Ballistol or BreakFree CLP

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ApacheCoTodd said:
I can't speak to ballistol but can and enthusiastically speak against break free (BF).

Note that my experience is based upon high rate of fire and continuous usage in service weapons in the Army.

I WILL NOT TOUCH THE STUFF!

I try to only offer this opinion once or twice a year as it tends to draw out partisan arguments from the BF fans.

When we first started using it in the Army it was presented as the end-all-be-all supposedly replacing both CLP and RBC (Cleaner, Lubricant & Protector and Rifle Bore Cleaner). For my part - it sucks as a replacement for either.

You see, it leaves a noticeable residue that kept guns from passing the rigorous inspections of D.I.s and I.G.s (Drill Instructors & Inspectors General) at the time - so for cleaning - you had to also clean IT from the gun.

Strike one!

Strikes two through NINE and in fact the ultimate game ender was later finding that our guns could become what I call "addicted" to it in combat.

Here, one might have a well *cleaned* and lubricated gun and get into a dust-up. Upon a calm moment, one could find guns growing sticky (some actually slowing during firing!:cuss:) if not outright locked up and all one could do was scramble for a bottle of BF - blast it in and work the action. Next round of excitement and calm and things only got worse.

Pitched every single bottle and started using POL (petroleum, oil & lubricants) from motor vehicles and never had a glitch.

Sure - it might be different now.
Sure, most of us are not in a position to expend out *basic-load* in short order.

I don't care - those experiences were highly unsettling and the product NEVER gets a second chance even if I'm safe and sound at a civilian range.

I would rather - and in fact have taken - the dipstick from a vehicle to get used motor oil on a gun over that BF garbage!

Todd.
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I’ve had a similar experience in the military. One of the things that got us out of a pretty bad jam with the crew served weapon was actually ram dry lube LOL so it’s easier to choices I would absolutely go with Ballistol
 
ApacheCoTodd said:
That's kinda funny. Given my above post about the stuff, it might be surprising to know that I have most of a gallon left that a friend had given me. Rather than be ungracious, I kept it.

It gets used on things like my old Cub Cadet lawn tractor, trailer shackles and the like.

Todd.
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My dad worked at APG, testing and breaking things back in the day (he authored BDAR manuals, mostly track related) and he was one of the test drivers of Breakfree to assess its viability.
I never saw him use it on a firearm, but he swore by it for crappy old hardware.
 
I like Ballistol for wiping down and storing weapons. Especially those of the civil war age with wooden stocks. Wouldn’t say I’m a fan of it for a lubricant. CLP only gets used on large rusted bolts and nuts on equipment. Lucas gun oil works pretty well. So does OW-20 motor oil. When you think about what a quart costs and how long it lasts, it’s tough to beat.
 
Stumper said:
Like ev780, I say "yes". I use both. Blackpowder? Ballistol. Wood stocked? Ballistol. Leather boots? Ballistol. Plastic sewing machine firearm? BreakFree CLP.
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This is pretty much how I feel about it. Ballistol is good for leather and wood and is water soluble. Since it’s water soluble I have it in my head that it’s not a great lubricant. No idea why. But for cowboy type guns or blackpowder guns I use ballistol and/or moose milk, but I don’t usually use it on ARs or plastic fantastic pistols.
 
I use Ballistol exclusively on all of my firearms. It cleans, penetrates, protects and lubricates. However I am not one of those people that think Ballistol is the only good gun cleaner and lubricant. Clean your guns and put gun lube, your gun lube of choice, on the friction points. You will be fine.
 
I used to use what ever oil was available. Never a brand follower. When I bought my Sharps rifle I bought ballistol and slowly I begin to use it on every thing for cleaning and lubing, might use it to brush my teeth.
 
lsudave said:
While we're on the topic of Ballistol-

Does anyone use moose milk to clean just regular guns (and then straight Ballistol for the final lube)? I know you need the water solvent to clean out corrosive residue, and everything I've read is that as it dries, the water part evaporates and leaves a film of Ballistol (preventing rust). I think most "good cleaning" is the mechanical action anyway, as brushes and swabs do a lot more than just hosing things off.

Seems like it would be an economical way to do things, as you're using the stuff in a 1:5 to 1:10 mix or thereabouts, and if you did it for every gun, doing corrosive stuff wouldn't even be out of the normal routine.
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I use moose milk when shooting black powder on my Sharps rifle. I recycle it by collecting it in my Hornady sonic cleaner and throw in my AR bcg, and 1911 parts after a round of shooting. Moose milk works well with my sonic cleaner and gun parts.
 
I am I the only one that ballistol makes there Stomach turn, I can take bad smelling stuff no problem but it really messes with me. I use it for black powder the normal uses the old blue and walnut get a wipe with it. Not much using it for lube tho.

For lube hard to beat a good synthetic motor oil, And good grease.

For cleaning I use ed's red or straight up atf, for copper I'll use sweets but that's the only strong copper eater I've really used.
 
We haven't had one those "which lube?" threads in about a month. I'm always pleased to see the amazing variety of preferences out there. I am equally pleased that we haven't regressed into any tomato fights, either.:)

I first starting using Ballistol in 1971 when I bought a blackbpowder pistol. I thought it smelled horribly. I figured anything that smelled this bad must really work well or nobody in his right mind would buy it. Right?!:eek:

I've used it ever since, along with about 37 other lubes and cleaners in my gun shop that I imagine work equally as well. I've used Ballistol for so long that I now really enjoy its aroma. I'm thinking it might make a great cologne.o_O But, "what is the best firearm cologne?" is a topic for another thread.:cool:
 
I use them both, I use CLP on the outside and Ballistol on the inside .
 
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frogfurr said:
Not a fan of Hickok45. He is not a fan of gun owners but rather a fan of Hickok45. He is an advertisement and nothing more.
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I'm a fan of any prominent public figures that are staunch supporters of 2A. He makes his living being a youtube gun guy and his reviews seem pretty neutral for the most part, what more can you ask of these people....
 
frogfurr said:
Not a fan of Hickok45. He is not a fan of gun owners but rather a fan of Hickok45. He is an advertisement and nothing more.
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I will never understand why folks join a community called The High Road and commence to trashing their fellow humans with irrelevant opprobrium.

Re the original post, most lubes will do the job if used intelligently, but if we buy the "does it all" hype, disappointment is likely.
 
Definitely Ballistol on the muzzleloaders. Because of the wood of course!
I was in a pinch and needed a bit of oil for a dry bolt on my Cooey .22. The only thing I had on hand was some Lansky honing oil. Boy does it work!
 
I have always used T/C Bore Butter on my blackpowder firearms. Clean them it in hot soapy water, hot water rinse, and then Bore Butter.
 
I mostly agree with mcb, however I use 3 equal parts of Murphy's Soap Oil. 90% rubbing alcohol, and Hydrogen peroxide mixed together, on my BP 's and swab the bore down with Thompson's Bore Butter. BTW back when a I was a youngster my Dad used nothing but 3in1 oil for cleaning his shotguns and rifles and a quick wipe down with an oily rag. Believe me you couldn't find a bit of rust on any of his firearms, nor any malfunctions for that matter. Incidentally we used to live in N/E Wisconsin, it wasn't a rare occasion when we hunted deer in 40 below zero weather. Myself I don't have any preference on the cleaning and maintaining any of my modern firearms as far as brand or ingredients goes. I've used 3in1, as well as CLP, Break Free, Hoppe's, and recently Ballistol which smells like dirty socks. BTW you won't find any rust or pitting on any of my firearms either!
 
ApacheCoTodd said:
You see, it leaves a noticeable residue that kept guns from passing the rigorous inspections of D.I.s and I.G.s (Drill Instructors & Inspectors General) at the time - so for cleaning - you had to also clean IT from the gun.
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Well, they have ridiculous ideas about what clean is & either don't understand or don't care that BF has surfactants in it that continue to loosen & float carbon to the surface as long as it is in place.

I can't speak to your other objections as my experience has been quite different.
 
I use Ballistol on my black powder guns, since it's water soluble and makes cleaning them up under the sink a lot faster and easier. I don't like to use it on my smokeless guns though, for the same reason. A preservative that immediately washes off when exposed to water, isn't doing a very good job of protecting the metal from sweat and moisture. I don't use water to clean my smokeless guns as I do with the black powder guns, so I prefer something that isn't miscible with water for better performance.

For the longest time I thought a CLP could only do those three functions (clean-lube-protect) at a sub-par level, in relation to a dedicated product for each function. Part of that reasoning was my bad experience with BreakFree, which I felt did a piss poor job of actually cleaning, and has mediocre lubrication properties as well. I used to use a dedicated cleaner, followed up with oiling everything afterwards with a dedicated gun oil product. Eventually I discovered Seal 1 CLP when my local gun store started selling it. I gave that a try, and I was hooked! Seal 1 performs all three functions of a CLP as though it were a dedicated product, and I love it! This is all I use now, for all my smokeless guns. It is also plastic/wood safe, and non-toxic. Water beads on the surface as well, and runs right off. And no, I am not a Seal 1 salesman... just a Seal 1 fanboy. Lol

Seal1 pistols.jpg
 
bdickens said:
Well, they have ridiculous ideas about what clean is & either don't understand or don't care that BF has surfactants in it that continue to loosen & float carbon to the surface as long as it is in place.

I can't speak to your other objections as my experience has been quite different.
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Always happy to see someone find the positive in something in which I have a differing opinion.:thumbup: Brings a little *light* to one's darker views.

Checks & balances are made of such things. Too, as I tried to note, the *inspectors* and my negative views are based upon quite extreme scenarios and while my jaded nature regarding the product is earned through those experiences, I know all too well that most folk haven't had the same experiences.

I have much the same attitude towards RIG as that product - with a rather stellar reputation - has lead to some quite distressing scenarios in my own firearms. May not mean that it's a bad product in general so much as it's a bad product for me. ;)

Todd.
 
Gus Chiggins said:
I had bad luck with bore butter. It doesn't flow enough for my liking and I must have left some of the bore not covered enough and got some rust. The brown patch of shame at the next shoot!:(
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After cleaning I make sure to put the Bore Butter on when the barrel is still warm. Sometimes I even use a low temperature heat gun to ensure all the water is gone and that warm barrel makes the Bore Butter flow nicely. I use the same Bore Butter to lub bullets and patches too.
 
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