If I gave my opinion of Ballistol here I would get kicked off the forum as the words necessary to describe what I think of it are not for family use.
Ballistol.............
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DuncNZ
54 Cal.
Remember that Ballistol and British 303 oils were developed at a time when both the German and British armies were still coming to terms with jacketed bullets and corrosive primers . These two "oils" were designed to be used with water to dissolve corrosive primer salts and to remove metallic projectile jacket , aka nickeling ,fouling residue from bores , and as a metal protector .in Military firearms The other attributes were a bonus .
The projectiles used in those times usually had Nickle plated jackets . Jacket fouling of bores was a serious problem with these early days resulting in loss of accuracy and accelerated bore wear .
The mercuric salts from the primers caused rapid rusting of the bore .
Soldiers were required to keep their rifles in top condition at all times so long term protection may not have been so important .
When you folks refer to dish soap is that a soap or a detergent used for cleaning dishes ? What I would call dish washing detergent ?
The projectiles used in those times usually had Nickle plated jackets . Jacket fouling of bores was a serious problem with these early days resulting in loss of accuracy and accelerated bore wear .
The mercuric salts from the primers caused rapid rusting of the bore .
Soldiers were required to keep their rifles in top condition at all times so long term protection may not have been so important .
When you folks refer to dish soap is that a soap or a detergent used for cleaning dishes ? What I would call dish washing detergent ?
I think of Dawn dish detergent myself.
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Yes.
Dawn dish soap is probably the most popular, it is the best I have ever found to remove oil and grease from dishes (Yeah, we actually use dish soap for dishes
) I do not know if it also removes oil from rifle bores but I use a couple of drops in my ML cleaning water cause..... well cause that's what I have available!
When I refer to dish soap, I am referring to a liquid soap with detergent that will emulsify or dissolve oils and greases. From what I have found is that any dish soap that my wife finds acceptable to clean our dishes will satisfactorily clean the fouling from my muzzleloading firearms. It's the water that dissolves the fouling and the soap that removes the burnt lubricating oils or grease based lubricants.
Mike in FL
50 Cal.
I have not proven to myself that dish detergent facilitates cleaning black powder. Maybe we think it helps because of the commercials. "Dawn takes grease out of your way." Also, some might believe hot water cleans better than cold, when in fact it serves to warm the metal for more thorough dying.
Felix the Cat
40 Cal
I think you will find that it is the Potassium Chlorate in the primers that was the main issue. Mercuric primers were abandoned fairly early on, and although mercury does attack steel, particularly along the grain boundaries, it is the chlorate that does the real damage.
Chlorate residue is not soluble in oil, and needs a water based solvent, with some detergent to assist wetting and preferably alkaline to neutralise any acid present.
Mike in FL
50 Cal.
Felix, not sure what u r saying. Is that an endorsement for Dawn? I am always open to what works. Does dish wash detergent help or not? Posted with respect to all advice.
Felix the Cat
40 Cal
Hi Mike..
Gun cleaners come in basically two forms; solvent based cleaners use a material that will dissolve residues and allow them to be removed in solution, and detergent based cleaners which have a water base and which "traps" oily residues in the solution.
Detergents come in many forms.. domestic dish soap is as good as any at allowing water to "wet" surfaces and lift off residues. Simpler detergents such as sodium carbonate (washing soda) are equally as good but may not be as easy to use. Washing soda is also alkaline and will neutralise any acidic deposits that may be around. We don't have Dawn dish soap in the UK so I can't make any endorsements, but I suppose dish soap is pretty much the same around the planet...!
You need to be careful however that detergents may remove any oil or grease coatings along with deposits and leave metal surfaces unprotected. Always remember to re-apply protective coatings after cleaning with detergents.
Solvent based cleaners are usually an oil dissolved in a volatile carrier such as an alcohol. It is actually the carrier that does the cleaning, so it is important that you wipe off the cleaner after applying it to remove the contaminant, however these cleaners also have a protective oil which is left as a protective coating when the carrier evaporates off. These cleaners also contain compounds called "surfactants" which also help the cleaner stick to the surface of the metal in the same way as detergent does in water based cleaners..
FTC
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X 2 on the vommit
Mike in FL
50 Cal.
Felix, you know a lot of good stuff. Thank you. I've been using it but never knew all that. Regarding the odor, I've never noticed anything unpleasant.
I’m in camp “Ballistol smells like vomit” but I use use it straight up and use it outside! Actually use hot water for cleaning but am currently using ballistol to compare it to bore butter which I used in the past after cleaning. Honestly though after lubing with the bore butter I would use a couple more dry patches which probably removed most of it. Not sure it matters , I keep my ML’s dry / and in my safe muzzle down for a while after cleaning. Never had any rust or corrosion . And I know many on this forum do not like bore butter.
