Ballistol

[James C. Burnette]

I read somewhere that Hitler consumed Ballistol for his health, was in fact recommended by his physican.

 

[cal.43]

How many threads on Ballistol are here on the forum ?
Why trying to reinvent a wheel ?
If you want to clean black powder residues use water
If you want to neutralize the acid residues use soap
If you want to prevent rust use a good longlasting oil
there is no magic in cleaning black powder guns.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I do not use Ballistol for a patch lube but I wonder why you let the patches dry? if your going to use it as a lube would it not be wise to use it while it is wet? And if you are going to lick them anyway, why not use an unlubed spit patch anyway. Just wondering.

There is a belief that dry patching with lubrication dried into the patch will result in the patch engaging the rifling better so the spin is consistent from shot to shot. The dried lubrication is supposed to help fill the weave of the patch and impart some protection to the bore. The assumption is a damp lubricated patch will skip over some of the rifling with the resultant loss of accuracy. Of course the dry patch does not soften the fouling, so wiping the bore with a damp patch is required or you may end up with fouling building up so much that the ball gets stuck on loading. You also have to be careful to prevent fouling from getting packed in at the breech and blocking the flash channel. Wiping between shots will require an extra wiping jag that is one cleaning patch thickness less in diameter than a cleaning jag so the wiping patch slides over the fouling on the down stroke and bunches up to pull fouling out on the up stroke. I use a mix of 1 part water soluble (emulsified) oil to 7 parts of water to lubricate my patch. I do wipe between shots.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Listen Guys,
I did not say Ballistol is the be-all end-all for cleaning. Water is the key ingredient to dissolve and remove fouling. A combination of soap, alcohol, or even oil extracted from the rind of the kumquat harvested by a blond, blue eyed, 40 year old virgin ,wearing a red D cup bikini, during the dark of the moon it makes no difference.
The mix must contain water to dissolve the corrosive salts. Especially if you shoot Pyrodex.
I clean my way, you clean yours, and we all have fun shooting.
That is the most important part.
Respectfully
Bunk

I want to shoot at your range.

 

[BP Addict]

I do not use Ballistol for a patch lube but I wonder why you let the patches dry? if your going to use it as a lube would it not be wise to use it while it is wet? And if you are going to lick them anyway, why not use an unlubed spit patch anyway. Just wondering.

There is a Dry Patch System that’s been out for decades. One of the problems with Target Shooting with a Muzzle Loader is having the same amount of lube on every patch. Too much and it shoots high. Too little and it hits low. Remember, any variance in the loading process affects accuracy.

You add one-part Ballistol to seven parts water. Cut your patching into strips. Dip it in the mixture and squeeze the excess out. Lay it on a flat, non-porous surface and let it dry. The water will evaporate and leave an even coat of oil on the material. When loading the ball, cut the patch at the muzzle. It’s that simple.

P.S. I've never had one smolder!

 

[45man]

I do not use Ballistol for a patch lube but I wonder why you let the patches dry? if your going to use it as a lube would it not be wise to use it while it is wet? And if you are going to lick them anyway, why not use an unlubed spit patch anyway. Just wondering.

It works but the bore needs wiped after every shot, not practical when hunting.

 

[Henry Miles]

The Dry Patch System mentioned above by BP Addict works pretty well in my initial tests of 8 shots. I'm shooting a 58cal 1:70 GM barrel, which I just purchased from LoneDave, with 70grs 3F T7, .570 RB and a 0.007 thk patch and no swabbing between shots, only picking the nipple. It loads with minimal pressure on the ramrod and shoots really tight. I'm using CCI #11 caps which makes a nearly worse case scenario with the T7, but it's shooting great. I'll see how many shots it will go before the fouling starts to cause hangfires.

 

[JamesA]

Certainly, a 50/50 mix of Ballistol to water is a good cleaner. However the makers of Ballistol want you to use more than you need. And water with a dash of dish washing soap is also an effective cleaner.

Warm water and dish soap, it works wonders.

 

[user 51067]

Listen Guys,
I did not say Ballistol is the be-all end-all for cleaning. Water is the key ingredient to dissolve and remove fouling. A combination of soap, alcohol, or even oil extracted from the rind of the kumquat harvested by a blond, blue eyed, 40 year old virgin ,wearing a red D cup bikini, during the dark of the moon it makes no difference.
The mix must contain water to dissolve the corrosive salts. Especially if you shoot Pyrodex.
I clean my way, you clean yours, and we all have fun shooting.
That is the most important part.
Respectfully
Bunk

Now I can't get the "virgin"outta my head-THANK YOU!

 

[FishDFly]

How many threads on Ballistol are here on the forum ?
Why trying to reinvent a wheel ?
If you want to clean black powder residues use water
If you want to neutralize the acid residues use soap
If you want to prevent rust use a good longlasting oil
there is no magic in cleaning black powder guns.

Outstanding, all capital ideas.

 

[Sam squanch]

I’ve had guns that were well preserved with ballistol, and some that rusted. Still can’t figure it out…

 

[FishDFly]

Sometimes I think it depends on the metal used when the gun was made.

 

[BP Addict]

The Dry Patch System mentioned above by BP Addict works pretty well in my initial tests of 8 shots. I'm shooting a 58cal 1:70 GM barrel, which I just purchased from LoneDave, with 70grs 3F T7, .570 RB and a 0.007 thk patch and no swabbing between shots, only picking the nipple. It loads with minimal pressure on the ramrod and shoots really tight. I'm using CCI #11 caps which makes a nearly worse case scenario with the T7, but it's shooting great. I'll see how many shots it will go before the fouling starts to cause hangfires.

The system I is dependent upon swabbing between shots to keep the barrel condition the same for each one. Also important is the thinkness of the pattches must be the same to, again keep the bore uniform.

Walt

 

[wb78963]

Isn't this horse dead?
or will it continue to be beaten?
Just sayin'
Bunk

 

[FishDFly]

Isn't this horse dead?
or will it continue to be beaten?
Just sayin'
Bunk

Even if the horse dies, it will rise within a couple of days to start again, and again, followed by is the .45 enough to kill a deer?

Believe Martin Luther King Jr. said it best, how long is this going to go on.

 

[BadDaditood]

Is a .45 enough for deer after Ballistol causes the ball to get stuck?

 

[pamtnman]

I read somewhere that Hitler consumed Ballistol for his health, was in fact recommended by his physican.

This might account for his unstable mental state. He enjoyed twelve years of quack doctors and clear mountain air. Most of us benefit greatly from crisp, clean mountain air, but if you are injecting, drinking, or snorting Ballistol, no amount of mountain air or anything else for that matter is gonna save ya. Ballistol works well for my shooting in certain ways, not well in others. I’ve gone to bear grease in every aspect of shooting, lubrication, and metal preservation.

 

[bigstick6017555]

Sometimes I think it depends on the metal used when the gun was made.

Yes very much so, something that is not really given much thought. Also water from different parts of the country from varying wells, water softeners and city water systems with all the additives may give better results for some and not others.

 

[pamtnman]

Yes very much so, something that is not really given much thought. Also water from different parts of the country from varying wells, water softeners and city water systems with all the additives may give better results for some and not others.

Ballistol has worked perfectly in some instances and left bad rust in others for me. I never could figure it out. Its random variability is probably why it is such a popular subject here.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Is there such a thing as homemade Ballistol? Like mineral oil mixed with something maybe?

I use Napa cutting and grinding oil. It is water soluable and after trying Ballistol, I believe that Napa/water (15-85 with a dash of dish soap)) works better as a patch lube. The rifle cleans a lot quicker.