Ballistol??

[Guest steve24]

Is there anywhere in middle Tennessee that sells Ballistol? I've been wanting to try it after all the positive feedback that I've seen but I just can't find it anywhere.

I've looked in every place that I've been lately: Dick's, Academy, Bass Pro and Gander Mountain without any luck. I have found it online, but when you add shipping, it nearly doubles the price. Any ideas?

[DWARREN123]

I buy mine from MidSouth Shooters Supply. I am lucky in that I live a few miles from them and can call in a order for me to pick-up.

[gregintenn]

The Reolader's Bench in Mt. Juliet has it. It smells pretty good, but I don't see that it's any better than anything else.

[leroy]

Steve:_____________

Some things ya might want to think about with Balistol. We use Balistol on our percussion revolvers and other pieces (...revolvers and hammer shotguns...) that we shoot black powder thru. Balistol "appears to be" (...i dont know for sure...) some sort of water based or "water loving" vegetable type oil. It has no petroleum component, and that's why the blackpowder guys like it. We always cleaned our blackpowder shooters with an equal mix of water, methyl alcohol, windex (...without ammonia...) and some folks add drugstore hydrogen peroxide. This mix simply melts the fouling away IF (...and only IF...) no petroleum type cleaners are present in the barrel or cylinder of the blackpowder piece. For this application, we always used Balistol to oil the barrel and cylinder down after we cleaned and dried it down very well. We always wiped the outside of the piece down with some sort of synthetic water displacing lube ---like CLP --(...all with good results...).

After doing this for a while, i noticed that from time to time we would get flash rust in areas where we didnt take real care to wipe down; a good example is the muzzle crown of the percussion pistols. Flash rust would form which i think is due to the apparent fact that Balistol will stay EXACTLY where ya put it. It doesnt tend to creep and it is not moisture displacing. Having said all this, Balistol works great in blackpowder barrels and cylinders; i aint so sure it's a good idea for anything else. Most modern synthetic oils are "moisture displacing" which is a very desirable trait for a gun lubricant and preservative.

The bottom line of this rambling little epistle. Watch out how you apply Balistol and watch it closely for moisture and signs of flash rust.

Hope this helps.

Leroy

[Guest steve24]

Thanks for the information on Ballistol Leroy. Maybe I should just stick with the CLP...

[leroy]

Glad to pass the info along Steve. Mabee some other members will chime in on their experience. I wish you wuz closer and i could give ya some.

The stuff reminds me of a very mild smelling neatsfoot oil (...if that makes sense..); about the same consistency. It works good on the wood grips and stocks too.

Regards,

Leroy

[East_TN_Patriot]

I used Ballistol once and wasn't tremendously impressed with it, but it wasn't bad stuff either. Another alternative to CLP is Eezox. I have used it several times and like it a lot. The LW Seecamp folks use it exclusively. It's great for carry guns because the carrier dries and it leaves some sort of slick film that doesn't stay oily like other lubes. I also found some stuff called Strike-Hold and the stuff is fantastic. It's a CLP type lubricant, but it also dries to the touch. You can use it on electrical components as well (I first saw the stuff at the Shot Show and he sprayed an electric drill motor and ran it underwater). I use it on my knife blades and it keeps them from rusting. Really cool stuff if you want something more hi-tech than the good old Break Free.

[DMark]

I use Ballistol on old dried out leather. It seems to put the "life" back into it without the wet dish-rag feel that some products do.

I don't use it to clean my weapons, I'm a #9 with Kroil to clean, CLP to protect type of guy. However, several of the C&R forums recommend it for cleaning after using corrosive ammo for many of the same reasons that leroy mentions in his post.

BUT - - - The Smell.

The Delightful & Wonderful Mrs Kari (She Who Must Be Obeyed) has ruled that Ballistol is for garage use only.