Ballistol Warning

[chix2111]

You got me pard. Not sure where your attachment came from but I'll assume it's legit. Just seems to me that if it does emulsify you had better be dang sure there is none left in the barrel when you're finished, or else there could be rust as per the title of this thread lol.

 

[SDSmlf]

You got me pard. Not sure where your attachment came from but I'll assume it's legit. Just seems to me that if it does emulsify you had better be dang sure there is none left in the barrel when you're finished, or else there could be rust as per the title of this thread lol.

Not an attempt to get you, but your statement sounded like made up speculation. The attachment was a screenshot from the Ballistol website Firearm Cleaning Oil & Lubricant - Ballistol and ‘likely’ legit. Scroll down and it’s there. Or just look on the back of one of your cans of the stuff as @Hawken suggested. Same info is there as on the website.

 

[Hawken]

You got me pard. Not sure where your attachment came from but I'll assume it's legit.

That's the other guy. I just looked at the can in my cabinet and listed the instructions.

Just seems to me that if it does emulsify you had better be dang sure there is none left in the barrel when you're finished, or else there could be rust as per the title of this thread lol.

It works really well, in fact I can't see much use for it in the un-diluted state. It is or was designed for corrosive powder/primer, the only way that stuff can be neutralized is with water, or water based solvents. Oil won't touch it. This is key to understanding why guns corrode with certain primers, and why BlackPowder firearms are usually in a sorry state. Hoppes no. 9 can't touch it. Ballistol contains mineral oil and other chems, some kind of polar or non polar jiggery-pokery and I don't know what all, that part has an affinity to the metal of the gun.

So the bad stuff gets dissolved and washed away, the water evaporates, and the metal is left with a film of rust protectant. It's pretty dang ingenious, to tell the truth. It's also outstanding as a finish or preservative on both wood and leather. It's been around for more than100 years iirc, if it didn't work or caused guns to rust we'd have heard about it.

 

[chix2111]

We know what they are telling us. Rust is being reported here so something is up. I'd hate to suggest that, here in America, a company would use some sketchy creative marketing to sell a product.
Why don't we just add water to Hoppe's #9. it would go a lot further haha.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

As I think I've mentioned before, my ancestors were sure lucky that they didn't have all these problems to deal with. They just swabbed out their barrels and went on about their business.

 

[SDSmlf]

We know what they are telling us. Rust is being reported here so something is up. I'd hate to suggest that, here in America, a company would use some sketchy creative marketing to sell a product.
Why don't we just add water to Hoppe's #9. it would go a lot further haha.

What sort of rust or problems have you experienced using Ballistol? The product use recommendations come from Germany, where Ballistol was developed over 100 years ago. This isn’t an American company using some sketchy creative marketing to sell a product.

Hoppe’s #9 is not formulated to emulsify with water, nor is it recommended by the manufacturer to mix with water. Based on what expertise are you making that recommendation as a comparison? Almost sounds like Red Herring Oil.

 

[chix2111]

Let me clarify. I use Ballistol I shoot every possible type of firearm you can imagine. I have been doing so for close to 70 years. I have been shooting in muzzleloader matches going back to 1970, centerfire benchrest matches back to 1972, I have placed in the Top 20 in national matches, I am currently shooting in club rimfire matches. I started on Ballistol straight out of the can when I found that a shooter had won a very prestigeous (sic) match with a rifle that had over 100,000 rounds through it, using this product in the way you would use Hoppes.....good enough!
I'm no scientist, maybe some of the responders here ARE. Have any of you ever blown a head gasket in a car engine....did you then see what comes out of the crankcase? It's a churned up combination of oil and superheated water and it ain't pretty. Ballistol contains mineral oil. Just hard for me to wrap my head around the concept of oil and water, but then I'm older than dirt lol.
I clean my Hawken with soap and boiling water, and when I'm through there's nothing but squeeky clean steel in the bore.

 

[Oldbear63]

Your body naturally makes and uses acetone (look up ketone body). Pure acetone is not toxic, except for the chemicals it may dissolve and carry with it or the harm it can do removing oils or killing cells in high enough concentrations.

"Very true. It also does not conduct electricity. Both are true for pure water, distilled water. Real world water always has at least some electrolytes dissolved. Real world water does dissolve oxygen (think fish gills extracting O2 from water), and conducts electricity. The upshot is if you leave your barrel wet with water it is going to rust. BTW, O2 also dissolves in alcohol. The difference is that alcohol evaporates faster than water and the O2 drifts away. If you want to really get rid of moisture in your barrel, try acetone, but you'll have to think getting cancer is worth drying your barrel."
[/QUOTE]

 

[chix2111]

Huh?

 

[Bart]

Not an attempt to get you, but your statement sounded like made up speculation. The attachment was a screenshot from the Ballistol website Firearm Cleaning Oil & Lubricant - Ballistol and ‘likely’ legit. Scroll down and it’s there. Or just look on the back of one of your cans of the stuff as @Hawken suggested. Same info is there as on the website.
View attachment 56945

I wonder why my Ballistol shows different proportions for cleaning black powder.View attachment 56992

Not an attempt to get you, but your statement sounded like made up speculation. The attachment was a screenshot from the Ballistol website Firearm Cleaning Oil & Lubricant - Ballistol and ‘likely’ legit. Scroll down and it’s there. Or just look on the back of one of your cans of the stuff as @Hawken suggested. Same info is there as on the website.
View attachment 56945

It is curious that my ballistol cans suggest a different mix.
As someone who is just rediscovering the fun of BP, I have to say this forum is one of the better ones I have come across.
Thank you all.

 

[Art Caputo]

I have used Ballistol for seasonal(shorter term) cleaning of my muzzleloaders with no rust or I’ll effects. Mixing water with Ballistol initially seemed counterintuitive but I was convinced of its water displacing characteristics when I tried the Dutch Shultz method of producing shooting patches using mixtures of water snd Ballistol. After a a day or so the emulsion soaked patches, to my surprise, would be completely dry of water with only the Ballistol oil residues appearing to be remaining. I have not experienced rust deposits on either the bore, or exterior steel surfaces using Ballistol straight or mixed with water....at least for periods over the course of the few months during hunting season where the rifle is rountinly subjected to moisture or wet conditions. The appeal of Ballistol for me us that is versatile and easy to use. I will use other rust preventatives for longer term storage.

 

[stink koat]

Isn't "MOOSE MILK " Ballistol mixed with water?

 

[Grenadier1758]

Based on years of mixing a water soluble oil with water, any water soluble oil when mixed with water that turns the liquid to a dirty milky look is "Moose Milk". It is also that notorious mixture of equal parts of Murphy's Oil Soap, rubbing Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide sometimes referred to as MAP.

To me "Moose Milk" needs to have more oil to use a lubricant with the water to soften fouling.

 

[painter]

I wonder why my Ballistol shows different proportions for cleaning black powder.View attachment 56992

It is curious that my ballistol cans suggest a different mix.
As someone who is just rediscovering the fun of BP, I have to say this forum is one of the better ones I have come across.
Thank you all. View attachment 56993

When did you buy your Ballistol? The cans I have, purchased in 2018, read as yours does and are green. I'll bet the black can pictured above is older/newer.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Let me clarify. I use Ballistol I shoot every possible type of firearm you can imagine. I have been doing so for close to 70 years. I have been shooting in muzzleloader matches going back to 1970, centerfire benchrest matches back to 1972, I have placed in the Top 20 in national matches, I am currently shooting in club rimfire matches. I started on Ballistol straight out of the can when I found that a shooter had won a very prestigeous (sic) match with a rifle that had over 100,000 rounds through it, using this product in the way you would use Hoppes.....good enough!
I'm no scientist, maybe some of the responders here ARE. Have any of you ever blown a head gasket in a car engine....did you then see what comes out of the crankcase? It's a churned up combination of oil and superheated water and it ain't pretty. Ballistol contains mineral oil. Just hard for me to wrap my head around the concept of oil and water, but then I'm older than dirt lol.
I clean my Hawken with soap and boiling water, and when I'm through there's nothing but squeeky clean steel in the bore.

Ballistol is not a "petroleum" oil. To compare it to motor oil from a blown car engine is completely off base. It is a mineral oil that will dissolve nicely in water to make a great black powder solvent. It also makes a good lip balm & dry skin remedy. It also can be used on wounds. I use Ballistol mixed with water & Murphy's soap (Moose Milk) to clean at the range to keep fouling under control when shooting long strings of shots & scrub my barrel with it before leaving the range & leave it in while enroute home. When home I use soap & water, but it only takes about 5 minutes, as the Ballistol/water mix has dissolved most of the fouling already. Dry the barrel, run a patch with straight Ballistol on it down the tube & I'm done. NEVER had any rust problems with Ballistol. My theory on why people report rust problems with Ballistol is it's their tap water they mix with the soap & the chemicals that are in it that can vary from place to place & from time to time. Just a theory!

 

[chix2111]

Holy crap! Who needs Chap Stick, Lubriderm, Neosporin, Mr. Clean, Hoppe's ? Just buy a gallon of Ballistol and your set for eternity. lol.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Ya but nothing beats the smell of Hoppes air freshener....

 

[S.Kenton]

I simply use tepid water and a dash of dish soap.. or no dish soap and use a tight patch for the pumping action. After a cleaning I swish some rubbing alcohol in the barrel... and sometimes scrub the barrel with WD-40. I then use Fluid Film as a preservative. Fluid Film is lanolin based and will keep your bore prestine. I also use, as a quick cleaner, a mixture of 1 part ammonia, 1 part Murphy’s oil soap and 1 part rubbing alcohol. This can also be used as a patch lube. My method works.. I also know there are others that work just as well.

 

[chix2111]

What fun! Lets tell WD-40 stories now. I worked in a small town bank most of my working life. We always carried heat. My buddy chose a Colt 1911 and he always doused it with WD-40. Now and the we would go to the reange on lunch hour just to make sure they went bang. One time I shot my old Colt .380 and it worked fine. When it was his turn it went "pop" and the .45 slug landed on the ground 10 feet in front of us.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Holy crap! Who needs Chap Stick, Lubriderm, Neosporin, Mr. Clean, Hoppe's ? Just buy a gallon of Ballistol and your set for eternity. lol.

You forgot Preparation-H !!

When did you buy your Ballistol? The cans I have, purchased in 2018, read as yours does and are green. I'll bet the black can pictured above is older/newer.

What "black" can??