Any one know what old timers traditional Moose Milk was made from?

Try this website:

http://members.boardhost.com/tmmh/

There as many Moose Milk recipes as there are Mooses.
Here's what I use in traditional muzzleloaders for both shooting, and cleaning. I can shoot all day without running a cleaning patch.
2oz water soluble oil
20z Murphy's oil soap
2oz Liquid dish soap
1 qt of water.

Like I said, great for lube and cleaning.

Hope that helps.

Or just get some Ballistol and put some water with it...

http://mamaflinter.tripod.com/id10.html

I don't know what the first concoctions would have contained. Perhaps given available ingredients, it could have been a mixture of sperm oil, liquified lye soap, water, and white lightning.

When you get all wore out mixing the stuff, here is a Moose Milk version you can drown your sorrows in:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/...55187-225192,00.html

Moose milk was and is the biggest piece of wool to be pulled over the blackpowder shooter's eyes, since the 1960s. It is nothing but water soluble oil used in the machine tool industry. You can make it yourself, or use plain water, which works as well. I didn't say it didn't work, which it does, I am saying it was not a secret concoction.

I think everyone here agrees. That's why we make it ourselves. I can make a gallon for about $.40, and it works great.
I think that was the general idea. It's NOT a secret concoction. Especially when we're all sharing one of many formulae.

Back in the 60s and 70s, moose milk was the mother's milk of blackpowder shooters who paid big bucks for small bottles of it. Of course there was no internet and most guys didn't know what it was made of so paid the price, which I guess is small in the overall scheme of things. I knew what it was the first time I felt it and smelled it, and continued to use the U.S. Army recommended and approved solvent; Water, one gill, warm if available. I do have to compliment the guy who developed the marketing strategy and name for it; brilliant.

For cleaning.... water is the best. As well as for shooting, (spit), BUT that's if you intend on shooting immediately. I live in AZ, and in the heat, spit is just not that easy to come by. Also, When a patched ball is not fired immediately, it needs a little help in the form of lube. Historically, could be any kind of fat, oil, rendered from an animal. Not having killed a bear lately, I use the things most easily available to me. I also refused to buy a commercially made product, when I can make it for myself, and pay 1/10th the cost.
Kind of my own form of "Rendered bear fat".

Not any good for cleaning, but as a patch and miniball lube, plain old Crisco works great.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobster:
http://mamaflinter.tripod.com/id10.html

I don't know what the first concoctions would have contained. Perhaps given available ingredients, it could have been a mixture of sperm oil, liquified lye soap, water, and white lightning

When you get all wore out mixing the stuff, here is a Moose Milk version you can drown your sorrows in:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/...55187-225192,00.html

I'm with Bobster

Im liking that mix, no need to bring along a muzzle loader...Drink that and you could last for days in a deer stand..

I have made my own "Moose Milk" for cleaning and shooting for 30 years and have given away gallons of it at shoots.
I start with a gallon jug
1 cup of water soluble Cutting oil like from a band saw or lathe
1 cup of ammonia
1 cup of Murphy's soap or I like the "409" cleaner
fill rest of jug with water and shake each time you pour into a smaller bottle for use.
Last forever.
I will cut my patching in about 18-24" strips and roll up a mess of them. As I shoot target I unroll one and wet the whole strip.
Helps lube and keeps clean between shots for each target.
Not so good for hunting as it dries.
Mike