Cleaning Your Firearms: Ballistol?

[Bobson]

I don't know if this belongs here, first of all. It's regarding firearm cleaning (specifically, the use of Ballistol as a cleaner and lubricant). I figured either here or in the General Gun subforum, but I decided here may be better, though it may be read by fewer people in this particular subforum. Anyway...

I'm not sure what the general consensus among THR members is about Hickok45, but I like his videos a lot. I was watching his "Glock Cleaning Basics" video last night (find it here) in which he uses this Ballistol product to clean and lube his Glock 27.

First time I've heard of this product. Do any of you have experience with it? Hickok45 claims to have been using it for a number of years with great results. One thing I was curious about was that in his video, he seems to be using two different containers of Ballistol, but I can't find more than one type of it. I was thinking one was the Ballistol cleaner, and one was the Ballistol lubricant; but from what I can tell on the Ballistol company/product website, it's a cleaner/lubricant/etc all in one.

I'm not terribly opposed to my Hoppes #9 and RemOil I've been using to clean my guns up until now, but if I could use one product for both uses instead, I figure why not? Plus I don't really love RemOil, and have been planning to find a new lubricant anyway.

Here's Ballistol on Amazon for anyone interested. No, I don't have any stake/benefit/etc in/from this company, and I'm absolutely not trying to sell it. I'm just curious about it after having seen it for the first time yesterday.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

I have been a Ballistol user and advocate for ~20 years. It's old-school, it smells kinda' funky, it may NOT be the absolute WORLD'S GREATEST (most effective, cheapest, environmentally responsible, etc. yadda, yadda) gun-care product. But I've sure found it to work well for most of my needs. I've also found an old-fashioned (boar's hair) shaving brush to be ideal for spreading it around on my guns exterior (it's GOOD for wood!). And it has a BUNCH of other practical uses including treating leather (fine on my old, worn bomber jacket). Just give the funky smell time in an open area to air-out or people will give you some disgusted looks in line at the bank! Don't ask how I know .

 

[Bobson]

Thanks for the response, Tracker. For the sake of clarity, it is the one product that works well as a firearm cleaner and as a firearm lubricant, correct?

 

[J2FLAN]

Been useing BALLISTOL for years it lubes all my guns and does not build-up. Really slick on action and trigger parts, great on "plastic guns" wont hurt sights or anything.
I do use a thicker oil on my 1911s slide rails don`t know why, just do!
BTW, the stuff makes cleaning guns a lot easier, and the next cleaning even easier.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

the one product that works well as a firearm cleaner and as a firearm lubricant, correct?

Cleaner? Sometimes excessive lead or carbon build-up leans me toward a more "job specific" product. But as universal cleaner, lubricant & rust protection? Yes!

I do use a thicker oil on my 1911s slide rails

Agreed. I use Wilson Combat White Grease on autoloader rails. And I'm not SURE why either . I guess 'cause it...works!

 

[mdemetz]

One thing I was curious about was that in his video, he seems to be using two different containers of Ballistol, but I can't find more than one type of it. I was thinking one was the Ballistol cleaner, and one was the Ballistol lubricant; but from what I can tell on the Ballistol company/product website, it's a cleaner/lubricant/etc all in one.

I think one is aerosol and the other a pour can.

 

[W.E.G.]

I think it smells god-awful.

I'll bet it does make cleaning easier.
Smells so bad, you'll be done cleaning in 5 minutes, whether the gun is clean or not.

 

[Bobson]

Weird lol. I could have sworn Hickok says it smells better than most gun cleaners, but maybe I just misheard him in the video. I was kinda watching it and playing a video game at the same time, going back and forth muting the game and watching the video, then pausing his video and going back to the game, etc.

Obviously smell is completely subjective, but it seems to be unanimous here that Ballistol reeks.

Personally, I'm not too fond of the smell of Hoppes #9. Not terrible, but it is unpleasant.

 

[bigtubby]

They have two different labels for the spray can same product.

 

[fishblade2]

How would you compare ballistol to Breakfree CLP? I have heard that both clean, lubricate, and are able to leave a coating for rust protection and easier cleaning. Does anyone know which might perform better or I guess I should say, "is a better all around cleaner for general and harder cleans."

 

[solvability]

It works great as a case lube too. It does not really help with metal fouling in the bore. I like it on carbon crud.

 

[W.E.G.]

Both will do a very good job as a "CLP" agent.

The smell of Ballistol will drive your out of your gun room.
To me, it smells like licorice blended with Slovakian men's cologne.

Ballistol odor will permanently impregnate rubber grips.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

One man's stink is another man's aroma. Ballistol smells like Mother's Love & Spending Money with a hint of...Bikini Beach Babe. And if you don't like the smell of Hoppes #9, well, uh...you,...you are just wrong, that's what you are, just plain wrong!. Now go sniff again & reconsider your total wrongness!

 

[Striker Fired]

I like it,I use it to lube the press ram,a few drops on some of the moving parts in the guns(I grease the slides),It works good for softening leather ,Basicaly a decent all around lubrication product that can be used for general cleaning(same as Breakfree) and many other things around the house/garage/cabin.

Brownells sells it in aresol and liquid 16oz can(cheaper than Breakfree)

Not a pleasant smell but some people like the smell of Hoppes also.

 

[Jim Watson]

Ballistol was an early (1905) German effort at a CLP.
It is emulsifiable in water and makes a good "moose milk" for cleaning up after corrosive primers or black powder.
It is a decent lubricant and rust preventive.
I use it only on my BPCRs, I put up with the smell there but not otherwise.

They used to make the most amazing advertising claims for it, not only as a CLP but it was also said to have medicinal properties. Old Shooter's Bibles cataloged Stoegerol which was described in much the same terms, I wonder if it was a copy or just relabeled Ballistol.

 

[doubleh]

Ballistol STINKS to high heaven. I have a can sitting on a shelf in the shop. I opened it, tried to use it, gave up and put the lid back on. I don't care if it's the greatest cleaner and lube ever dreamed up by man. I'm not going to put up with that smell.

 

[Route666]

I don't know about the stink, it's very much like aniseed, I'm not a fan, but it could be a chemical smell instead. I got onto it because of Hickok45 and have used it for a couple of years, I like it! It is good for steel, wood, leather, rubber, my hands, etc. I never have problems with the smell remaining, once the gun is cleaned and oiled, it has a faint smell, if you stick you nose near it, that's been my experience anyway. The only hangup I have is when I use a fair splodge of it, the smell can get overpowering, like the ammonia in sweets but not as bad, and a nicer smell.

EDIT: Oh yeh, and I think in the Hickok45 video the two types he had were an aerosol and a can of liquid, same thing, different delivery system. There is only the one type that I know of.

Oh and I love the fact that it doesn't FEEL oily, it doesn't hang around on your hands, you can rub them dry with a cloth. It also cleans off the gun easily when you clean it. I (and others) have also noticed that it seems to "gel" if it sits on the cool steel of your gun, so it won't run off as easily as it looks it will. As soon as you move it or warm it, the gel goes back to oil instantly.

For me Ballistol is one of those things that seems too good to be true, with all the properties it has and what it can be used for. For the most part, it just is that good.

 

[Red Cent]

Very popular with SASS shooters. If you have a strong air compressor, you can pop the grips, use short stiff brush for the top strap, recoil shield and front of cylinder. I let them soak for a few minutes. Then I use a pressure spray head with the tube immersed in hot water. Blow dry and your done. Been doing it for years.

 

[bigdogpete]

I have used it for several years on my firearms, including cleaning my muzzleloaders. The smell is not that bad, at least to me.

If you email ballistol, they will tell you if anyone in your area sells it. Leather stores will carry it. It is used to soften and preserve leather among many other uses.

bigdog

 

[fishblade2]

so is this cleaner best for general cleaning, harsh cleaning, or muzzleloader cleaning?

 

[J2FLAN]

YES
It is a very good CLP. Go to the BALLISTOL web site for info, their claims are many, the ones I tryed were true. For extra heavy cleaning something like KROIL might work better.

 

[Route666]

I'd say it is a good general CLP, it won't do much if anything to lead or copper, and does pretty much the same as anything else as far as carbon. Plus non-toxic. Plus doesn't smell that bad (I don't mind it). PLUS it can be used on many other things. Search YouTube and you will find old ads (late 80s or early 90s) for Ballistol being used for everything (mainly around the house).

 

[fishblade2]

so route666 what would you say is a great CLP cleaner that would get rid of leading and copper buildup? And also I know this question is a complete different topic but just briefly can you explain what can give you leading or copper in your barrel? I know that with my 500 smith and wesson I have lead bullets from mag tec that I know will leave lead deposits but do all bullets leave leading? And mostly what leaves copper deposits in the gun barrel? Thanks for the help with my lack of knowledge..

 

[Route666]

Well there are electrolysis methods of getting lead and copper out, obviously they have their potential hazard to health and the bore. Sweets with its high ammonia content certainly gets copper out, but is quite nasty to your health and can be to your bore if you leave it too long or don't clean it out. Mercury gets lead out effectively, but well, it's Mercury... You can get lead out with acid, but that ends up making a water soluble lead compound which makes it pretty easy to seep into your skin. Pretty much from my experience anything that will get copper or lead out chemically is going to be pretty toxic, or produce toxic by-products. It is more toxic for the lead than copper though, in my opinion, and luckily there are physical ways to remove lead, Lewis lead remover, bronze brushes, bronze brushes with copper wool wrapped around it. (That last one works best for me).

Jacketed bullets leave the copper. They seem to leave much less material than lead though, lead gets lumpy, copper seems like plating, from what I've seen, haven't shot heaps of copper though, so it might get bad.

Lead projectiles need to be approximately 0.002" bigger than your bore and be not TOO soft, but also not too hard. The hardness depends on how much pressure you are putting behind it, hotter magnum loads can deform harder lead to fill your bore and allow them to move faster without leaving as much lead. I have a 9mm that leads pretty bad as the bore is .357 and I can only get .357 hard-cast lead. My 686 357 Mag however leaves absolutely no lead with the same projectiles. Smaller bore, and the rounded rifling helps the hard-casts deform to fit better, and it is smoother.

 

[fishblade2]

so neither ballistol, breakfree CLP, or Hoppes Number 9 will get rid of copper and lead desposits?