Dumping Ballistol and Gun Oil

[bobbymoon]

Windex with Ammonia, followed by Shooters Choice Synthetic Safe Quick Scrub, and then G96 Complete Triple-Action Gun Treatment.

 

[user 34300]

Has anyone actually tested the premise that using petroleum oil to preserve my gun causes sludge to form? Has anyone tested the premise that petroleum in lubes is taboo?

BTW, Ballisol's active ingredient is mineral oil. Mineral oil is refined petroleum. Bore butter contains petroleum in the form of petroleum jelly,

https://www.tndeer.com/threads/the-bore-butter-wonder-lube-scam.276697/
Based on 50 years experience, I conclude that the demands of muzzle loading lube and preservatives demands are not critical and most anything reasonable will work just fine.

If you leave a bunch of oil in the bore and breech, then load and fore the gun, you will have "sludge" issues. You will have misfires. It is logical and expected. I would expect the same result with bear oil, sperm oil, or olive oil under the same conditions.

 

[French Colonial]

Has anyone actually tested the premise that using petroleum oil to preserve my gun causes sludge to form? Has anyone tested the premise that petroleum in lubes is taboo?

BTW, Ballisol's active ingredient is mineral oil. Mineral oil is refined petroleum. Bore butter contains petroleum in the form of petroleum jelly,

https://www.tndeer.com/threads/the-bore-butter-wonder-lube-scam.276697/
Based on 50 years experience, I conclude that the demands of muzzle loading lube and preservatives demands are not critical and most anything reasonable will work just fine.

If you leave a bunch of oil in the bore and breech, then load and fore the gun, you will have "sludge" issues. You will have misfires. It is logical and expected. I would expect the same result with bear oil, sperm oil, or olive oil under the same conditions.

Here we go again.....

 

[Mulebrain]

I basically just clean with water, and use WD40. Thinking about using used synthetic engine oil for lube and bores in the near future

Effective and cheap is how I like to roll

 

[smoothshooter]

Why 70% or less?

You need enough water to dissolve the BP fouling better.
90% evaporates too fast and will go away before you are done swabbing the water. 70% is about the right balance between dwell time and evaporation time.
With the alcohol and water mix you do not have to use more than a patch or two to dry out the bore if you want to resume shooting immediately.

 

[The Appalachian]

Water stops the corrosive properties of black powder residue. That's why we clean a muzzleloader with water. Since there is more water content in the 70% alcohol, it is more beneficial to promoting the cleaning properties of it. That's just my guess. I swab between shots with 71 % alcohol because that is what the wife brought home. I do have my own 91% alcohol but that is what I use to help dry my bore after cleaning it with water.

Don't gotta worry about that with plain old cold water to clean and bear or mink oil to preserve.

 

[Master Blaster]

Have used this on unmentionables back in my boating days.

 

[skwerleater]

Has anyone actually tested the premise that using petroleum oil to preserve my gun causes sludge to form? Has anyone tested the premise that petroleum in lubes is taboo?

BTW, Ballisol's active ingredient is mineral oil. Mineral oil is refined petroleum. Bore butter contains petroleum in the form of petroleum jelly,

https://www.tndeer.com/threads/the-bore-butter-wonder-lube-scam.276697/
Based on 50 years experience, I conclude that the demands of muzzle loading lube and preservatives demands are not critical and most anything reasonable will work just fine.

If you leave a bunch of oil in the bore and breech, then load and fore the gun, you will have "sludge" issues. You will have misfires. It is logical and expected. I would expect the same result with bear oil, sperm oil, or olive oil under the same conditions.

It’s BS.

 

[Will]

Don't gotta worry about that with plain old cold water to clean and bear or mink oil to preserve.

I should have clarified that I use the 71% alcohol to swab the bore between shots. I do use plain water to clean with ,however, I do either add a few drops of Dawn dish soap to it or a little Ballistol and use the pumping action with a tight patch on the jag. I use Barricade to preserve with but just recently bought some WD-40 Specialist Rust Inhibitor to try for rust prevent. I keep my mink oil for patch lube. Bear oil, not so easy to come by.

 

[kyron4]

I use Hoppe's Black powder Bore Cleaner to swab the bore when shooting on the range ; warm water and CLP when I'm done for the day. I always swab with alcohol and dry patch before shooting again.

I'm pretty sure Bore Butter is a mix of bees wax and olive oil with some mint oil . Would explain why it gets hard below 50* and turns to liquid above 80*.

 

[Will]

What makes you sure ? I have never seen a formula for Bore Butter.

 

[kyron4]

What makes you sure ? I have never seen a formula for Bore Butter.

From T/C:

"Thompson Center Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter is a biodegradable all natural lubricant which contains no petroleum-based oil or additives. It reacts differently (chemically) to the combustion of blackpowder, producing far less "tar like" fouling. It can also be used to field lube bullets. Bore butter is an excellent rust preventative on external surfaces of any firearm."

I had read the bees wax and olive oil somewhere, maybe here, not sure. I know it's great for chapped lips.

 

[PathfinderNC]

1- Windex
2- Synthetic Motor Oil
3- old cotton sweat pants, cut up for cleaning patches


Keep It Simple

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

Water stops the corrosive properties of black powder residue. That's why we clean a muzzleloader with water. Since there is more water content in the 70% alcohol, it is more beneficial to promoting the cleaning properties of it. That's just my guess. I swab between shots with 71 % alcohol because that is what the wife brought home. I do have my own 91% alcohol but that is what I use to help dry my bore after cleaning it with water.

I use a water/Ballistol mix to swab and/or quick clean the bore. It's mostly water. I use 99.9% Iso alcohol to swab and remove gun oil rust prevent from the bore before first shot of the day. To each his own.

 

[sturmkatze]

9 pages. Use what works for you.

 

[Will]

Boy,I sure hope we don't get to the point where you have to take off your socks to count.

 

[mushka]

I can clean and lube and be happy with using water for cleaning and lubing with the light oil that comes out of the little orange plastic bottle, tried ballistol once and the smell of the stuff was sickening to me and I gave it to a friend that uses it.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

Has anyone actually tested the premise that using petroleum oil to preserve my gun causes sludge to form? Has anyone tested the premise that petroleum in lubes is taboo?

BTW, Ballisol's active ingredient is mineral oil. Mineral oil is refined petroleum. Bore butter contains petroleum in the form of petroleum jelly,

https://www.tndeer.com/threads/the-bore-butter-wonder-lube-scam.276697/
Based on 50 years experience, I conclude that the demands of muzzle loading lube and preservatives demands are not critical and most anything reasonable will work just fine.

If you leave a bunch of oil in the bore and breech, then load and fore the gun, you will have "sludge" issues. You will have misfires. It is logical and expected. I would expect the same result with bear oil, sperm oil, or olive oil under the same conditions.

People panic when they see the words "black powder" and "petroleum products" in the same paragraph. I believe this was caused by companies like T/C and CVA because they sold a lube product and put "do not use petroleum products" in their literature. Also supposed black powder experts publishing books with words along the same lines. Now, when folks see an ingredient like mineral oil used in some product, they flip out because they believe it will "ruin" their gun. There is a diffrence between motor oil and a bit of Vaseline or mineral oil. In my opinion, I believe the intent was to keep people from swabbing with motor oil or axle grease and using same on their patches, which I have never done, but Mobile 1 does work as a rust prevent. What is not mentioned is that a cleaning patch with some alcohol on it removes the oil and what tiny bit may be left isnt going to ruin your gun.

 

[Steve Wagner]

Been using Birchwood Casey muzzleloader cleaner and hot water because I was an ignoramus at the time of purchase and it was on the shelf w other supplies I was buying. Cleans really well. Probably as good as Dawn but more $. Quantity was generous so I will be using it for a while. Doesn't take much. I pour a tablespoon full strength down the bore and let it bleed out the drum and into the bucket to get started. I like the really hot water routine w a funnel down the muzzle and then pumping the solution in a 5 gal bucket w jag and patch. I know cool or warm water will clean it, but what I like about hot is that it heats up the barrel so well [ I can only hold it w a towel] that after I blow it out w my compressor, any water still there evaporates quite quickly. I leave it standing for a few minutes and then use CLP Breakfree for lube, coat and storage. Won't hurt the wood either. Started using CLP when I lived near the ocean and all steel wanted to rust. Nothing seemed to work. A generous coat of CLP put an end to that. Also, storing guns vertically [muzzle down] really helps as well. On the coast, horizontal gun racks were the worst for rust. Before shooting, I dry patch the bore, blow out the drum w compressor and fire away. The infamous 'sludge' has never appeared. Not saying that all the other advice isn't good but this has worked well for me. SW

 

[BlackRock52]

I'm usually well stocked, but at the point where my cleaning supplies are running low. I shoot multiple long and short BP arms quite often and therefore clean a lot of guns and go through a fair amount of cleaning and lubricating products. I've been buying Balllitol (love it) and various brands of designated gun oil for years, but like all things gun-related, even cleaning supplies are now overpriced. I'm on a quest to maximize the money spent on the enjoyable part of the hobby - shooting, as opposed to the unenjoyable parts - like cleaning.

I don't have time to mix my own concoctions, currently clean with hot water, abandoned the need for bore butter and other excessively priced solutions years ago, and use a coating of oil to protect bores and chambers from rust. So, I'm no purist and not in need of ideas on that end. However, I'm looking to replace Ballistol and gun oil with bulk products to advance my quest - like 0W synthetic motor at $8 a quart as an example.

What bulk and readily available products do you use for cleaning and lubricating?

Water to clean(hot)...Gunzilla for rust protection. No petroleum products
Was using CLP for rust protection but military field reviews prompted me to switch
Steel barrel=cast iron fry pan -- season both (have my mom's CI pan which is 101 years old and just gorgeous so why change what works)