Ballistol

[Johnnu2]

I've been using Ballistol for many years; it always seemed "good to me".. then I read the article by Terry Wieland in the May (this year) issue of Shooting Times. His review of a product that is 120 years old is surprising to say the least. Terry states that it was developed in 1904 by the Germans as a rust preventative, lubricant, preservative and has some solvent properties (and can be used on wood, metal, leather etc etc). He says it's non-carcinogenic and completely/naturally biodegradable. Further, 'it lasts virtually forever; containers that were 100 years old were tested and found not to have deteriorated in any way". He also said that his review was of the original Ballistol and not 'the spin-off company marketing Neo-Ballistol which is a slightly different formulations intended purely for medical use...".
I thought the article was so interesting that I had to pass it on and see if anyone else is familiar with Ballistol...(?)

J.

 

[dobegrant.45]

Have used it for 30 to 40 years, really good stuff, use it a lot with black powder guns

 

[contender]

Every gun bench should have a can of Ballistol.

 

[Kevin]

Is it the same can that you can use on leather, wood and metal? I’ve never bought any

 

[daveag.]

I’ve used Ballistol for years. Mix a little with water and clean my 77/50’s and Old Armies.

 

[Dave P.]

https://www.ballistol.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/MSDS_TECH_BIO.pdf
Here's the material data safety sheet on it, pretty basic stuff. Some alcohol, refined mineral oil ( paraffins ) and some
soap.

 

[dannyd]

If your new to Ballistol; you may have to overcome the smell, so use it outside or in the garage the first time.

 

[turd]

Been using it for a while now, seems to work quite well.

 

[arfmel]

If your new to Ballistol; you may have to overcome the smell, so use it outside or in the garage the first time.

Yeah, smells a little like a wet dog eating licorice.

 

[Taterman]

Yeah, smells a little like a wet dog eating licorice.

I actually like the smell of it. Maybe because it reminds me of fun times shooting.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

I usually squirt a bit on a gun before I wrap and package it for shipment.

Years ago, I was at my old dealer's shop and he said to "hand me that SLA spray".

I asked him to clarify - what is SLA?

He said, "Smells Like Ass".

 

[drice847]

I always thought the stuff smelled like a pair of dirty socks, but I still use it.

 

[WAYNO]

I've known of it for years, but I've never tried it. There's been a renewed discussion on it recently, so since the old standard gun oils are often in short supply in any store, I bought some a couple weeks ago... for the first time ever. We'll see.






.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I’ve used Ballistol for years. Mix a little with water and clean my 77/50’s and Old Armies.

Yep same here. Works great on everything. I don't even notice the smell.

 

[Tensaw]

Yes, I have used it, good stuff. But wish it didn't have a smell.

 

[RoundinCircles]

Ballistol has been my go-to for years. I actually like the smell.

 

[WAYNO]

I am sensitive to many smells, but ironically, Ballistol is not offensive to me.

 

[NH Rugerman]

Ballistol is a great product, i use it to clean but not for powder fouling…Hoppe’s is my cologne of choice

 

[blume357]

Well, when ever I go to the East Coast Ruger Forum gathering.... I always wondered about these old smelly guys and now I know.....
I guess I need to get some and join in....

 

[The Blackhawk Kid]

I have used Ballistol for 40 years.....it removes leading in old shotguns
as well as black powder firearms. It has helped many "mistreated" .22 rifles!
Good Stuff....!

 

[Johnnu2]

Is it the same can that you can use on leather, wood and metal? I’ve never bought any

Yes, Kevin, according to Terry Wieland's article it can be used on leather, wood, metal and a host of other things that one would not use a typical oil on. I've never tried it on anything but metal. I made a digital copy of the article, but don't know if allowed to post it on our forum (or anywhere else for that matter). According to his article, it was used for wound treatment by soldiers back in the day and does have healing and disinfectant properties.
Glad to hear that others have used it satisfactorily...

J.

 

[krw]

There is way too many gun lubricants, rust preventative’s for me to smell Balistol. It STINKS!!

 

[contender]

Having been around all kinds of smells,, and such,, I have not found Ballistol to be offensive. If I want perfume,, I'll smile when Miss Penny walks into the room. If I want a product that's proven to work, has a wide variety of uses, and isn't expensive,, I'll just keep using Ballistol, Hoppe's #9, Ezzox, & RIG.
Those 4 products do much of my work.
However,, I have been the recipient of several different brands of gun cleaning products via several sources. I've used those as well, but they were free, so hey,, I use them. But the 4 I listed,, I pay for.
Smells?
No bother here.

 

[HW11]

I like it but it does have a strange smell. Dirty feet in wet socks maybe???

 

[Cal30 1906]

For whatever reason possibly because of post covid it smells like black licorice to me and I find it pleasant possibly not as pleasant as Hoppes #9 but definitely not offensive

 

[ole442]

I started using Ballistol when I started watching Hickok45 videos years ago! He uses it and that’s good enough for me! I’ve had no issues with it and hardly notice the smell of it! Prior to this I used Hoppes and CLP! No problems with those either!

 

[vito]

I wonder how different it is from CLP and similar products on the market. Like Ole442, I started using Ballistol after hearing Hickock45 talk about always using it. And like others, the only negative for me is the unpleasant smell. Even though I rarely fire enough rounds to need a real scrubbing, I often use Hoppes#9 in the barrel, then spray the rest of the gun with Ballistol. I really like the smell of Hoppes#9, in part because it brings back memories (every time!) of sitting with my Dad as he cleaned his guns almost 70 years ago. But back to Ballistol. Sometimes I use Break Free instead.

 

[peachhead]

I still use Hoppes but I go through plenty of Ballistol as well. It's like Frank's, I use that s*** on everything.

 

[nodakmex]

Yes it has many uses bought a old 1945 1911 holster that looked like it had been left outside for a few years and cleaned up great. Hickock 45 turned me on to it many years ago of course it works great on my Rugers.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I use it and find the smell odd but not offensive.