Another Balistol question

[Johnny Tremain]

WD-40 and Balistol have petroleum in them. Making sludge is worst than rust.
You going to re-season your barrel every spring.
I coat mine in bore butter after final cleaning, which is this weekend.
Next spring Ill wipe it out. Be advised, I keep it in a climate controlled safe.

 

[Mike in FL]

I like it and use it.

 

[Roughneck]

I use an equal part of Murphys oil soap, isopropyl alcohol and liquid Balistol for patch line at matches and to clean my rifles then I use straight ballistol again. Never had rust issues using that method and that’s from shooting a lot living in Florida, Alaska and Montana. When I used soap and water with wd-40 didn’t work no where’s close. That’s just my experience

 

[Nav]

Yes, Balistol is a cutting oil that's water soluble, but if you don't add water it forms a petroleum film oil that sits on the surface of the metal and creates a barrier between the steel and humidity. Humidity will not somehow form liquid water and make an emulsion with Balistol. In fact, Balistol doesn't polymerize over time like a lot of other petroleum oils. They have a pretty complete explanation.
https://www.ballistol-shop.de/the-ballistol-story.html

 

[user 34300]

• WD-40 and Balistol have petroleum in them. Making sludge is worst than rust... re-season your barrel....bore butter.
• 
  
• Here we go again!

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Why use anything other than 3-1 Oil?

 

[Sam squanch]

Ballistol is ok , but the price is ridiculous! I had a friend in high school, he could handle his just cleaned 30-30 slathered in oil and still get rusty fingerprints on it. I loaned him a 22, got it back rusty. He said he cleaned and oiled it, his mom told me his dad and grandpa had the same problem- whatever they touched corroded. Body chemistry?

 

[MtHoot]

WD-40 and Balistol have petroleum in them. Making sludge is worst than rust.
You going to re-season your barrel every spring.
I coat mine in bore butter after final cleaning, which is this weekend.
Next spring Ill wipe it out. Be advised, I keep it in a climate controlled safe.

That is another train of thought . I personally never store my rifles over long periods, no more than a three week period at most. So a light coat of oil never harms. I usually am at the range every Friday/Thursday, so it’s not a big deal. If I do not go to the range, I give everything a quick once over once a month. Bore butter and wax being a natural product usually contains olive oil and can degrade and get a bit clunky, clumpy over storage. But I also am of the opinion that “whatever works best for you” works for me. You use bore butter, I have my method, and the original author used ballistol with success and answered his own question…

 

[Joemolf]

Ballistol is a lousy rust inhibitor if there is any humidity present. got a nice palm print on a rifle barrel that I put up right after slathering in ballistol and being stored on the wall in a room between 50-55% humidity, monitored. I also get brown patches after 2-3 days of drying the bore and coating with straight ballistol. It has a purpose in "moose milk" for keeping steel from rusting while cleaning powder fouling with water, and also for helping dry the metal afterward, but after that it needs to be wiped off and a real preservative type oil, grease, or wax applied.

I'm sure a zillion Ballistol fanbois will dogpile this comment and claim it's the best thing ever invented, makes them shoot 10X scores and prevents warts, but like most things it has limitations and climate has a lot to do with those.

I agree I think it works great for cleaning keeping fouling soft but I have experienced minor rust in the barrel if I let the rifle sit a while. I no longer use it in my flintlocks but I do use it in my 1873 rifle that I shoot a lot of BP out of to keep fowling soft and cleaning. If I don’t want to find rust in my barrels on the flintlocks I use boiling water a brush patches and more patches until clean then wipe it with break free clp or other oil like LPS 2.

 

[French Colonial]

That is another train of thought . I personally never store my rifles over long periods, no more than a three week period at most. So a light coat of oil never harms. I usually am at the range every Friday/Thursday, so it’s not a big deal. If I do not go to the range, I give everything a quick once over once a month. Bore butter and wax being a natural product usually contains olive oil and can degrade and get a bit clunky, clumpy over storage. But I also am of the opinion that “whatever works best for you” works for me. You use bore butter, I have my method, and the original author used ballistol with success and answered his own question…

How do you not store your rifles over long periods? Do you only have a few?

Change back to the original subject, Ballistol is a mineral oil with some additives, for the naysayers I will remind you it works great as a mineral oil..............Because it is a mineral oil............... How's that for some Kamala speak.

Why would you denigrate a product that does exactly what it was intended to do, are there other products that do other things better? Yes, WD 40 works great for displacing water, RIG works great for inhibiting rust and motor oil works for motors. Start using the products for the job that they were designed for and you will have fewer issues.

Some people think that being a negative critic all the time gives them some status, when all it does is reflect your personality.

 

[Greenjoytj]

Comprehensive corrosion testing done on 46 products and compared.
https://dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667
scroll down past comments section at the top of the page to get to the tests and results Area.

 

[Wes]

All my guns are safes in a non climate controlled part of the house. All three have Golden Rods across front and back, hygrometers (always below 5%, and most of the time 0), and big cans of desiccant that needs to be baked a couple of times a year. The Golden Rods keep heated air flowing through the safe, which keeps the vast majority of the humidity out. Totally agree on the humidity. Zero is best. AZ is the best state to store anything metal, the rest of us need powered heat and desiccant.

I get by with just a lightncoating of oil, usually Ballistol and my one rod heater and have never had any problem that I know of. Love those rod heaters, mine is approximately 18 years old and still warm.

 

[Wes]

Why use anything other than 3-1 Oil?

You’re a brave man to say that here, but I agree. 3-1 Oil is a fine, I think 10W oil, and non-detergent.

 

[MtHoot]

I agree I think it works great for cleaning keeping fouling soft but I have experienced minor rust in the barrel if I let the rifle sit a while. I no longer use it in my flintlocks but I do use it in my 1873 rifle that I shoot a lot of BP out of to keep fowling soft and cleaning. If I don’t want to find rust in my barrels on the flintlocks I use boiling water a brush patches and more patches until clean then wipe it with break free clp or other oil like LPS 2.

On my final wipe down I religiously use cotton gloves to handle all of my firearms before putting them away. The worst thing that you can do is touch the metal with bare hands, as the oils in your skin contain moisture which transfers onto the surface handled. Just a thought, as you mentioned palm print

How do you not store your rifles over long periods? Do you only have a few?

Change back to the original subject, Ballistol is a mineral oil with some additives, for the naysayers I will remind you it works great as a mineral oil..............Because it is a mineral oil............... How's that for some Kamala speak.

Why would you denigrate a product that does exactly what it was intended to do, are there other products that do other things better? Yes, WD 40 works great for displacing water, RIG works great for inhibiting rust and motor oil works for motors. Start using the products for the job that they were designed for and you will have fewer issues.

Some people think that being a negative critic all the time gives them some status, when all it does is reflect your personality.

I have 4HP rifles, 3 flintlock rifles, 4 shotguns, 1 SA revolver, 2 DA revolvers and 2 semiautomatic pistols. I shoot and or clean each on a monthly rotation. Not 1 is stored long term. The muzzleloaders are mostly fired weekly.I view each one as a tool for different applications ( explanation to my wife why I need each) To me there isn’t much sense in owning if they are stored most of the time.

 

[bluebanana]

Been using Ballistol for years. Does a great job and I'n not worried if I leave residue on wood or leather. I rotate oiling on a 1 year cycle for those firearms that I don't shoot regularly. Not a spot of rust anywhere.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Once you find what works for you: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

 

[MtHoot]

Once you find what works for you: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Exactly

 

[Nav]

Comprehensive corrosion testing done on 46 products and compared.
https://dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667
scroll down past comments section at the top of the page to get to the tests and results Area.

I’ve seen that before, and it’s very thorough and follows scientific method. The only thing I’d say about it is that applying liquid water isn’t really a fair test of a water soluble oil like Balistol as prevention against rust caused by humidity. Of course it’s going to create an emulsion and allow rusting If you put liquid water on it. It won’t however go into an emulsion if subjected to water vapor.

Just a word of caution if you read the dayattheange test: I’ve been using frog lube for years and years on my ARs, and it is not at all like normal gun oil, nor can you use it like normal gun oil. In order for it to work correctly you MUST follow the instructions. You have to heat all the parts up with a heatgun till they’re too hot to touch, apply the FL, let them cool, and then completely wipe it all off back to where it feels completely dry. Unlike other products where polymerizing is a knock, polymerizing is the point of FL, and how it works. That means such a thin film of polymerized product on the metal parts that it’s invisible and feels completely dry. Any more than appearing not to even be there and it will turn into a sticky, gummy mess. Seems like witchcraft, but but it works and has been battle tested in the worst conditions for a very long time. Carbon almost doesn’t stick to the metal after treatment, so while I agree it’s not a “cleaner”, but rather a treatment, it makes cleaning much easier. The first time you use it you just have to trust it’s there and working, because it will seem like you’ve wiped it all off. You haven’t. It’s on the metal. If you try to put it on like oil you will render the firearm non functional, and have to completely field strip it and clean it. It also doesn’t mix with any petroleum products, so if you use it that‘s all you use on that gun.

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

Does Balistol provide a degree of rust protection, or not?

The reason I ask is I've been cleaning my Kibler Colonial Rifle with moose milk, followed by a light coat of uncut Balistol on all metal surfaces before putting it up. This last time it was stored in its case (climate controlled area) for nine months. When I finally got around to taking it to the range last week, it came out of its case looking exactly as it did when I put it up. The bore was shiny, and there was no rust or discoloration anywhere. Better yet, it shot lights out.

What's been y'all's experience with Balistol and rust?

Ballistol is Over priced diluted mineral oil!
Mineral oil (liquid paraffin) Potassium oleate (salt of oleic acid) Ammonium oleate. Benzyl alcohol.

CRC Power lube ,3 in 1,
Sheath, RIG and more.
CRC is my go to. I've left a MLer stored in the safe 1+year and the bore was as pristine as the day it was cleaned.
A gallon of CRC was 30$+- pre plandemic.
A gallon of mineral oil at the feed store was 14$ last year.

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

They used to belong to a group engineers guys these guys work for Kodak corporation.

While Kodak is well known for all its film and cameras & military work.
Kodak was also a big chemical manufacturer.
They tested all kinds of oils and lubes and whatever you want or could be made into a liquid or powder they tested it.

The reason for all the testing was one it had to be compatible with what you were manufacturing. You can't sell a customer something that will eat up his products.
It had to work as advertised.
In my near 40 years of working with industrial equipment & lubricants. Ballistol never even came into our discussion.