STEVE GARBE developed the SPG Bullet Lubricant formula in 1983 for his own use. A short time later, he became acquainted with Mike 'Duke' Venturino. Mike was having trouble getting his blackpowder breech-loaders to shoot accurately, so Steve shared some of his bullet lubricant. The results were so positive that 'Duke' encouraged Steve to put the lubricant on the market. A partnership was formed and SPG All-Purpose Bullet Lubricant was a reality. It quickly became the cast bullet lubricant of choice among blackpowder cartridge rifle shooters, especially in the extremely fast growing sport of Blackpowder Cartridge Silhouette. It remains to this day the most popular bullet lubricant in blackpowder circles.

In 1992 Steve and Mike decided that with the influx of new shooters to the sport that a reloading manual specifically for blackpowder cartridges was needed. Combining their experiences and load data, Steve and Mike published the "SPG Lubricants Black Powder Reloading Primer." The Primer takes off on the premise that the reader knows how to do basic cartridge reloading but does not know the special tricks for successful black powder cartridge reloading. The manual gives a general blackpowder reloading overview, specific starter loads and component recommendations for 22 of the most popular blackpowder cartridges and down range ballistics for typical bullets in each caliber. The 'Primer' has really become the bible for beginning blackpowder shooters.

In 1993 Mike and Steve also recognized the need for a magazine dealing exclusively with the topic of accurate blackpowder shooting. Newsstand magazines only touched briefly on the topic so the 'Black Powder Cartridge News' was started and was an immediate  success. Edited by Steve, the magazine has a no-fluff, hands-on approach to present-day blackpowder cartridge shooting. Contributing writers are all active in their respective shooting disciplines such as Silhouette, Long Range, Schuetzen and Cowboy Action. The 'News' is a forum for discussion among active shooters and also provides as a clearing house for upcoming matches and match results. Published now in Cody, Wyoming the Black Powder Cartridge News is one of the main voices in the sport of black powder shooting.

From the beginning SPG has stood for accurate blackpowder shooting and that continues to this day.

IN RESPONSE to many requests from shooters in hot climates who have complained that SPG Lube was melting too easily, I embarked on a search for a hot weather lube. One of the requirements that I imposed on this new lube was that it deliver the superior accuracy of regular SPG lube. I also wanted it to work well in moderately warm conditions. A lube that only works in extreme heat is not practical. There are many times that match conditions change from day to day and having to change a lube that only works in hot conditions would be very inconvenient

A little history first. When I first started developing SPG lube the main goal was to find a bullet lubricant that would work with 99% of rifles (using smokeless or black powder) in 99% of weather conditions. When I undertook this endeavor I was in the unique situation of being able to shoot all day, every day, for months on end. I was caretaking a remote ranch north of Yellowstone Park and there wasn't much to do outside of counting snowflakes and keeping the bears out of the buildings. I set up my cabin to be able to shoot from the kitchen window onto a 200 yard target butt. I then proceeded to make up samples of nearly every lube formula, old and new, that I could find. I fired 20 shots for each formula to narrow down certain components and then set about refining these components until I thought I had THE all-purpose lube. Then came extensive testing with firearms ranging from .38 Special to .50-90 Sharps. The formula was modified several times along the way to make it deliver superior accuracy in the majority of rifles (and handguns) in the widest range of weather conditions. Needless to say, I went through a LOT of powder and lead. About the time I figured that I really had a good all-purpose lubricant for cast bullets, I met Mike Venturino. Mike was new to black powder and was struggling with accuracy. He seemed like a nice guy, and his wife was a great cook, so I ended up spending time at the Venturino house. You bachelors out there know what I mean. Anyhow, I decided to reveal my ace in the hole to Mike and after using the new lube he was enthusiastic to say the least. We formed a partnership and were off and running. Fortunately, this also coincided with the renewed interest in blackpowder cartridge shooting and SPG lube has stood the test of time with many different shooters and rifles.However, some shooters complained that SPG lube would melt off the bullets in extreme heat. Very few complained of any accuracy loss, but they did not like the fact that SPG melted while chambered in a very hot barrel. I set about trying to solve this problem and in the process learned more about lubricants in general and SPG in particular. I also tested the other popular bullet lubricants available on the market and found that they too melted at extreme conditions. The only exceptions to this were some of the super hard lubricants and, whereas they stood up under heat, they did not deliver any kind of accuracy with blackpowder. Black is the focus here as we all know that SMOKELESS POWDER IS A PASSING FAD. Back to lube testing. The bad news is that after testing various lube formulas nothing works as well under the widest range of conditions as standard SPG lube. I guess I knew this but had to be reminded. Accuracy was always the criterion; if a new formula worked well in extreme heat but failed under normal conditions, I did not consider it an option. The good news is that after this testing I can offer some tips to shooters for using SPG lube in hot weather conditions.

There are three basic ways that shooters apply SPG lube to their cast bullets and after some testing I began to see that this might be where the problem lies. Most folks use a RCBS-style lubri-sizer to apply lubricant. These lubri-sizers can be filled cold with the hollow SPG sticks or the lubricant can be melted using a double boiler to prevent scorching and poured into the lubri-sizer. The third method of lubing bullets is to pan lube: standing bullets up in a shallow pan and pouring melted lubricant until the grease grooves are filled. Many shooters, myself included, think that this is the best way to lube bullets as it eliminates any distortion to the bullet that may be be caused by the use of a lubri-sizer. What I determined in my testing was that these methods all affected the "temper" of the lubricant. Forcing the lubricant through the lubri-sizer is an extrusion process that softens the lube. Filling the lubri-sizer cold applied the lube to the bullet in a very soft state. This is great for cold weather shooting, okay for moderate temperatures, and not desirable for extremely hot conditions. Using the sticks cold also occasionally trapped air in the lubri-sizer. Filling the lubri-sizer with melted lubricant, letting it cool, and then applying to the bullet delivered the lube at a slightly harder temper that is probably best all around for the majority of temperatures. Pouring melted lube into the lubri-sizer also solved the problem of trapped air. Pan lubing provided the hardest temper of all, effectively raising the melting point of the lube 30¡ from cold, extruded lube. This appears to solve the riddle of why some shooters had no problem with SPG melting in the hotter temperatures. If you are going to shoot in 100¡ heat you had better be pan lubing. Conversely, winter shooting conditions will demand that you extrude the lube to its softest state. I look upon this property of SPG lube as a real bonus to the shooter. We all know of lubes for hot and cold conditions, but with SPG one only needs to vary the application process to tailor to different temperature conditions. This eliminates the need for different batches of lube and lubri-sizers. Another fact that turned up in this testing is that one is far better off shooting a soft lube on a hot day than a hard lube on even a moderately warm day. All the hard lubes that I tried were poor performers, accuracy-wise, in moderate weather conditions. It only makes sense to tailor your lube to the prevailing temperature conditions and it is better to err on the soft lube side if one has to make a decision. Keeping your loaded ammunition in the shade on hot days or even in an insulated cooler will probably insure that you won't have any problems with melt off. If you think the lube is your major worry on those scorcher days, just shoot some rounds over the chronograph after they have been in a hot barrel for 40 seconds or so. The brass case acts as a heat sink and transfers the heat from the barrel to the powder. This can raise hob with velocity and the rule is hot powder develops more velocity (and harder fouling). No wonder the old-timers liked cool, overcast days for group shooting. Managing a blackpowder rifle in hot conditions definitely demands some forethought. My rule of thumb is any condition over 75¡ F. requires at least blowing three times down the barrel. This helps cool the barrel and soften fouling so that your lube doesn't get behind the eight ball. I also make it a practice of chambering a new round if I have to wait more than 40 seconds to break a shot. A hot barrel will dry out the fouling in this time and your powder has had its temperature raised substantially. In the vast majority of rifles this means a shot out at 12 o'clock.

Let me also add that managing your bullet lube is very important. In a conversation with a fellow shooter I was surprised to hear him say that he had been melting his SPG lube in a pan, NOT a double boiler. This is a very poor way to melt ANY bullet lubricant. I seriously doubt that one could do this in any manner that would not result in scorched lube. Scorched or over-heated bullet lube does not shoot, period. ALWAYS melt SPG lube using a double boiler. For those of you unsure of what exactly a double boiler is I will explain. Place the clean can or jar that contains the lube in another slightly larger pan that has a few inches of water in it. Put the two cans on the stove and heat to just under a rolling boil. When the lube is completely melted pour into your bullet pan or lubri-sizer and allow it to completely cool before using. SPG lube can be re-heated indefinitely as long as you use a double-boiler. Melt it without the double-boiler and you will ruin it (and any other lube) in a couple of heatings. The double-boiler thing is not anything new; it has been recommended by shooters since lube has been used on bullets. I have just finished up using some SPG lube that I made over 10 years ago. I have no idea how many times it has been re-heated; let's just say A LOT. I could tell no difference accuracy-wise between it and freshly made lube. I do store my melted lube in air-tight jam jars. I'm sure it keeps the lube from deteriorating and free from dust and dirt besides. If you are going to store pre-lubed bullets for any length of time I would recommend that you keep them in air-tight containers such as Tupperware. The nature of any lube is to attract dirt, so unless you're into fire lapping your favorite barrel, keep lubed bullets clean.

So much for SPG Tropical. It always pays to experiment, but one has to be careful not to re-invent the wheel. I have used SPG on some really scorching days here in Montana and in New Mexico. Maybe it was a little softer than I liked, but it has never let me down for accuracy and that's what counts in my book. I'm sure there is someone out there that has a different wrinkle on this than me and I'd like to share ideas with them. Just write to the Crank at the Crank's Corner, c/o SPG, LLC., and we can compare notes. Until then, just hold center. ©

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