Ballistol - What is it and does it work?

[Delta Factor]

I know what THEY say about it - "multi-purpose oil lubricates, penetrates, cleans, protects, and preserves firearms, leather, knives, wood, tools, marine, camping & fishing equipment." etc., etc., but everybody says their product does everything well.

Apparently, it isn't petroleum based, but does anyone know what it IS made of?

How about personal experience as a patch lube and for general black powder firearm use?

 

[musketman]

In the current patch lube thread we justed talked about Ballistol...

Patch Lube Thread

 

[montanadan]

Musketman-always amazes me(fatest picture poster on the planet.I like Ballistol been using it for better than 2 years-no rust problems.I like stumkiller's liquid patch lube,so I have never tried Ballistol as a patch lube. there a few in the muzzle loading club that do use it as patch lube,but there are not using the aerosol...Respectfully Montanadan(going to make smoke, right now)

 

[Halftail]

Delta Factor,
Ballistol is great!I love Ballistol!Never had anything any better in my Guns bore than Ballistol!
Never Used it for a patch lube but for storage oil in the bore and on the wood it's perfect!The only Bad side to Ballistol is that I can't buy it in Canada.

 

[leslie]

I use it as barrel preservative and to wipe off the stock and barrel,it works great.Never used it as patch lube or bore cleaner.

 

[Slamfire]

It's a light machine oil, concocted during the 1920s or 30s, in Germany. Similar to Marvel Mystery oil, and about a thousand other compounds all advertised to do everything except cure cancer. Some of them are pretty good at what they do, like Ballistol. :winking:

 

[lockjaw]

..the worst rust i've had was one humid august using ballistol. it attracts moisture. good for cleaning but not left in the bore. also have heard it will remove color case finishes...lockjaw eace:

 

never had a problem with it in over 10 years , sorry to hear of your case.
I use it for cleaning , oiling and as patch lube . It is a pure synthetic oil developed in Germany way back prior to the 1900's .
Used in both high grade machinery and believe it or not the food industry for oiling cutters and so on as it contains no petroleum .
Smells like Soggys old socks but is a good product. :m2c:

 

[cptleo1]

Like most I haven't tried it as a patch lube.

But it is the cats meow for cleaning.

Never had any rust problems of any sort.

Birddog6 told me to mix up a gallon of water and some ballistrol and use a cleaning tube for the bore cleaning.

This is truly the best thing since sliced bread.

Been using the same batch for almost a year now, every 3-4 cleanings I add a couple of ounces of oil to freshen it up and keep on going.

Try it , you will like it. :thumbsup:

 

try mixing 2 ounces or so with a 16oz. bottle of drug store alcohol .. great stuff. DO NOT DRINK IT ...use it in the bore between shots! Shake it up a bit and way to go.
Have a single malt Scotch while you wait. :redthumb:

 

[buckknife]

http://www.kauaicc.hawaii.edu/msds/files/cld/cldtt.html

 

thanks :redthumb:

 

[Mr Nick]

After reading the data sheet, looks like nothing but mineral oil.

 

clsoe as da.. is to swearing! :redthumb: :RO:

 

[vanstg]

After reading the data sheet, looks like nothing but mineral oil.

Hummm... That's a thought right there. Plain mineral oil as patch lube. :hmm:

 

[flatlandhunter]

I have used and noticed that bluing on my bases were getting lighter... anyone else notice a thinning in bluing?

 

[Tahquamenon]

Boiling hot soapy water for cleaning.

Butch's Bore Shine for plastic, lead and copper removal.

Clenzoil and Otis Ultra-Bore for storage.

Bore Butters and Rooster Lab's lubes for shooting.

:imo:

 

[Birddog6]

I have used it for about ? 6-7 years now & I think the stuff is WONDERFUL. I use it for cleaning, rust prevention, etc.

I use the aerosol spray on the lock after I cleaned it. (Clean it with a toothbrush under a faucet, dab it dry with paper towels, completely saturate it with Ballistol Aerosol, dab it dry before putting it back on the rifle. Never a rust problem or ignition problem)

I use the Non-Aerosol in the bore & on the outside of the rifle & stock. I use it on BL, modern, all of them. Go to Wal-Mart cosmetics & they have lil 12-16 oz pump spray bottles, pour the non-aerosol in that & use it. I get the colored ones & I know all the orange bottles have Ballistol in them. Works great !

IMHO, If it really attracted moisture I would have ruined over 30 rifles in the past 6-7 years. I have never had any rust problem at all with it. However I am real picky about getting one clean & Super dry before I put anything in the bore....... And I religiously swab the bore on a rifle the next 2 days after cleaning one too, I never chance a one time clean & put away, on a BP rifle, I ALWAYS swab it at least 2-3 swabs the 1st & 2nd day after cleaning, regardless of what I put in the bore as a preservative.

We also use allot of it out in the shop as a penetration oil, temperary rust inhibitor, etc. I buy the stuff by the case & it is on every workbench, in every auto, in every building.....

:results:

 

[Mr Nick]

According to the data sheet Ballistol is a mixture of isobutyl ascohol & mineral oil with propane or butane as a propellant. Since mineral oil is not a petrolium product, it appears to work well with BP. The alcohol would allow penetration and also act as a cleaner and moisture absorbant. The alcohol (with any asorbed water) would evaporate off leaving a protective oil finish. Simple but brilliant.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Since mineral oil is not a petrolium product . . .

It's not? It was back when I took chemistry.

Mineral oil or liquid petrolatum is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. It is a chemically inert transparent colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes and cyclic paraffins, related to white petrolatum. Mineral oil is a substance of negligible value, as it is produced in very large quantities. It is commonly used as a lubricant and a laxative.

Mineral oil with added fragrance is marketed as 'baby oil' in the US.

Also known as:

Paraffin oil; Heat-treating oil; Hydraulic oil; Cable oil; Lubricating oil; Oil mist, refined mineral; mineral oil mist; oil mist, mineral, severely refined; Uvasol; Paraffin oils; Mineral oil hydrocarbon solvent (petroleum); Mineral oil (saturated parrafin oil); oil, petroleum; Nujol; liquid paraffin; white mineral oil; clearteck; drakeol; hevyteck; filtrawhite; frigol; kremol; kaydol; alboline; paroleine; Saxol; adepsine oil; glymol; lignite oil; blandol white mineral oil; carnea 21; Ervol; gloria; hydrocarbon oils; peneteck; primol; triona b; blandlube; crystosol; Molol; protopet; bayol f; crystol 325; fonoline; bayol 55; kondremul; neo-cultol; oil mist; penreco; perfecta; petrogalar; primol 355; primol d; tech pet f; Petroleum hydrocarbons; jute batching oil; paraffin oil (class); petrolatum, liquid; white oil; Mineral oil, aromatic; Mineral oil, paraffinic; Mineral Seal Oil; Electrical Insulating Oil; OIL MIST, MINERAL (MINERAL OIL)

'Course, we only had the four elements back then: earth, air, fire and water.