Ballistol is GREAT!

[Muley Gil]

Recently, I broke a cardinal rule. I shot musket and carbine at the Spring National and failed to clean either. Not just one day or two, but about a month. :( My Parker-Hale musketoon cleaned up fine, but the P-H 2 bander was really coked up in the fire channel beneath the nipple. Couldn't clear it with a nipple pick or even with a small numbered drill bit, twirled between my fingers.

So, I reinstalled the nipple, covered the nipple with a patch and lowered the hammer. I poured about an oz. of 50% strength Ballistol in the bore, plugged it, and set it aside. A week later, that nipple patch was soaked in Ballistol. Everything cleaned up just fine. The bore is still spotless.

Note to self. Don't do that again!

[Maillemaker]

Yup, I love the stuff. It really breaks down BP residue. I like to swab my bore with it and wipe down heavily around the bolster when I pack my guns up to come home. It penetrates the goo and helps it come off easily when you get home for a real cleaning. Plus it protects the gun if you don't get around to cleaning right away. It's also good for the wood.

Steve

[jonk]

Agreed. For BP it's my favorite oil, at least for 'end of the cleaning' oiling. If the gun is to sit for a long time I oil with something heavier.

It is nice on wood and leather too.

It's a bit pricey, but one of the few pricey things I think is worth the moola.

For anyone who is a fan of the ballistol/water mix, check out ebay and look for the original milky white WW2 bore cleaner in the square tins (the oval ones have a petroleum based brown cleaner). Usually a case is under a hundred bucks and it's essentially water soluble oil.... made for corrosive primers. A real treat on BP fouling.

[MR. GADGET]

Yes
but at the end of the day you still need an oil and that is where ballistol shines.

It does both. And very good at that.

[Eggman]

Ballistol users sneer at conventional gun oil -- for good reason. Took me about 37 years but I fianlly tried it --- LOVE IT!! Once you get past the smell (reminds me of the back alley behind Fuzzmo's Bar).

[Bullseye54]

We use to use a machining coolant for metal cutting in the machine shop I worked in.. It
was water soluble and was white when we added water to it.. And like someone said, it
smelled like the back ally to a bar, even worst after it was in the machine for awhile..
BUT it was cheap compared to other coolants.. Got it in 55 gallon drums.. By the smell
I think this is the same stuff only 1000 times the commercial price when in a Ballistol can.

[Ian Wright, 1942]

If anyone would like I can bring a supply to the Vets skirmish. I will have sizes from 1.5 oz to one gallon---thats right a whole gallon, as well as their wipes. I will be either in the tower or in my campsite at 37th GA, area 6, unless at the other social events.

[John Holland]

As for the "unique odor", I refer to Ballistol as "Wife Away", because any time I use it she is gone like flash!

[Maillemaker]

We use to use a machining coolant for metal cutting in the machine shop I worked in.. It
was water soluble and was white when we added water to it.. And like someone said, it
smelled like the back ally to a bar, even worst after it was in the machine for awhile..
BUT it was cheap compared to other coolants.. Got it in 55 gallon drums.. By the smell
I think this is the same stuff only 1000 times the commercial price when in a Ballistol can.

Wouldn't surprise me.

Likewise Lee Alox is a commercial goo of some kind. I found a much better/cheaper supplier - they call it Xlox.

http://www.lsstuff.com/lsstuff-stuff

Steve

[MR. GADGET]

Wouldn't surprise me.

Likewise Lee Alox is a commercial goo of some kind. I found a much better/cheaper supplier - they call it Xlox.

http://www.lsstuff.com/lsstuff-stuff

Steve

Looks like good stuff.
suprised that someone at winchester is not selling it.
would like to try some of their blends.

[Bruce Cobb 1723V]

Your not looking hard enough. A lot of Sutlers sell it at the nationals. BTW Gunzilla is great too!

[jonk]

I have never seen anyone sell Xlox at nationals either. Ballistol sure. I HAVE heard of Xlox but haven't used it myself, though the guys on the cast boolit forum speak highly of it.

I rather think that any form of liquid alox is, in any event, just alox dissolved in some solvent that evaporates in the air over time.

[MR. GADGET]

I have never seen anyone sell Xlox at nationals either. Ballistol sure. I HAVE heard of Xlox but haven't used it myself, though the guys on the cast boolit forum speak highly of it.

I rather think that any form of liquid alox is, in any event, just alox dissolved in some solvent that evaporates in the air over time.

Yep not seen it anytime I have looked.

[ian45662]

I dip my grilled cheese in ballistol

[Muley Gil]

I dip my grilled cheese in ballistol

Well, OK! :D


A friend of mine told me that he watched his granddaddy sprinkle black powder on his scrambled eggs many, many times.

Uncertain as to if he used FFg or FFFg

[kowdok]

A teammate developed this after experimenting with several different mixtures. I feel sure he wouldn't mind sharing this with others. He treated rusty bolts with different combinations and this prohibited further rusting far longer than any other combination. This is for the final oiling before putting the guns away.
Equal parts of 1) ballistol, 2) WD40, and 3) marvel mystery oil. Best oil I've ever used, bar none. Also, the smell of ballistol is considerably neutralized.
For cleaning, I've found nothing better than full strength Simple Green. It dissolves BP residue upon contact. It does such a great job you must oil the gun immediately after cleaning. Although I think Ballistol is very good, I have never been able to get past the smell.

[Ron/The Old Reb]

"A friend of mine told me that he watched his granddaddy sprinkle black powder on his scrambled eggs many, many times.

Uncertain as to if he used FFg or FFFg "

I'll bet that was interesting when nature called.

[MR. GADGET]

"A friend of mine told me that he watched his granddaddy sprinkle black powder on his scrambled eggs many, many times.

Uncertain as to if he used FFg or FFFg "

I'll bet that was interesting when nature called.

wonder if they called him "old sparky"

[Chris Sweeney]

I really like the liquid, pump-spray Ballistol, but, whatever they use as a propellant in the aerosol just sends me into a coughing fit

[Maillemaker]

For cleaning, I've found nothing better than full strength Simple Green. It dissolves BP residue upon contact. It does such a great job you must oil the gun immediately after cleaning. Although I think Ballistol is very good, I have never been able to get past the smell.

Yup, Simple Green is a degreaser, so it stands to reason that you would have to follow up with oil.

I like Balistol because it is is an oil itself. Or seems to be, anyway. I don't even bother with oil anymore.

Steve