Ballistol

Ballistol was, I believe, developed by the German military before WW I and was there to help them lose two big ones. Like others, I really like the stuff, having discovered it in my golden years. Shall try using it as patch lube, based upon this thread. I use other, seemingly more effective, combinations to clean black powder residue then thoroughly wipe down interior and exterior metal with Ballistol. And it does have the collateral advantage of keeping the wife out of my work room.

Many moons ago when I first started shooting BPCRS my shooting partner and I noted how one individual only took one or two sighter shots after cleaning between relays before going for score.

Rick and I would take five or six shots before our guns settled down so we asked and he was using Ballistol instead of the Rem-oil and other high tech stuff we were trying at the time.

Sure enough we tried it and what a time saver, when your on the clock those extra shots eat up time you could be knocking down targets.

Turns out it works great for all kinds of stuff and its my go to oil for most stuff now.

The wife puts up with other smells from me that she finds disagreeable and has for many years so there is that.

Too bad the Ballistol company intentionally adds a powerful perfume scent to the mix.
That stuffs stink would gag a maggot.

Pity the hunter that applies a fresh coat of Ballistol on his ML then goes deer hunting.
He won’t be seeing many deer that day.

Ditto for Hoppe’s.

Adding a perfume scent to gun products is ridiculous.
I would only add a chemical(s) that neutralize the foul scent and didn’t hurt the intent of the base product, be it an oil, CLP or solvent cleaner.

I like it. Use it on everything.

I like the smell, more like licorice

I use two cleaners Hoppes for modern stuff and Ballistol for BP guns. The smell is not that bad to me. Good stuff.

ernbar said:

I use it too. Fantastic product specially mixed as Moose Milk for cleaning BP.

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This!

You Tuber Patriot Farmer did a test on Ballistol and a bunch of other stuff. Ballistol did not come out that great.

I cannot get used to the smell -- smells like puke to me. I have 3 or 4 bottles/cans that anyone can have for shipping....DM me if interested

I have been using Balliatol for 35 years. Other than the smell, I don't know how anyone can NOT like it.

I don't mix it with water.

TDM said:

I'm no chemist, but I do know that there is a major difference in how a water soluble mineral oil, such as Ballistol and oils such as Remoil or motor oil based lubricants react with BP fouling. I'll stick with Ballistol.

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I use Ballistol myself. I was just addressing the point (which keeps getting repeated) that it's not petroleum based.

The takeaway is that just because something is petroleum based does not mean that it's unsuitable for use with black powder. Mineral oil obviously works quite well. Other petroleum distillates, not so much.

Greenjoytj said:

Too bad the Ballistol company intentionally adds a powerful perfume scent to the mix.
That stuffs stink would gag a maggot.

Pity the hunter that applies a fresh coat of Ballistol on his ML then goes deer hunting.
He won’t be seeing many deer that day.

Ditto for Hoppe’s.

Adding a perfume scent to gun products is ridiculous.
I would only add a chemical(s) that neutralize the foul scent and didn’t hurt the intent of the base product, be it an oil, CLP or solvent cleaner.

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Where on the SDS sheet do you find any reference to a perfume scent?

Greenjoytj said:

Too bad the Ballistol company intentionally adds a powerful perfume scent to the mix.
That stuffs stink would gag a maggot.

Pity the hunter that applies a fresh coat of Ballistol on his ML then goes deer hunting.
He won’t be seeing many deer that day.

Click to expand...

If you're Losing deer to the smell of gun oil you're doing something wrong I reckon.

I use it, the aerosol version hurts my chest so I can only use it outside in the open air. My hands get all dry and sore too so I have to use gloves. Once this can is empty I won't buy it again. Will try the liquid though next.

Hmm, been using it for years, last deer shot started at 10m away. Didn't seem startled by the smell of Ballistol. Some folks must be using a different version than I am.

I have been using it for patch lube, mixed with water, then allowing the patch material to dry. It really works and give significantly smaller groups.

It is mineral oil, from petroleum, just like you buy in the drugstore to help you poo. The reason it mixes with water is alcohols that are added, they act as emulsifiers. The perfume they add is obnoxious to me. I wish they would skip the scent. The only thing it does extra for me is mixing with water for patch lube. The oil portion is nothing special.

The smell seems to be perceived differently by individuals. Some people are "super tasters". They have a more sensitive sense of taste them others. Some people taste cilantro as soap like. I suspect some people have a more sensitive nose in a similar way. ,

The thing about oil and grease is that you need to use some. Getting hung up on the prefect properties of this product or that is not important to me. My workbench oil cans are filled with ATF with a dollop of lanolin melted in it. It seems to so every oil job reasonably well.

Dave Markowitz said:

I use Ballistol myself. I was just addressing the point (which keeps getting repeated) that it's not petroleum based.

The takeaway is that just because something is petroleum based does not mean that it's unsuitable for use with black powder. Mineral oil obviously works quite well. Other petroleum distillates, not so much.

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Not a problem, I end up learning something new everyday whether I want to or not.

Another happy Ballistol user here. I use the liquid, it is much thicker and way more bang for the buck. It is also a good leather conditioner and chap lips medication

I use it to clean wooden stocks on old weathered rifles using it on 0000 steel wool.

I have used it for years and really like it. Early on, I cleaned a pistol on my kitchen counter with Ballistol. I soon found out how much my wife hates the smell. Haven't repeated that one.