July 20, 2009, 12:42 AM | #1 |
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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.
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July 20, 2009, 01:52 AM | #2 |
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It's good stuff but there's cheaper alternatives.
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July 20, 2009, 04:30 AM | #3 |
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Ballistol
I use it. It works.
Pete
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July 20, 2009, 04:32 AM | #4 |
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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.
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July 20, 2009, 06:40 AM | #5 |
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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.
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July 20, 2009, 08:25 AM | #6 |
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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.
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July 20, 2009, 10:54 AM | #7 |
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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 ???
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July 20, 2009, 12:00 PM | #8 |
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use it for cleaning, lubing and protecting all my C&Bs and SASS guns. Works great
FM
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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 20, 2009, 07:31 PM | #9 |
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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.
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July 22, 2009, 07:18 PM | #10 |
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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, 07:33 PM | #11 | |
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July 22, 2009, 09:14 PM | #12 |
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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, 12:11 AM | #13 |
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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.
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July 23, 2009, 06:49 AM | #14 |
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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.
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July 23, 2009, 08:05 AM | #15 | |
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July 23, 2009, 08:32 AM | #16 |
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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, 12:21 PM | #17 | |
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July 23, 2009, 03:57 PM | #18 |
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I use it. It has many uses beyond gun cleaning and I especially like it for mil-surps that shoot corrosive primed ammo.
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July 23, 2009, 07:09 PM | #19 |
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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. |
July 23, 2009, 07:13 PM | #20 | |
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July 24, 2009, 08:02 AM | #21 |
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And PAM would make my Remington all buttery flavored. Hmmm.
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July 24, 2009, 01:59 PM | #22 |
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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
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July 24, 2009, 11:45 PM | #23 |
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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!
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July 25, 2009, 09:05 PM | #24 |
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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!
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July 26, 2009, 06:22 AM | #25 |
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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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