Ballistol ?

musketman · July 20, 2009, 12:42 AM

I have recently read an article on Ballistol for patch and bore lube and many claim that it has improved their accuracy. It is also supposed to protect your bore from rust for years of storage. If anyone has used this stuff, please let me know what you think of it.

Hawg · July 20, 2009, 01:52 AM

It's good stuff but there's cheaper alternatives.

darkgael · July 20, 2009, 04:30 AM

I use it. It works.

Pete

l.cutler · July 20, 2009, 04:32 AM

I use it for patch lube and for oiling after cleaning, it is great stuff. Never wipe the bore between shots, super easy cleanup at the end of the day. I can't say enough good about it.

mykeal · July 20, 2009, 06:40 AM

I'm trying it out. No problems so far, seems to work well as both a patch lube and as a rust preventative. You can get it free if you have access to a machine shop that doesn't mind you borrowing a quart of cutting oil now and then.

madcratebuilder · July 20, 2009, 08:25 AM

Great product for the BP shooter. You can find it for under .50 cents a fl oz if you look around, even cheaper in bulk.

Pahoo · July 20, 2009, 10:54 AM

I currently do not use it as a patch lube but may try experimenting this appliaction. I use it sparingly as a final wipe down between the range and shop. Makes my shop clean up, easier. I have a 16oz. container that I have had for quite a few years now. I use another product for a protective coating before storing. It's good stuff and works ???

Be Safe !!!

Fingers McGee · July 20, 2009, 12:00 PM

use it for cleaning, lubing and protecting all my C&Bs and SASS guns. Works great

FM

Mark whiz · July 20, 2009, 07:31 PM

I use it in a mixture for patch and wonder wad lube.

However I never put it in my guns anymore. 6 or 7 years ago I used it as a final lube after cleaning in all my arms (air gun, smokeless, & Black Powder). Within 1 week - every one of those arms had surface rust in the bore. I don't know why this happened, but I know it happened and fortunately I caught it early enough to clean out the rust with bore paste before any metal pitting occured.
All of these guns had been cleaned, and then a patch of denatured alcohol run through them to dry out any moisture, then the Ballistol applied. All arms were then stored under climate control for the entire time. I can see no reason for the rust, but it was there and the only difference to my normal cleaning routine was using Ballistol rather than a gun oil for preservation.
Basic troubleshooting says that the most recent (or only, in this case) change is usually the cause of any sudden issue.

Smokin' gun · July 22, 2009, 07:18 PM

I have a BP store and had never heard of Ballistol before until I read somewhere that McKee used it. We now carry it retail and it is a hot item. Not the aerosol but the bottle. You can mix it with 1 part B to 5 to 7 parts water and it's great. Water and oil separates =but this doesn't. My wife had cases of spring water 12 oz bottles in the basement and I poured out just a little of each of 6 bottles and put a capful of B in them. That was 6 weeks ago and they are white, non-separated and will clean, lubricate, polish etc.... Since the oil doesn't separate; my guess the ballestol stays when the water dries. That's my guess. It is a mineral oil w/ somethin? But I like it and so do customers

Billy

Hawg · July 22, 2009, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Great product for the BP shooter. You can find it for under .50 cents a fl oz if you look around, even cheaper in bulk.

I've used it and it's good but all I ever found locally was spray at over 1.00 per ounce.

Smokin' gun · July 22, 2009, 09:14 PM

Hawg- the spray is different. You might want to check out the 12 oz bottles that you can pour and mix. We haven't sold any aerosol. It's the 12 oz can that you can mix w/water. We have it. Do you want me to send you some or you can order it direct from Ballestol.
Billy

I clean my guns with it and haven't been disappointed.

Mark whiz · July 23, 2009, 12:11 AM

For what it is worth, I spent the 4th of July in the pits at Daytona watching the races and it seems about all of the NASCAR teams are using the aerosol Ballistol on their lugnuts, wrenches and studs. So it must be good for something.

And yes, my wife did walk away with a pocketful of Tony Stewart's nuts

.........................Lugnuts that is.

freedom475 · July 23, 2009, 06:49 AM

I use it some and like it, but....this stuff stinks sooo bad (and FOREVER) that is will completely ruin your hunting/possibles bag for any type of hunting purpose. It linggers like trapping lure too.

Hawg · July 23, 2009, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Do you want me to send you some or you can order it direct from Ballestol.

No that's ok. I appreciate it tho.

Noz · July 23, 2009, 08:32 AM

I shot in a match in PA on June 6th this year. Frontiersman so all black powder. I put my guns in their soft cases at the end of the match, after spraying with Ballistol. We left PA the next morning for the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A week there, less than 100 yards from the ocean with all the salt in the air. Returned to Missouri a week later to a mess with lawns, business etc. The weekend of the 11th of July was a shoot weekend with the Arkansas Leadslingers that I wished to attend. It was only on the evening of the 9th of July that I remembered that the guns were uncleaned. With a great sense of forboding, I opened the cases to discover that all guns were in good condition and only needed a "wipe down" and a bore snake through the barrels to be ready to shoot on Saturday.
I don't recommend this level of neglect but it sure gives a good feeling to know that if you can't get to them immediately that a quick spray of Ballistol will hold them until you can.

Hawg · July 23, 2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

I opened the cases to discover that all guns were in good condition and only needed a "wipe down" and a bore snake through the barrels to be ready to shoot on Saturday.

Over a month, that's pretty good. I've gone nine days with nothing done, not even a wipe down with no signs of rust or corrosion but never a month. I frequently go two or three days before cleaning and I use Pyrodex which has a worse rep than real bp. An undeserved rep if you ask me.

DWARREN123 · July 23, 2009, 03:57 PM

I use it. It has many uses beyond gun cleaning and I especially like it for mil-surps that shoot corrosive primed ammo.

Dave Markowitz · July 23, 2009, 07:09 PM

Count me as another satisfied user of Ballistol.

I first tried it a few years ago after reading about it on THR. I've found it to be the best thing I've tried for lubricating the cylinder pin of Remington cap and ball revolvers. I also use it as a general lube and anti-corrosion agent.

I made a mix of 1/3 Ballistol and 2/3 distilled water for use as a cleaner for BP or corrosive modern ammo, though I'll probably go back to Windex since it's cheaper and works at least as well.

Ballistol works very well as a CLP for modern firearms shooting non-corrosive ammo.

Hawg · July 23, 2009, 07:13 PM

Quote:

I've found it to be the best thing I've tried for lubricating the cylinder pin of Remington cap and ball revolvers

Try some PAM cooking spray. I finally got around to trying it and it works pretty good.

Dave Markowitz · July 24, 2009, 08:02 AM

And PAM would make my Remington all buttery flavored. Hmmm.

armedandsafe · July 24, 2009, 01:59 PM

I've used it for several years and find it very effective. Plus, it is labeled "food grade" by FDA

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_...orrosion2.html

Pops

Smokin' gun · July 24, 2009, 11:45 PM

My shop keeper made a mix of 1 part ballistol to 10 parts water and cleaned everything from guns, glass, wood etc. and still has 3/4 of his mix left. I don't care if it's $1.00 an ounce because you can dillute it -delute it-delute it and it still works magic. Best thing in the world for cleaning percussion revolvers. A 12 oz bottle will last forever and do your guns better than anyting I know of. I shoot bp revolvers-never use soap and water-clean it with a water/ballistol mix and DONE! A big thumbs up on this product! The recommended mix for cleaning BP is 1 part B to 5 parts water-then swap your barrel with pure B. Your innerds won't rust because the ballistol remains after the water dries. I have a 20 year old blue ford tractor in the field where the hood faded. I rubbed some ballistol on it an it came back bluer than it did from the factory!

Smokin' gun · July 25, 2009, 09:05 PM

I know everyone here wants to be as authentic and to period as possible to the care of their BP weapons.Pam & Olive oil won't work!! And also it don't smell good after awhile--like stale kitchen odor! I don't know how many hammer hand springs break but I've experienced three but not since using Ballist. Our customers drop their jaws to what theseC&B re replacement parts are. Some are more than what that 200 hundred dollar gun that is now depreciated is worth. Now that should ring loudly. Our cheaper guns are going to break springs unless the hobbist is so anal about caring and cleaning. I don't think folks should shoot these guns unless they understand them and care for them properly. But it's hard for the average J Doe to do all what it takes. . They clean um with soap and water and then oil them. But--did they get that water out. ? seasoned gun shooters of BP know the ropes but I've found that cleaning with a water mix of ballestoll and just a mild app of B for finishing inside of barrel etc. is sufficent to keeping these guns clean and working. A guy walked in the shop today w/ a broken hammer hand spring on his cheap brass Pietta. Also, he had broken a sear spring and roughed up his hammer. We didn't have the hammer hand but we had the others that we replaced last week--- but the cost now of just these parts plus shipping is almost 1/2 the value of his now depreciated gun. He used soap & water and hpps #9 in his care--- He said he was a southern reb and didn't need any more oil than what he was using. OKAY. So now he had bought a sear/hammer and now needing a hammer hand. Look up the price for hammer hands?!:} Anyway-you get what you pay for and these guns are not the best engineered with good steel in the world but some are better than others. Uberties are better than Piettas.(In my opinion) Anyway I believe Ballistol would have lubricated his springs and they wouldn't have broken. But he never used it. I guess I'm going to tell him the cost for a new hammer hand and suggest he trade that brasser in on a better quality gun and lubricate it w/Ball. Or send it back to the manufacture in hope s they fix or repace, Or if he so desires---we'll order him a new hammer hand assembly.I'll be gracious on the price. But they ain't cheap!

mykeal · July 26, 2009, 06:22 AM

I'm a bit confused here - what do you mean by the terms 'hammer hand' and 'sear spring'?

I'm also wondering about your arithmetic - what do you think the value of this depreciated gun is and what are you paying (or charging) for these 'hammer hand' and 'sear spring' parts? It's certainly not my experience that a hand spring or trigger/bolt spring costs as much (with shipping) as a revolver with a broken spring, so I must not be understanding something.

You seem to be implying that failure to use a mineral oil based cleaner/lubricant on leaf springs is a proximate cause for failure of that spring. Is that what you intended to say?

July 20, 2009, 12:42 AM	#1
musketman Junior Member Join Date: February 9, 2009 Posts: 14	Ballistol ? I have recently read an article on Ballistol for patch and bore lube and many claim that it has improved their accuracy. It is also supposed to protect your bore from rust for years of storage. If anyone has used this stuff, please let me know what you think of it.

July 20, 2009, 04:30 AM	#3
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	Ballistol I use it. It works. Pete __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

July 20, 2009, 12:00 PM	#8
Fingers McGee Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2008 Location: High & Dry in Missouri Ozarks Posts: 2,113	use it for cleaning, lubing and protecting all my C&Bs and SASS guns. Works great FM __________________ Fingers (Show Me MO smoke) McGee - AKA Man of Many Colts - Alter ego of Diabolical Ken; SASS Regulator 28564-L-TG; Rangemaster and stage writer extraordinaire; Frontiersman, Pistoleer, NRA Endowment Life, NMLRA, SAF, CCRKBA, STORM 327, SV115; Charter member, Central Ozarks Western Shooters Cynic: A blackguard whose faulty vision see things as they are, not as they should be. Ambrose Bierce

July 23, 2009, 12:11 AM	#13
Mark whiz Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2004 Location: Wabash, IN Posts: 227	For what it is worth, I spent the 4th of July in the pits at Daytona watching the races and it seems about all of the NASCAR teams are using the aerosol Ballistol on their lugnuts, wrenches and studs. So it must be good for something. And yes, my wife did walk away with a pocketful of Tony Stewart's nuts .........................Lugnuts that is. __________________ "Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3) Aim small.........miss small. Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!

July 23, 2009, 06:49 AM	#14
freedom475 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2008 Location: Rocky Mountains of Montana Posts: 292	I use it some and like it, but....this stuff stinks sooo bad (and FOREVER) that is will completely ruin your hunting/possibles bag for any type of hunting purpose. It linggers like trapping lure too. __________________ Maker of Horse Tack and Cowboy Gear. www.7xleather.com Mister, why do you carry a 45? "Cause Sam Colt don't make a 46."

July 20, 2009, 01:52 AM	#2
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	It's good stuff but there's cheaper alternatives.

July 20, 2009, 04:32 AM	#4
l.cutler Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2005 Posts: 275	I use it for patch lube and for oiling after cleaning, it is great stuff. Never wipe the bore between shots, super easy cleanup at the end of the day. I can't say enough good about it.

July 20, 2009, 06:40 AM	#5
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	I'm trying it out. No problems so far, seems to work well as both a patch lube and as a rust preventative. You can get it free if you have access to a machine shop that doesn't mind you borrowing a quart of cutting oil now and then.

July 20, 2009, 08:25 AM	#6
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 4,923	Great product for the BP shooter. You can find it for under .50 cents a fl oz if you look around, even cheaper in bulk.

July 20, 2009, 10:54 AM	#7
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	I currently do not use it as a patch lube but may try experimenting this appliaction. I use it sparingly as a final wipe down between the range and shop. Makes my shop clean up, easier. I have a 16oz. container that I have had for quite a few years now. I use another product for a protective coating before storing. It's good stuff and works ??? Be Safe !!!

July 20, 2009, 07:31 PM	#9
Mark whiz Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2004 Location: Wabash, IN Posts: 227	I use it in a mixture for patch and wonder wad lube. However I never put it in my guns anymore. 6 or 7 years ago I used it as a final lube after cleaning in all my arms (air gun, smokeless, & Black Powder). Within 1 week - every one of those arms had surface rust in the bore. I don't know why this happened, but I know it happened and fortunately I caught it early enough to clean out the rust with bore paste before any metal pitting occured. All of these guns had been cleaned, and then a patch of denatured alcohol run through them to dry out any moisture, then the Ballistol applied. All arms were then stored under climate control for the entire time. I can see no reason for the rust, but it was there and the only difference to my normal cleaning routine was using Ballistol rather than a gun oil for preservation. Basic troubleshooting says that the most recent (or only, in this case) change is usually the cause of any sudden issue. __________________ "Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3) Aim small.........miss small. Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!

July 22, 2009, 07:18 PM	#10
Smokin' gun Senior Member Join Date: May 7, 2009 Posts: 121	I have a BP store and had never heard of Ballistol before until I read somewhere that McKee used it. We now carry it retail and it is a hot item. Not the aerosol but the bottle. You can mix it with 1 part B to 5 to 7 parts water and it's great. Water and oil separates =but this doesn't. My wife had cases of spring water 12 oz bottles in the basement and I poured out just a little of each of 6 bottles and put a capful of B in them. That was 6 weeks ago and they are white, non-separated and will clean, lubricate, polish etc.... Since the oil doesn't separate; my guess the ballestol stays when the water dries. That's my guess. It is a mineral oil w/ somethin? But I like it and so do customers Billy

July 22, 2009, 09:14 PM	#12
Smokin' gun Senior Member Join Date: May 7, 2009 Posts: 121	Hawg- the spray is different. You might want to check out the 12 oz bottles that you can pour and mix. We haven't sold any aerosol. It's the 12 oz can that you can mix w/water. We have it. Do you want me to send you some or you can order it direct from Ballestol. Billy I clean my guns with it and haven't been disappointed.

July 23, 2009, 08:32 AM	#16
Noz Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2009 Posts: 643	I shot in a match in PA on June 6th this year. Frontiersman so all black powder. I put my guns in their soft cases at the end of the match, after spraying with Ballistol. We left PA the next morning for the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A week there, less than 100 yards from the ocean with all the salt in the air. Returned to Missouri a week later to a mess with lawns, business etc. The weekend of the 11th of July was a shoot weekend with the Arkansas Leadslingers that I wished to attend. It was only on the evening of the 9th of July that I remembered that the guns were uncleaned. With a great sense of forboding, I opened the cases to discover that all guns were in good condition and only needed a "wipe down" and a bore snake through the barrels to be ready to shoot on Saturday. I don't recommend this level of neglect but it sure gives a good feeling to know that if you can't get to them immediately that a quick spray of Ballistol will hold them until you can.

July 23, 2009, 03:57 PM	#18
DWARREN123 Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2006 Location: BETWEEN TN & KY Posts: 1,758	I use it. It has many uses beyond gun cleaning and I especially like it for mil-surps that shoot corrosive primed ammo. __________________ Have a nice day!

July 23, 2009, 07:09 PM	#19
Dave Markowitz Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2002 Location: SE PA Posts: 372	Count me as another satisfied user of Ballistol. I first tried it a few years ago after reading about it on THR. I've found it to be the best thing I've tried for lubricating the cylinder pin of Remington cap and ball revolvers. I also use it as a general lube and anti-corrosion agent. I made a mix of 1/3 Ballistol and 2/3 distilled water for use as a cleaner for BP or corrosive modern ammo, though I'll probably go back to Windex since it's cheaper and works at least as well. Ballistol works very well as a CLP for modern firearms shooting non-corrosive ammo. __________________ Dave Markowitz http://blogostuff.blogspot.com

July 24, 2009, 08:02 AM	#21
Dave Markowitz Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2002 Location: SE PA Posts: 372	And PAM would make my Remington all buttery flavored. Hmmm. __________________ Dave Markowitz http://blogostuff.blogspot.com

July 24, 2009, 01:59 PM	#22
armedandsafe Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2005 Location: Moses Lake WA Posts: 1,001	I've used it for several years and find it very effective. Plus, it is labeled "food grade" by FDA http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_...orrosion2.html Pops __________________ Armed and Safe: Not just a theory If it time to bury them, it is time to dig them up. Remember, "Behind every blade of grass."

July 24, 2009, 11:45 PM	#23
Smokin' gun Senior Member Join Date: May 7, 2009 Posts: 121	My shop keeper made a mix of 1 part ballistol to 10 parts water and cleaned everything from guns, glass, wood etc. and still has 3/4 of his mix left. I don't care if it's $1.00 an ounce because you can dillute it -delute it-delute it and it still works magic. Best thing in the world for cleaning percussion revolvers. A 12 oz bottle will last forever and do your guns better than anyting I know of. I shoot bp revolvers-never use soap and water-clean it with a water/ballistol mix and DONE! A big thumbs up on this product! The recommended mix for cleaning BP is 1 part B to 5 parts water-then swap your barrel with pure B. Your innerds won't rust because the ballistol remains after the water dries. I have a 20 year old blue ford tractor in the field where the hood faded. I rubbed some ballistol on it an it came back bluer than it did from the factory!

July 25, 2009, 09:05 PM	#24
Smokin' gun Senior Member Join Date: May 7, 2009 Posts: 121	I know everyone here wants to be as authentic and to period as possible to the care of their BP weapons.Pam & Olive oil won't work!! And also it don't smell good after awhile--like stale kitchen odor! I don't know how many hammer hand springs break but I've experienced three but not since using Ballist. Our customers drop their jaws to what theseC&B re replacement parts are. Some are more than what that 200 hundred dollar gun that is now depreciated is worth. Now that should ring loudly. Our cheaper guns are going to break springs unless the hobbist is so anal about caring and cleaning. I don't think folks should shoot these guns unless they understand them and care for them properly. But it's hard for the average J Doe to do all what it takes. . They clean um with soap and water and then oil them. But--did they get that water out. ? seasoned gun shooters of BP know the ropes but I've found that cleaning with a water mix of ballestoll and just a mild app of B for finishing inside of barrel etc. is sufficent to keeping these guns clean and working. A guy walked in the shop today w/ a broken hammer hand spring on his cheap brass Pietta. Also, he had broken a sear spring and roughed up his hammer. We didn't have the hammer hand but we had the others that we replaced last week--- but the cost now of just these parts plus shipping is almost 1/2 the value of his now depreciated gun. He used soap & water and hpps #9 in his care--- He said he was a southern reb and didn't need any more oil than what he was using. OKAY. So now he had bought a sear/hammer and now needing a hammer hand. Look up the price for hammer hands?!:} Anyway-you get what you pay for and these guns are not the best engineered with good steel in the world but some are better than others. Uberties are better than Piettas.(In my opinion) Anyway I believe Ballistol would have lubricated his springs and they wouldn't have broken. But he never used it. I guess I'm going to tell him the cost for a new hammer hand and suggest he trade that brasser in on a better quality gun and lubricate it w/Ball. Or send it back to the manufacture in hope s they fix or repace, Or if he so desires---we'll order him a new hammer hand assembly.I'll be gracious on the price. But they ain't cheap!

July 26, 2009, 06:22 AM	#25
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	I'm a bit confused here - what do you mean by the terms 'hammer hand' and 'sear spring'? I'm also wondering about your arithmetic - what do you think the value of this depreciated gun is and what are you paying (or charging) for these 'hammer hand' and 'sear spring' parts? It's certainly not my experience that a hand spring or trigger/bolt spring costs as much (with shipping) as a revolver with a broken spring, so I must not be understanding something. You seem to be implying that failure to use a mineral oil based cleaner/lubricant on leaf springs is a proximate cause for failure of that spring. Is that what you intended to say?

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