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bore clean solvent

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I was given a bottle and I used it with a good degree of satisfaction. However, I would not buy more simply because I can make a solvent that is just as good, if not even better, using Ballistol diluted 1:10 with plain old water. Some would say Dawn dish soap in water and they would be right but I think a 1:10 dilution of Ballistol is hard to beat and it is cheap. In these home made cleaners, water is the secret ingredient. It is the water that dissolves the products of black powder combustion. The Ballistol, or the soap in some people's mixture, is just an emulsifier that helps the water do the cleaning. There is absolutely no need to buy any of the "gee whiz" cleaners off the shelf when you can make your own very effective cleaner for a fraction of the cost of any of the "off-the-shelf" cleaners. If, as in my case, it is given to you, use it. The stuff will work but do not go and buy it, make your own and save your money for more worthy purchases such as more powder.
 
yes, I was gifted mine also a couple years ago. Can you get ballistol in a non-spray can or how do you mix it w/water? Isnt ballistol the stuff most here on MLF say is NOT good for rust protection?
Scott
 
newtewsmoke said:
yes, I was gifted mine also a couple years ago. Can you get ballistol in a non-spray can or how do you mix it w/water? Isnt ballistol the stuff most here on MLF say is NOT good for rust protection?
Scott

I can only find it in one store locally and that is the spray. I believe you must go to their website and order the other packagings.
My experience, backed up by others, is it is not good for rust protection. Great for lube and other uses, but not that.
 
I purchased several non-spray cans in Friendship before we left Indiana. The stuff is hard to find but I'm pretty sure Track of The Wolf has it as does Dixie Gun Works. You can also order it directly from the Ballistol folks in North Carolina. You can find them online by Googling "Ballistol". While it has rust inhibitors in it, I do not depend on it for rust protection. My choice for rust protection is Barricade. There are other good rust inhibiting oils on the market but I just prefer Barricade.
 
Rifleman1776 said:
Great for lube and other uses, but not that.
would one of those uses be as a barrel swab while out shooting many shots in an afternoon?...or a patch lube that could virtually eliminate swabbing?..do NOT want to start the 'ole swab/don't swab debate, just askin. :wink:
Scott
 
I can only speak for my personal experience. I have found that when I lube my patches with straight Ballistol, I do not have to swab my bore between shots. I have used it many times as a patch lube during a match consisting of as many as 50 shots and did not have to swab between shots. At the end of a match, I can run a cleaning patch wet with a 1:10 dilution of Ballistol in water through my bore and it is surprising how little fouling is left in there. It is apparent to me that each time I load my rifle with a Ballistol patch, it wipes out the fouling with each loading. Of course, once I get home I go through the whole cleaning procedure using soap and water to do a proper clean up.

Would Neatsfoot oil or Jojoba oil do the same? I can't say because I have never tried either one but I plan to try both. Will using straight Ballistol as a patch lube reduce fouling and reduce or eliminate the need for swabbing between shots? Based on my personal experience, my answer is a resounding yes.
 
I use this cleaner. I noticed that when I run the first patch it gets black but if I pour more cleaner on the dirty patch and keep swabing the patch can turn white. Since it removes crud from the cotton, it is effective in also getting the crud out of the bore.
 
newtewsmoke said:
KV Rummer said:
if I pour more cleaner on the dirty patch and keep swabing the patch can turn white. Since it removes crud from the cotton
where is the crud going?

Possible answers:
A) back into the bore
B) wherever those missing socks from the laundry go

My guess is "A". :rotf:
 
Because the water in my cleaning bucket is turning black I am sure that is where the crud is going.
 
KV Rummer said:
Because the water in my cleaning bucket is turning black I am sure that is where the crud is going.
O.K, now i'm with ya, from your post it sounded like you ran the patch up & down the bbl and it was turning from blak to white on its own :thumbsup:
 
newtewsmoke said:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/180/1/BORE-CLEAN
I am not tryin to be a salesman for this stuff, and as has been said there are many home brews equally as good, but when i finished shooting today, did a quick field clean and i kid you not, the 4th patch swabbed w/this stuff came out clean as a whistle. I am pretty dang impressed.
 
I mixed up my first batch of Moose Milk the other day and I used Ballistol and the pinesol was scented. It cleans faster than soap and water but not much. As a between shots wipe it takes so little I am still working it out. I will always have it on hand. It sounds as though your pretty happy with your find so thats great. Trying somthing new from time to time isn't a bad thing! Geo. T.
 
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