Ballistol

[bigmike]

Is ballistol a good lubricant to use? Does it cause adverse reactions with blackpowder? I always heard to only use all natural products.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Many use it and swear by it. Though some swear at it! My self I don't use any "soluable "oils since I developed a severe reaction to them while working in machine shops. :idunno:

 

[William O.]

It's a very good lube to use but I can't stand the smell.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Widely used and liked by many.
Use without fear.

 

[David W.]

Don't worry about using Ballistol. They use a medicinal grade white mineral oil which will not react with BP in your barrel.

 

[fatboy]

It's good stuff have used as a wet patch lube and cleaned with it wipe gun down with it never seemed to find fault with it

 

[silly goose]

I'm a big fan of it myself. Seems to do everything quite well, cleaning, lubricant, and preservative. Smell doesn't bother me a bit.

 

[Bear64]

good to know..used to use sperm oil back in the day

 

[stormcrow]

I've come to like Ballistol a lot. Works well as a general purpose protectant and no worries about contact with skin, wood, etc. I use it with distilled water as a patch lube some times and its good for that, and use straight with a patch after done shooting to soften any fouling and it seems to cut my cleaning time considerably. Very versatile.

 

[Flintlock58]

Ballistol it is for me too!

 

[David W.]

Ballistol, it's not just for breakfast anymore! :rotf: :idunno:

 

[Roguedog]

I bought a can the other day and have been using it some. Seems to do a pretty good job. But, like others, the smell is kind of weird, unlike WD-40 which I love to smell.

Jeff

 

[Dphar]

Is ballistol a good lubricant to use? Does it cause adverse reactions with blackpowder? I always heard to only use all natural products.

Its just another petroleum product.
Petroleum oil is not a problem as a bore protectant. Just stand the gun muzzle down for a day after oiling to let the excess drain out.
If you want to know whats in a product search for its MSDS on the WWW. www.baileysonline.com/msds_sheets/PDFs/ballistol.PDF
"Ballistol contains medicinal grade mineral oil, alkaline salts of oleic acid, several alcohols, Benzyl Acetate and an oil from vegetal seeds. The mineral oil is unchlorinated and conforms to the specifications of US Pharmacopeia XX."
The alcohol content would tell me not to use it for protectant. The pour point 1.4 F means it will gum up locks in cold conditions. So I see it as another over blown concoction that only works because of its mineral oil content. But this disqualifies it as a patch lube for me.
The claim that its good for BP because it "neutralizes acids" is just BS. There are no acids in BP fouling. In fact its just the opposite. BP fouling will also neutral acids...

Anything with alcohol, for example, is NOT a preservative/rust protectant since alcohol always has a water content.
I have used G-96 Gun Treatment (was G-66) since the mid 1960s and have never had a reason to cuss it. High humidity or dry mountain west it has never failed me. This is not the "CLP" they sell as well I have not used it.
I tend to use 0w30 full synthetic motor oil (Amsoil) or one of the high tech gun greases for lubrication depending on what I am lubing. Though G-96 is good for the fly in some locks.
Very small amounts in any case. Both the Amsoil and the G-96 are good for any temp I would hunt in. The 0w30 has a a -50 or so pour point.

The problem is that some petroleum products will cause BP fouling the cake hard if used as a patch lube.
There can be a SERIOUS problem if the gun is not cleaned properly at the breech and some BP fouling is left, coated/soaked with oil (or some oil concoction is used to clean it that will not properly wash the fouling out) then the gun is loaded a fired. This will continue to build up and will make a substance much like asphaltic concrete in the breech that is virtually imperious to water and other solvents.
So wash the fouling out with water, wiping with a wet patch seldom works properly, dry the bore then oil and stand muzzle down. If the shooter dumps powder in on the oil puddle in the breech and the gun will fire the concrete phenomena is likely to start. Repeat long enough and ignition may become impossible.

Breech scrapers and such are not needed unless there is concrete present or the powder does not burn properly. Uncontaminated BP fouling should instantly dissolve in water.
Most commercial BP solvents are 90% or more water. So they are REALLY expensive compared to tap water or water from a creek.

Dan

 

[stormcrow]

The alcohol content would tell me not to use it for protectant. The pour point 1.4 F means it will gum up locks in cold conditions. So I see it as another over blown concoction that only works because of its mineral oil content.

Interesting-I haven't noticed any gumming in cold weather but may do some informal testing this winter. I assume the German army who apparently used Ballistol for decades did on many occasions use it in very cold conditions, so am surprised they would have used it for so long if it were no more than a hyped concoction.

 

[Bob J]

Ballistol is an excellent product in my experience. Have been using it for about 5 years now: aerosol version for field cleaning bore and metal exterior, straight Ballistol cut with water for bore flush, and aerosol or straight for storage protection. I have had ZERO rust problems here in SE Florida. Muzzleloaders are stored in air-conditioned home.

 

[StewartLeach]

Big Mike, I have come to the concluion that Ballistol is a good lubricant in general, very good as a component of Moose Milk patch lube (2 oz Ballistol, 2 oz Murphy's Oil Soap, H20 to make up a quart or liter), but somewhat lacking as a rust preventative.

Best rust protection I have found so far is Birchwood Casey's Barricade.

White Fox

 

[Rifleman1776]

The alcohol content would tell me not to use it for protectant. The pour point 1.4 F means it will gum up locks in cold conditions. So I see it as another over blown concoction that only works because of its mineral oil content.

Interesting-I haven't noticed any gumming in cold weather but may do some informal testing this winter. I assume the German army who apparently used Ballistol for decades did on many occasions use it in very cold conditions, so am surprised they would have used it for so long if it were no more than a hyped concoction.

Agree. I have never used alcohol in my cleaning or lube concotions because it evaporates so quickly and picks up moisture. I believe it is simply a pointless ingrediant. Unlikely it causes harm but (probably) does no good.

 

[Dphar]

The alcohol content would tell me not to use it for protectant. The pour point 1.4 F means it will gum up locks in cold conditions. So I see it as another over blown concoction that only works because of its mineral oil content.

Interesting-I haven't noticed any gumming in cold weather but may do some informal testing this winter. I assume the German army who apparently used Ballistol for decades did on many occasions use it in very cold conditions, so am surprised they would have used it for so long if it were no more than a hyped concoction.

I doubt they used it in cold weather.
If it got really cold, back in the pre-synthetic oil times, the military simply did not oil the guns.
Would have to ask a friend who survived Chosin Reservoir (barely) but I think he told me they washed their Garands and such in gasoline to get the oil and grease out of them so they would function at the temps involved.
Actually a quick search found this on the American Rifleman site.

Theo McLemore, a veteran of the 1st Marines who fought at Inchon and Chosin, recalled that they had to remove every vestige of grease and oil from their Garands in order for them to operate in the extreme cold. Any trace of lubricant would freeze solid and could render the rifle inoperable. As stated by McLemore: “Not having any oil or grease was hard on the weapons, but removing it allowed us to use our M1s even when the temperature got down to 40 below. The M1 was our best weapon, and we really relied on those rifles.”

So there is a good chance they DIDN'T use the stuff in extreme temps.
If the pour point I read is correct its worse than SAE30 motor oil. Might be the vegetable oil content.

Dan

 

[asbrown]

I don't know about Ballistol freezing, or at what temperature this might happen but I spent 2 years in Germany in the Army, It never got below 0 degrees, and most of the winter hovered around 30 or so. Korea on the other hand was much different. Severe cold and high humidity is hell on rifles and whatever they issued us seemed to work well. We never fired dry rifles.

 

[Rifleman1776]

The Austrian army used Ballistol. The Germans fought Russia. Russia can get mighty cold. The Ballistol web site says the product will never gum up. Tests have been done over periods of 35 to 60 years with no gumming or deterioration of product.