Ballistol

[CajunNative]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I'm not a big believer in an all in one CLP. None of us particularly need to worry about living autonomously in the field for days/weeks/months, with limited amounts of stuffed can carry.

Ballistol is relatively good because it does clean, it does protect against corrosion, and it does lubricate. It's also relatively safe on wood, and non toxic for parts to be readily handled.

There are relatively better oils and greases for high friction/high wear points. Other than a few odd spots, ballistol has worked fine for corrosion protection. It also works well enough as an interim cleaner, as I'm not keen on running brushes too often, or strong solvents. A few patches with ballistol (sometimes following a first patch with hopped elite or butch's bore solvent) works great and leaves behind a protective film.

I like ballistol for what it is. I also use it to coat hand tools that are prone to surface rust. Works great there too, and zero concerns regarding subsequent skin contact.

These are MUCH BETTER products out there that work as good or better.

 

[Astro14]

I use it to wipe down my axes...won't hurt the wood....

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: CajunNative
These are MUCH BETTER products out there that work as good or better.


Looks like the OP no longer shows up in the User List. Is that you under a new username? Even the location is the same. The OP's location was Cajun country, LA. Plus all your six posts sound like his. Hmmmm.

 

[brianm_14]

MSDSs are often mis-used. Some people act as if an ZmSDS is a cheap way around paying for a proper, detailed chemical analysis. It is not. I know, because I have supplied the information for several MSDS sheets for commercial products used in industry and labs.

While an MSDS can be revealing, quite a bit can be hidden if the component material is not hazardous. Ballistol is NOT merely mineral oil; mineral oil is the base and carrier oil. The very behavior of the product points to this, the emulsion it forms with oil which makes it a useful cleaner with corrosive primers or BP guns. Will that sort of emulsion form so readily with ordinary medical gade mineral oil. No.

Am I a fan of Ballistol? Yes, when I might get some of the cleaner on wood, especially old wood. It is also nice to use if a firearm has been fired just a few times. Or if I need to remove light carbon-based fouling. As indicated above, it figures when I need to clean a BP firearm for the phase in which I use hot water. It is neither better -nor worse-than quite a number of products out there. I just need to use a bit more elbow grease with it, or let it sit on the fouling for an hour or two.

Like another poster, I actually find more use for it on tools where I am concerned about skin contact.

 

[ChrisD46]

Ballistol not good for long term storage as it will become gummy if you use too much ... Weapon Shield , SLIP 2000, M-Pro 7 , FP-10 Elite , Break Free CLP , etc. are examples of more modern formulations .

 

[Kamele0N]

Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
Ballistol not good for long term storage as it will become gummy if you use too much ...


It transfers itself into vaseline alike substance.....and that is good enough for storage

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: Kamele0N
Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
Ballistol not good for long term storage as it will become gummy if you use too much ...


It transfers itself into vaseline alike substance.....and that is good enough for storage


Although they claim it doesn't "gum up". It does. For me it reminded me of a varnish like coating after two years.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Although they claim it doesn't "gum up". It does.


Frog Lube makes the same claim. And when people who use it find out the hard way that it does, they right away default to.... "You put too much on". Which of course is nonsense. What does the amount you use have to do with it gumming up? It doesn't. The stuff will either gum up or it won't. All of these bio degradable firearm lubrication products will spoil. Which is what "degradable" means. When they do they gum up. It is part of the decomposition process. It doesn't matter how much of it you use. Because whatever amount it happens to be, it will go bad. More of it just exacerbates the problem. But it isn't the cause of it.

 

[spasm3]

So what lube are most of you using on your AR rifles?

 

[billt460]

For oil I use mostly Weapon Shield Oil, or Mobil 1 20W-50. For grease I use Weapon Shield Lithium Grease, or Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease. I also have quite a bit of Slip 2000 EWL I need to use up. It all serves the purpose well. I stay away from anything made from plant esters or extracts.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Although they claim it doesn't "gum up". It does.


Frog Lube makes the same claim. And when people who use it find out the hard way that it does, they right away default to.... "You put too much on". Which of course is nonsense. What does the amount you use have to do with it gumming up? It doesn't. The stuff will either gum up or it won't. All of these bio degradable firearm lubrication products will spoil. Which is what "degradable" means. When they do they gum up. It is part of the decomposition process. It doesn't matter how much of it you use. Because whatever amount it happens to be, it will go bad. More of it just exacerbates the problem. But it isn't the cause of it.


So what product exactly in ballistol guns up and what chemical basis causes it?

Ive seen the solvents dry up and the product turn to a readily removed film, but that's a far different situation from gumming up due to degradation, rancidity, or polymerization.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
So what product exactly in ballistol guns up and what chemical basis causes it? Ive seen the solvents dry up and the product turn to a readily removed film, but that's a far different situation from gumming up due to degradation, rancidity, or polymerization.


Mostly it's the mineral oil. While mineral oil is not plant based, and is in fact a petroleum by product that comes from formulating gasoline, it can and does gum up far more than standard motor oils do. There are other ingredients, extracts, and scents added to it as well. Petro based motor oils, (both dino and synthetic), have a much longer shelf life than mineral oil does. In some ways it acts like Castor Oil in that regard. But not nearly as bad.

I remember when I was a kid and fooled around with "gas powered" model airplanes, the engines ran on a Nitro / Alcohol based fuel that contained Castor Oil in it as a lubricant. After the engine was run, if you didn't wash it down good with alcohol, it would turn into a gooey, gummed up mess in a couple of days. Mineral oil acts the same way. It just takes longer. If you're someone who shoots and cleans their guns on a regular basis, you most likely won't have an issue with it. But for any type of long term storage on weapons, it's asking for trouble.

The only thing I can add, is my wife read in a cookbook it was good to wipe down wood salad bowls and cutting boards with pure Mineral Oil. She did so, and about 6 months later when she took them out of the cabinet, they were all sticky and tacky.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
So what lube are most of you using on your AR rifles?


Pick one below. Ive tested almost every product on the market and have found any of these below to be above average (good lubes) for the AR platform rifle.

Breakfree LP (not CLP)
Weaponshield
Slip 2000 EWL
Slip 2000 EWL 30
G96 synthetic gun oil CLP
FP10
ALG 0000 Very Thin Grease
Hoppe's Elite Gun Oil
M-Pro7 Gun Oil LPX

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I agree Bubba! There's a few more, like Lucas, Bore Tech, Shooters Choice and Montana Extreme for instance. But your list is comprised of the most popular.

 

[ChrisD46]

For "sleeper" lubes The Super Lube grease and synthetic oils are a good value , clean , and work well ...

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
For "sleeper" lubes The Super Lube grease and synthetic oils are a good value , clean , and work well ...


Super Lube products and greases are very good for firearms. Especially at protection from water. I use it on my pool O-Rings, and it helps seal better than any other "O-Ring Lube" I've tried. And I've tried them all. What really sold me on the stuff, is when I had my boat back when we lived in Lake Havasu City, I would use it on the splines and threads of the prop shaft. After getting home after running at high speed all day the stuff was still there. Even the heaviest wheel bearing greases wouldn't hold up to that type of treatment. The Super Lube did.

Another good thing about them is they are clear in color. Much like Vaseline. They won't stain the inside of a gun case, or your clothes if you should get any on either. I've gotten it on my hands, and had water beading up and running off my skin after washing them several times with soap and hot water.

 

[BigdaddyG]

Balistol is also water based and can be used to clean a gun after shooting corrosive ammo or black powder. This is mostly what I use it for as I have quite a bit of Russian and Chinese corrosive ammo as well as some others.

 

[AMC]

Originally Posted By: BigdaddyG
Balistol is also water based and can be used to clean a gun after shooting corrosive ammo or black powder. This is mostly what I use it for as I have quite a bit of Russian and Chinese corrosive ammo as well as some others.


Ballistol is not water based. It is mineral oil (think Johnson's baby oil) based and must be mixed with water in order to clean corrosive and black powder. Mineral oil is one of the only oils that actually mixes with water.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: AMC
Ballistol is not water based. It is mineral oil (think Johnson's baby oil) based and must be mixed with water in order to clean corrosive and black powder. Mineral oil is one of the only oils that actually mixes with water.


This is correct. And is why Ballistol is NOT a good firearms protectant. The last thing you want on a gun, is an oil that will actually blend, mix, or emulsify with water. You want a product that will repel or displace water in order to keep it away from the surface of the metal where it can and will cause rust.

"Please note that Ballistol does not contain any water, so therefore a pH cannot be established until emulsified with water."

https://ballistol.com/faqs/

 

[AMC]

Originally Posted By: billt460
The last thing you want on a gun, is an oil that will actually blend, mix, or emulsify with water. You want a product that will repel or displace water in order to keep it away from the surface of the metal where it can and will cause rust.


That aspect of Ballistol can be good or bad. Ballistol is not great for long term storage of firearms if there is high humidity or moisture in the air. Ballistol does make a great emergency protectant if your gun is already soaking wet. You can liberally spray down your soaking wet gun with Ballistol before it dries. The Ballistol will penetrate into all the cracks and crevices and then completely mix with the water. Once that happens, the water will evaporate out, leaving behind a nice coating of Ballistol, stopping rust from ever occurring. I did this treatment to a friend's shotgun that he dropped into a salt water river while duck hunting. No rust ever showed up and the Ballistol that was left behind cleaned the gun very well as it was wiped away afterwards. The wood, rubber and plastic parts were all nicely cleaned and conditioned after the wipe down as well. If Ballistol is anything, it is versatile.