2nd from the left on top is Blazer, the next is the cooking spray, oil. Lower row, silicone and wax. I shot 10 rounds for each but could only video 5 here as I had to stop and re-load.

<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qXqOiLZ4xUc&feature=plcp"></param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qXqOiLZ4xUc&feature=plcp" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"> </embed></object>

For some reason (in my rifle) the oil and silcone seemed to have some flyers, maybe it was me but did not happen with the others. This video is the wax coated rounds. It was clear to me, they grouped the best. Perhaps the reason the match bullets appear to have a wax coating?

Here was the group from the widest point on all of these.

Blazer control - 2.60"
Cooking spray - 1.90"
Oil - 2.95"
Silicone - 3.30"
Wax - 1.80"

Considering the best I can get is 1" or just over using Green Tag and Tenex, the carnauba gets pretty close.
 
Hello OP,
I read about 1/10 of your post and stopped as it's 3:38 AM.
Have you considered white HBN powder? It is super slippery and very pleasant to work with. I like MOLY but it is dirty
nasty stuff as is graphite powder.
I have some Hexagonal Boron Nitride (HBN) that is 10 micro meter size. It's virtually dust to the feel.

If I were to lube my bullets, I would use the handy bullet carrier that is provided with any good grade of ammo as shown
in the attachment. I think of it as the candle making approach. Nose down and 50 at a time. I may even pre warm the lead
so the wax skin would be held to a minimum.
The plate or other container contains the lube. Certainly you could keep the lube melted with Sterno or back packing stove
or alcohol burner / lamp from your sixth grade science class. Even a double boiler if your into cooking.
All it takes is 75* to 180* to melt wax depending on type.
 

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Hello OP,
I read about 1/10 of your post and stopped as it's 3:38 AM.
Have you considered white HBN powder? It is super slippery and very pleasant to work with. I like MOLY but it is dirty
nasty stuff as is graphite powder.
I have some Hexagonal Boron Nitride (HBN) that is 10 micro meter size. It's virtually dust to the feel.

If I were to lube my bullets, I would use the handy bullet carrier that is provided with any good grade of ammo as shown
in the attachment. I think of it as the candle making approach. Nose down and 50 at a time. I may even pre warm the lead
so the wax skin would be held to a minimum.
The plate or other container contains the lube. Certainly you could keep the lube melted with Sterno or back packing stove
or alcohol burner / lamp from your sixth grade science class. Even a double boiler if your into cooking.
All it takes is 75* to 180* to melt wax depending on type.
It's a ten year old post and the OP hasn't been on since November 2021. :ROFLMAO:
 
I can't imagine why this old crap would automatically post on my email as though it were a new information.
Maybe the hide, much like this old post is a waste of my time.
 
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Re: Silicone grease as an ammo lube

next up on the subject of lubes is to try some wolf with the lube, then take as much of it off (i'm thinking acetone and a rag) then compare the two.

i'm sure just the very nature of premium ammos like wolf, eley, etc. shoot well without lube, but how much can be contributed to the lube in the better ammos....i don't know yet.
Actually easier than you would believe. Take a crappy ammo, of known large group size. Now take a decent ammo (I noticed it using old Wolf MT). Fire say a 10 shot group with the crap.
Now fire a 10 shot group with the good stuff.
Now fire a 5 shot group with the crap- I’d bet you’ll notice the first 3-4 group substantially better as they burn off/drag out the decent lube.
 
I had touched on using a silicone grease I "borrowed" from work in a previous thread and finally got the oppurtunity to do a test today.

I tried 3 different ammos - CCI Standard Velocity, Fed bulk pack, CCI blazer, and then used a group of Wolf MT as a comparison. For todays trial, I shot 50 and 100 yards, the 200 yard targets below were from another session.

I've done alot of lube testing using the different lubes on different ammos. Just going on group sizes alone without having a complicated recipe, Moly or graphite spray lube rated #1, Bowstring wax (beeswax) being #2, and Alox bullet lube being #3. Another 10 types of lubes / waxes were tested 22 ammo lubrication

The drawback to the moly or graphite spray is that it was almost as pricey as to just purchase match ammo and time consuming to spray on a large amount of ammo. I just found out today that the Alox bullet lube (which has the consistancy of ear wax) gets really thick in the cold and tends to not allow the casing to extract easily if too much is applied, the beeswax actually gummed things up both in the cold and warm climate if too much is applied. Even though the Alox groups did improve group size, I omitted the Alox photos as the silicone groups were smaller, and the amount of stuck casings due to the Alox in cold temperatures now made it less of a good lube to use in cold climates thus bumping down the ladder as a preferrable lube for year roound shooting.

So the silicone grease seemed to be the answer as far as the consistancy goes while on the ammo, both in cold and warm climate. But how will it fare on paper?

Seemed to have fared very well, and has a few additional advantages I didn't consider before:

1. Easy to apply - either by fingertip or a small paintbrush
2. Stays pliable in cold, doesn't liquify in warmth.
3. No distinctive odor or staining color.
4. Doesn't get cases stuck in the chamber even if a rediculous amount is applied.
5. Actually works well as a rust inhibitor. Next pictures are two nails. "U" is uncoated, "C" is coated. Top is before, bottom is after being let sit in a saltwater solution overnight, removed, then left to sit for 7 days in a somewhat humid basement.
luberust2.jpg

luberust4.jpg


6. Actually works pretty good as a bolt lube - I put a little on my bolt and any bolt guides, wiped off the excess, cycling is very smooth.
7. Causes less fouling in the barrel. Took alot less patches to wipe barrel fouling out of the barrel once the barrel was cleaned, silicone grease applied, then 100 rounds shot as compared to other protectants or lubes I've used.

So on to the targets. I used a Savage MKII F sproter barreled rifle as it tends to show up differences in ammos and lubes more distinctively, bipod, rear bag from the bench. Optic was on 12 X at 50yds, 14x at 100. A 1" circle was used as the point of aim. Temperature was 29 deg F, 55% humidity, wind 5-7 MPH 5:00, cloudy. 10 round groups were fired with being unlubed, lubed with Alox, and lubed with the silicone grease. The barrel was dry patched before each ammo or new lube was introduced, then 10 rounds of the different ammo or new lube was shot off paper to get the barrel somewhat conditioned to the new ammo / lube. Each round was weighed and rim thickness sorted, then shot sequentially with the greatest amount of weight and rim thickness difference to allow the greatest amount of deviation in the ammo itself and have the groups rely on the lube itself. They were shot through a chronograh, the treated ammo FPS increased on average 10- 15 FPS as compared to the untreated.

I omitted the Alox groups in the pictures for the CCI standard velocity and Fed bulk ammo (as the FTE problem mentioned previously made the Alox less than optimal in cold weather). The CCI blazer target had gotten destroyed due to a "misplaced" cup of coffee, however both the Alox and silicone had improved the CCI Blazer groups at 50 and 100 yards, with the Alox shrinking the groups by .25" @ 100, and the silicone by at least .5" @ 100 for an average 1.25" group.

CCI Standard Velocity:
FEDBULK002.jpg


Fed. bulk (a few extra shot were taken on the unlubed, as the group was quite open at first and remained open even after the additional rounds):
FEDBULK001-Copy.jpg


200 yard (from a previous session, prone, bipod, and no rear support. Will shoot 200 yd again from bench and rear support in the future when the wind conditions will facilitate better objective results):

WITHOUT ADDITIONAL LUBE (12" X 8.5" group)
dec11200yd.jpg


WITH ADDITIONAL LUBE group shrank to 6.5" x 5.75", even with the MKII F
dec11200ydlubed.jpg



The silicone grease did leave a little slippery feeling on my fingertips while loading, however not any more excessive than the Wolf MT or a similiar lubed ammo would.

As I had good results with Moly and graphite in the past, the next step may be to mix a little with the grease and see what happens. I'm forcasting that it may leave a grey slippery susbstance that may stain fingers and clothing, but may produce even better results than just the grease alone. As my stock of various ammos has been depleted after this test, it will probably incorporate only the CCI Standard Velocity, Fed. bulk, and Wolf MT as a comparison.

In the mean time I'll try to locate the manufacturer of this particular silicone grease so i don't have to "borrow" it from work and post the source of supply at a later date. But I would believe that any similar high temp / low temp silicone grease should suffice.


For whatever reason I cannot edit that bullet lube post linked in the top of this post, so to give an updated rundown of lubrication I've tried:

FOR PURELY GROUP SIZE:

1. Moly or graphite lube spray
2. Silicone grease
3. Bowstring wax (Beeswax)
4. Alox bullet lube
5. Parrafin wax
6. Carnuba wax and Crayon tied
7. White lithium grease
8. Crossbow rail lube, RCBS case lube, Pam high temp cooking sray, furniture wax, pledge, miltec and other gun lubes - all not providing much difference in group size.

FOR COST, EASE OF APPLICATION, DRAWBACKS, AND GROUP SIZE:

1. Silicone grease (cost per generic Google search for silicone greases)
2. Carnuba wax - easy to apply, economical, stable in different temperatures.
3. Bowstring wax (Beeswax) - easy to apply, economical, but tends to gum up magzines, bolts, and chambers if excessive amounts are applied.
4. Alox bullet lube - easy to apply, economical, but causes stuck shells in cold temperatures if excessive amounts are applied.
5. Moly or graphite spray lube - Gave best group results, but is pricey, more intensive to apply, stains fingers and clothing.
6. White lithium grease - easy to apply, not that expensive, but leaves a tacky residue over everything.
7. Parrafin wax - economical, best applied if melted and ammo is dipped which is a bit time consuming and a little messy.
8. Crayon - easy to apply, economical, doesn't adhere well (flakes off).
I hadn’t picked up on the date of this thread either, but can relay some of the info I gleaned from a gents tests about 2 decades ago on RFC:
1. A chemist type fellow weighed in that silicone when superheated became an acid.
2. Another gent did some exhaustive tests and claimed he got best results with bullets treated with....
Wait for it....
Preparation-H
Obviously jokes and puns ensued, but other folks claimed to test it and said he was right.

I have discussed this with a friend who has experimented with imperial die wax, as well as Hornady case lube/One-Shot, he noted an improvement on cheap ammo, but felt the application could be more uniform.
I still wonder about other potential “lubes” such as moly grease and anything with a chap-stick like consistency that doesn’t attack barrel steel.