Ballistol

[BruceB]

It sets up like a hard glue. I thought one of my modern rifles was ruined after I used it. Took a lot of work and solvent to save the rifle. Tossed the rest. Never again.

How come no one else has had this alleged problem? What kind of rifle? What other chemicals were involved?

 

[rodwha]

How come no one else has had this alleged problem? What kind of rifle? What other chemicals were involved?

I asked about his use because it seems unusual. The only thing that makes sense to me is that it was used in conjunction with something else. A product that works that terribly wouldn’t still be available for about a century.

 

[Oldbear63]

Silicone oil has an extremely bad reputation with furniture finishing and is avoided in most products. The oil penetrates finishes and wood and repels any attempt at future refinishing. I never saw any mention of silicone oil in any Howard's finishing products. They are a local company to me, I can ask.

Silicone oil is still sometimes recommended for polyester finishes and perhaps some automotive finishes, but I suspect it has been removed from that. It was present in Endust once, but it might have been removed from even Endust. Pledge and most other modern cleaning and wax products are safe as far as I know.

I am intrigued by the idea of using olive oil. It might work like bore butter and create an oxide coat that inhibits further rust. Who has used it and what are the results?

 

[Ketchakah]

Ive been putting off comment on this, But .... well.

Ive used WD-40 on all my firearms for Lord knows how long. Ive never had an issue with it hardening, nor do i have much issue with rust. Even here in Indiana and NC where humidity is 1000 % i dont have rust issues. Some of my stored guns i clean only once a year.

On another note. On my flintlocks in the field i will coat them with Sno-seal. Rubbed in well, it repels water when out in the woods and again NO issue with rust.
In a period camp, I will use a candle and rub it on the exposed metal parts, then rub in well with my hand. Works like a champ. But both methods require redoing regularly if used.

Ive used olive oil and bear grease for lubricating internal lock parts and bore when cleaned in a period setting and both work well. Once home and stripped for storage, Its back to WD so i do not know about its longevity.

A buddy swears by ballistol. Personally I despise the scent.

 

[wiksmo]

Appreciated yet another interesting chat about Ballistol once again, Tom A Hawk. I've also read any number of similar cleaning threads on other forums over the years. Same good, bad, and ugly perspectives as is written here.

I've used Ballistol as a main gun cleaner for my rimfire .22 semi-auto, and my cartridge revolvers. It does a good job. The other CLP (clean-lube-protect) product I've used is Sea Foam Deep Creep. Comparatively, comes really close alongside the results of Ballistol.

This weekend was the first time I needed to clean my Trapper .50 CAL pistol after I went to a BP shoot. I used very hot water plus a squirt of Dawn dishwashing liquid. Worked great, and ended up with a very clean pistol. After I thoroughly dried everything, I used Ballistol over the entire pistol, inside and out, including the beautiful wood furniture. So it's my choice as a last-step overall cleaner and lubricant. Oh yes, used it at the range loading bench to do a mini-clean even before I went home.

~~You commented that the odor is "an ugly for some folk."
~~Alan G posted: "...it polarizes people, and brings out some fantastical theories." That's a fact.
~~I appreciated what was a summary comment for me, which was written by Juice Jaws. Best way to go.

for the good read on this product and its uses.

I like and use ballistol but this just show's you that what works for one person is another persons nightmare. I tell new people listen, read, and try many different things but in the end use what works for you, no matter if some experts says that it can not.

Based on several favorable comments here and elsewhere on the web I purchased a can of Ballistol to try out as a bore cleaner.

Ballistol odor bothers some- but once mixed with water it doesn't smell the same at all.

It is very versatile as a patch lube since you control the ratios.

Ballistol does not gum up period

The two biggest benefits of Ballistol are that it is a cleaner/moisture displacer, dry and wet patch lube, and an all around gun oil altogether, which cuts down on number of products one needs to buy.

Ballistol is really good for at the range cleanup, or when water isn't convenient/available.

For some reason it seems to polarize people, and bring out some fantastical theories.

 

[8 BORE]

RIG and Barricade only now

 

[terrydull]

Clean up with hot water ... I “sump” my percussion Zouave... dry it ... then use Ballilstol in the bore and on all surfaces.

My wife loves the smell of Ballilsol ;-)

At the range, I just use water and a patch to clean the barrel after each competition.

I shoot at least twice a month and have been doing this for about 10 yrs. Works great.

KIS ... keep it simple.

 

[bisleyjohn]

You think Ballistol stinks? try Young's 303!

 

[wiksmo]

Yes, Terrydull, the KIS principle you mentioned is a good approach. However.....seems to always be something that comes up.

I talk with the LGS owner who introduced me to the operation of my pistol. Had a great "training" hour with him before I shot it for the first time last Saturday. After cleaning it, I had a small problem with the re-assembly. So today I'm going to his shop and he'll check out my pistol.

OK. Both he and the RO at the BP muzzleshooter range highly suggested I use Bore Butter after cleaning the pistol. The LGS owner said don't use Ballistol because it's a CLP, which doesn't really fully protect the bore from moisture. Therefore, rust will move in. He also said the Bore Butter coats and protects the bore (and all metal parts) by keeping moisture away. The importance of this is mainly to protect the bore rifling -- lands and grooves -- from rust.

So go figure. You have used Ballistol for close to 10 years, and no problems. If the LGS owner and RO believe the Bore Butter is needed, could it be that the Ballistol's "protectorant" factor sufficiently prevents rust over a relatively short 2-3 weeks? Maybe over long-term storage, say a year, Ballistol "fails" and the Bore Butter is the best?

Seems to be the discussion will never end. I can imagine that during the 1700-1800s when mountainmen used BP pistols, there were similar campfire chats. They had the water available, but not all the manufactured cleaning products we have today. Of course, natural lubes and waxes were available then, and they chewed the fat about the best stuff to use. Such is the way of it.

Glad your wife likes the smell of Ballistol. I don't mind it either. Thanks for your comments.

Clean up with hot water ... I “sump” my percussion Zouave... dry it ... then use Ballilstol in the bore and on all surfaces.

My wife loves the smell of Ballilsol ;-)

At the range, I just use water and a patch to clean the barrel after each competition.

I shoot at least twice a month and have been doing this for about 10 yrs. Works great.

KIS ... keep it simple.

 

[rodwha]

Yes, Terrydull, the KIS principle you mentioned is a good approach. However.....seems to always be something that comes up.

I talk with the LGS owner who introduced me to the operation of my pistol. Had a great "training" hour with him before I shot it for the first time last Saturday. After cleaning it, I had a small problem with the re-assembly. So today I'm going to his shop and he'll check out my pistol.

OK. Both he and the RO at the BP muzzleshooter range highly suggested I use Bore Butter after cleaning the pistol. The LGS owner said don't use Ballistol because it's a CLP, which doesn't really fully protect the bore from moisture. Therefore, rust will move in. He also said the Bore Butter coats and protects the bore (and all metal parts) by keeping moisture away. The importance of this is mainly to protect the bore rifling -- lands and grooves -- from rust.

So go figure. You have used Ballistol for close to 10 years, and no problems. If the LGS owner and RO believe the Bore Butter is needed, could it be that the Ballistol's "protectorant" factor sufficiently prevents rust over a relatively short 2-3 weeks? Maybe over long-term storage, say a year, Ballistol "fails" and the Bore Butter is the best?

Seems to be the discussion will never end. I can imagine that during the 1700-1800s when mountainmen used BP pistols, there were similar campfire chats. They had the water available, but not all the manufactured cleaning products we have today. Of course, natural lubes and waxes were available then, and they chewed the fat about the best stuff to use. Such is the way of it.

Glad your wife likes the smell of Ballistol. I don't mind it either. Thanks for your comments.

Way back when there were a couple of CASS shooters who claimed cleaning right away wasn’t an issue, so when I took my 3 guns and spent something like 10 hours at the range I decided to leave my rifle overnight, which was a terrible mistake and Pyrodex was a part of that mistake as it was nasty! But then I was schooled on using an oil such as Ballistol if you won’t have the time so I tried it on both revolvers. Nothing more than a couple of really oily patches and left in my Texas hot and humid garage over the weekend. They were perfect. Granted I won’t do this on purpose, but now I know what I can do if it happens again.

That rifle, for a good bit, would produce an orange fouling after cleaning and sitting with Ballistol, which I assume was stuff way in whatever light pitting was created. It doesn’t happen anymore. I used to be at the range at least once a week, but now the range is over an hour away and through Austin traffic and so in the last 6 years or so I’ve been once.

What I have found is that Ballistol has protected all 3 guns for no less than a year. I would run a Ballistol patch once or twice through my guns if they haven’t been used and they are all fine. I don’t think I’ve gone as much as 18 months but it seems like it likely would hold up and maybe longer, and Texas is humid.

 

[AlanG]

OK. Both he and the RO at the BP muzzleshooter range highly suggested I use Bore Butter after cleaning the pistol. The LGS owner said don't use Ballistol because it's a CLP, which doesn't really fully protect the bore from moisture. Therefore, rust will move in. He also said the Bore Butter coats and protects the bore (and all metal parts) by keeping moisture away. The importance of this is mainly to protect the bore rifling -- lands and grooves -- from rust.

So go figure. You have used Ballistol for close to 10 years, and no problems. If the LGS owner and RO believe the Bore Butter is needed, could it be that the Ballistol's "protectorant" factor sufficiently prevents rust over a relatively short 2-3 weeks? Maybe over long-term storage, say a year, Ballistol "fails" and the Bore Butter is the best?

Well, if your LGS, or anyone else for that matter is telling you to use Bore Butter over Ballistol for rust prevention I would suggest never listening to anything that person had to say.

Ballistol was protecting bores for at least 80 years before B. Butter was even invented, and while B. Butter sort of works, it's not a very good product overall.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I use Barricade after cleaning as a final bore protector. In the past I just used a gun oil or 3 in 1. I use Ballistol in a patch lube and as temporary cleaner until I do a regular cleaning.

 

[rrebuck]

What about Boeshield? I picked up a spray bottle of that yrs ago and have used it as a final treatment after cleaning on all of my BP and smokeless guns with good results. On the outside, it forms a slightly tacky coating, but it easily rubbed off. I even use it on the wooden stocks. I like that it spreads very easily and doesn't stink.

 

[wiksmo]

So far in this thread about using Ballistol, various posts express pretty solid opinions in both the "no" and "yes" categories. My main interest was that my LGS fellow said Bore Butter is the best product to use as a final bore protector. So I did an MLF search on Bore Butter. A very similar discussion and opinions dealt with this product back in 2004. In fact, some current members chimed in 15 years ago as they have again in this thread. In the back-then thread, and the current thread, both Ballistol and Bore Butter popped up.

Here's what I'm taking away from it all, since this discussion is ad infinitum. In this thread, I've never before heard of these products:
~~Bore Butter
~~Rigs
~~Boeshield
~~Barricade

I can only imagine how many other products are out there. Here is the path I'll take.

I've decided to use Ballistol. It has worked well with my other revolvers as a CLP. A positive comment for me in current thread was when AlanG said: "Ballistol was protecting bores for at least 80 years before B. Butter was even invented..." This doesn't specifically express preference; seems to me to be more fact-based. I like it.

Early on in this thread, Sussexmuzllodr wrote about the "ad infinitum" aspect: "Why the hair splitting on this subject? Clean the darn thing up grease it up and check on it once in a while. SM" I like this also.

This was humorous to me. In my various reads on these new-to-me products, found one comment on Amazon for Youngs 303. The fellow gave his reason for using it is that the smell was good.

"Ye olde gun smell"
Reminds me of the British double guns of old....wipe down the barrels with a thin coat of this, just so when I open the case the air is filled with that old time smell that says Londons Best quality. Call me old-fashioned.

Since I've already had some good experience with Ballistol, it is an okay place to start.

It's been a good thread. for allowing me to spout. Good feeling to have chosen a final bore protector for my Trapper 50 CAL.

 

[Silent Walker]

It sets up like a hard glue. I thought one of my modern rifles was ruined after I used it. Took a lot of work and solvent to save the rifle. Tossed the rest. Never again.

Sounds like the fouling got mixed with a petroleum bi product etc, because that's exactly what will happen if you do.

 

[Maven]

So far in this thread about using Ballistol, various posts express pretty solid opinions in both the "no" and "yes" categories. My main interest was that my LGS fellow said Bore Butter is the best product to use as a final bore protector. So I did an MLF search on Bore Butter. A very similar discussion and opinions dealt with this product back in 2004. In fact, some current members chimed in 15 years ago as they have again in this thread. In the back-then thread, and the current thread, both Ballistol and Bore Butter popped up.

Here's what I'm taking away from it all, since this discussion is ad infinitum. In this thread, I've never before heard of these products:
~~Bore Butter
~~Rigs
~~Boeshield
~~Barricade

I can only imagine how many other products are out there. Here is the path I'll take.

I've decided to use Ballistol. It has worked well with my other revolvers as a CLP. A positive comment for me in current thread was when AlanG said: "Ballistol was protecting bores for at least 80 years before B. Butter was even invented..." This doesn't specifically express preference; seems to me to be more fact-based. I like it.

Early on in this thread, Sussexmuzllodr wrote about the "ad infinitum" aspect: "Why the hair splitting on this subject? Clean the darn thing up grease it up and check on it once in a while. SM" I like this also.

This was humorous to me. In my various reads on these new-to-me products, found one comment on Amazon for Youngs 303. The fellow gave his reason for using it is that the smell was good.

"Ye olde gun smell"
Reminds me of the British double guns of old....wipe down the barrels with a thin coat of this, just so when I open the case the air is filled with that old time smell that says Londons Best quality. Call me old-fashioned.

Since I've already had some good experience with Ballistol, it is an okay place to start.

It's been a good thread. for allowing me to spout. Good feeling to have chosen a final bore protector for my Trapper 50 CAL.

wiksmo, re Boeshield, just Google it, you'll find loads of information. Btw, new motor oil, ATF, or a combination of either of those + WD-40 work well for my guns in the often humid Hudson Valley.

 

[AlanG]

wiksmo, re Boeshield, just Google it, you'll find loads of information. Btw, new motor oil, ATF, or a combination of either of those + WD-40 work well for my guns in the often humid Hudson Valley.

Since this post was/is originally about Ballistol- I'm phrasing this reply around that theme- not being critical of any particular post. With that in mind:

Boeshield is a great product, but offers nothing more than many gun specific established products already do. Motor oil,ATF or WD40 won't do anything better than Ballistol will, and if you already have Ballistol those products are superfluous.

If one wants to go the extra mile I would strongly suggest Barricade in the liquid form. It's cheap enough, 1 can will last forever, and it has the unique property of drying, which leaves a protective coating that is not subject to creep, nor will it attract dust as any of the oils when put in a bore will do, and does not require to be wiped out before using/firing again.

 

[wiksmo]

Since Ballistol is in hand, and I've had good experience with it thus far for my other revolvers, initially will go for it with the Trapper. It's been good to learn of other options as posted.

Maven,
Did the google, and I've read some stuff today on Boeshield T-9. Their web site marketing is of course that the product is top-notch. Also found "good/bad/ugly" thread comments as are par in many forums. Still need to read more...Thanks.

wiksmo, re Boeshield, just Google it, you'll find loads of information. Btw, new motor oil, ATF, or a combination of either of those + WD-40 work well for my guns in the often humid Hudson Valley.

AlanG,
OK, google time needed on Barricade, since it's a new-to-me product. Thanks.

I have one Q re. your statement: "...leaves a protective coating that is not subject to creep." What is creep?

Since this post was/is originally about Ballistol- I'm phrasing this reply around that theme- not being critical of any particular post. With that in mind:

Boeshield is a great product, but offers nothing more than many gun specific established products already do. Motor oil,ATF or WD40 won't do anything better than Ballistol will, and if you already have Ballistol those products are superfluous.

If one wants to go the extra mile I would strongly suggest Barricade in the liquid form. It's cheap enough, 1 can will last forever, and it has the unique property of drying, which leaves a protective coating that is not subject to creep, nor will it attract dust as any of the oils when put in a bore will do, and does not require to be wiped out before using/firing again.

 

[AlanG]

I have one Q re. your statement: "...leaves a protective coating that is not subject to creep." What is creep?

Creep= Oil Migration. Any gun oil will flow with gravity. It's how so many centerfire guns- especially double shotguns get soft punky wood where the action meets the stock. One of the reasons it is preferred to store centerfire guns muzzle down.

If the oil migrates too much it is no longer protecting the bore from rust.

 

[wiksmo]

Ask a question, learn a lot.

*Gun oil & gravity. (Duh).
*Oil migration = potential loss of rust protection for the bore.
*Storage. When I owned shotguns or centerfire guns (no longer have any), stored them muzzle up. I guess that could be another "duh."
Never realized these considerations before.

Creep= Oil Migration. Any gun oil will flow with gravity. It's how so many centerfire guns- especially double shotguns get soft punky wood where the action meets the stock. One of the reasons it is preferred to store centerfire guns muzzle down.

If the oil migrates too much it is no longer protecting the bore from rust.