Ballistol "Clean and Preserve"

[Nicyale]

http://www.shootingwire.com/
2 May 2016

Clean and Preserve
Some years back, I received samples of a gun cleaning/lubricating/protectant – something that's not a rare event. It was something called Ballistol. Unlike many of the companies that send such samples along, Ballistol sent along the complete MSDS – the Material Safety Data Sheet that I became familiar with as a result of Response to Hazardous Materials Incidents training we got every year on the job.

Reading from the document, they say that "Ballistol contains medicinal grade mineral oil (unchlorinated), alkaline salts of oleic acid, several alcohols, Benzyl Acetate and an oil from vegetal seeds." (Parenthetical information added).


Photo by Ballistol.
I didn't know what any of that meant, so I went on a search. According to one source, Oleic acid is a "fatty acid that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is an odorless, colorless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish." Benzyl acetate is found naturally in many flowers, according to the MSDS and the internet. It is the a component of the essential oils from some flowers and is used in some perfumes.

According to the company, Ballistol isn't harmful to metals – it dissolves traces of copper, zinc, lead but can be used to clean brass, bronze and silver. They say that Ballistol's alkalinity protects against corrosion --galvanic, acidic and salt water corrosion. It doesn't harden over time.

They say the stuff is good on black powder guns, modern guns and guns that have fired corrosive ammo. According to the Ballistol web site, it's Larry Vickers' choice for guns that have fired corrosive ammo. YouTube personality Hickok45 started using it for his black powder guns used in cowboy action shooting. It's since become a staple of his channel and is used on his guns and the samples that arrive for examination.

It's been around since the early 20th Century, courtesy of a German army mandate to find a cleaner, oil and preservative for guns, wood and leather gear.

Since I received those samples in 2013, I have used the material on various firearms, including those with wood stocks. Some has gotten on leather goods, but I keep it away from suede as it'll harden the suede surface. The stuff is smelly – not in a Hoppe's (original) No. 9 sense, which is aromatic for the old folks – but a kind of sweet smell. The good news is that the scent dies quickly and doesn't cause non-gun types to flee from it.

The downside for me is that all of the samples I received are in aerosol containers – except for the very handy individually wrapped Ballistol wipes. I always preferred the use of needle oilers to keep the material on the small areas that needed it.

It's a mindset issue: Ballistol is an all-around material. If you're working on a wood bench and you spray a pistol barrel liberally with Ballistol, it doesn't hurt that the Ballistol gets on the table. It's good for the wood too. It's the kind of stuff you can use a lot of without worry. Likewise, it dries to a slick feeling film on metal surfaces.

It doesn't gum up the works – if you ever bought a used gun that the previous owner had trouble with, took it apart and found a gummed up mess, they didn't use Ballistol.

It's not a water displacement material – like WD40 which does dry to a varnish like consistency. It will allow water to evaporate from the surface to which you apply it and you can mix it with water for certain applications.

We have all sorts of new wonder cleaners and lubes these days – some of which are quite good. A lot of them are marketed on the premise that they're not dangerous to handle or to get on your skin. While it's smart to clean up after maintaining firearms – there's stuff left behind on the gun that is hazardous, the new wonder stuff doesn't make it worse. Well, Ballistol could make that claim all the way back to the early 20th Century.

It's an all-around gun cleaning material that's good for other uses as well. If you're interested, take a look at their web site.

It's been three years and I'm still using it.

-- Rich Grassi

[Paul]

Back when I was a gunshop brat in the 70's we used to sell the Ballistol capsules to the local old age home in Boksburg. The fogies swore by it for rheumatism.

[Skaaphaas]

I'm applying Ballistol to my surgery scars twice a day. To prevent infection and aid in skin recovery, and lessen scarring.

I really, really trust and believe in this stuff.

The individual capsules are still available. I prefer them and the aerosols as it remains sterile, unlike the bottles that can be polluted.

As gun cleaning agent, I've always been amazed at how I get a white patch after cleaning with other solvents, and when I put Ballistol in as preservative layer and wipe out the excess, it comes out with more carbon on it.

After all these years, it's still a product that's not to be scoffed at.

[MrK]

Rumour has it that it was used as a cure by the German army for the stomach ailments that invariably seem to spring up in all armys. I would hesitate to drink the stuff, but I have the cure rumour repeated many times.

[DirkB]

My mother fell a while back and had some nasty blemishes on her arms after the wounds healed. She used a prescribed ointment to get rid of the blemishes but it didn't work. I was visiting her one vacation and she told me that someone on RSG mentioned a gun oil that can be used on the skins that helps get rid of blemishes and stomach pain but she couldn't remember the name. I immediately put one and one together and knew that it was Ballistol. I have her some and she rubbed it on her skin and after about a month the blemishes were gone!

[Antlion]

I always read about Ballistol, I think its time I try it.

[Skaaphaas]

Rumour has it that it was used as a cure by the German army for the stomach ailments that invariably seem to spring up in all armys. I would hesitate to drink the stuff, but I have the cure rumour repeated many times.

You can drink the capsules. I've had a teaspoonful from the bottle. The taste is rather...bad. To put it mildly.

[Nicyale]

You can drink the capsules. I've had a teaspoonful from the bottle. The taste is rather...bad. To put it mildly.

You shouldn't drink normal Ballistol as it has some solvent in it. The one to drink from the bottle is the Hausmittel and the packaging is red. It's the same formula as the capsules.
But who knows, maybe it's the solvent in normal Ballistol that helps so many people with digestive problems? I don't advise it though.

[Skaaphaas]

I was little at the time, I'm sure it was the correct one. Glass bottle with a small screw cap, not the normal plastic bottle with the large snap cap.

[carlp]

So it seems ballistol will replace my Hoppes and my Zambuk ointment

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