ballistol warning

H

hornhead

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i don't know how many out there jumped on the ballistol bandwagon, but i did.

on another web site they have stated Ballistol does not recommend long term storage with their product as there is an alkali in it .. or something. it "may" corrode barrels.

quick like a bunny i went and checked , and sure enuff ... a grey "rust".

recommended solution is running a swab of rubbing alcohol, then gun oil.
 
not sure if that's a question or a statement. don't really care.

i found this information on "muzzleloading forum". which is why i posted it in the black powder section.
cheers
 
A "grey" stain on swabs may or may not be a corrosion issue. It may well have just been powder stains that didn't come away in the last cleaning but softened due to longer term exposure to the Ballistol.

Still, it's an interesting find both on the muzzleloading forum front as well as your own personal findings. I'm just not sure what to make of it at this point. Seems like lots of folks rely on Ballistol for medium term use between shooting sessions. I guess it would depend on what you and they consider longer term durations. Just how long had it been since you put this gun away with Ballistol in it?
 
stored for a couple of weeks.
i'll still use it for black powder. i just won't leave it in the bore. just clean with ballistol then do the rubbing alchohol and then use a regular gun oil.
i never had a problem using rem oil or browning oils.
ballistol's supposed to be great for a patch lube, so i'll try it there. on the other thread they were actually talking rust. i didn't run into any of that.
it's great on the wood too.

apparently it is slightly alkaline to attack the black powder residue. (check the ballistol website) alkaline is as bad as acid over a long haul.

like you said it could have been a bad cleaning job that they blamed ballistol for. could have been my problem too.
i think the fellas like it cuz they don't have to clean the barrels after putting petroleum based oil in the barrel.
i'll continue using ballistol, but not in the bores.
btw one of my guns was a centre fire.
just something to watch for i guess.
 
The only oil I use is breakfree/clp Ive never had a problem, all my arms are clean as a whistle.

If Im going to be storing for extended periods, Ill use a dollap of high pressure grease and give the bore a swab with my bore mop.

I give all my arms a going over every month or so, even if they are unused.
 
I have been using Balistol for the past 3 years and love it. My wifes muzzleloader sits from one deer season to the next and I have never seen any problems at all. I do check from time to time though. Since I have started using it, my muzzleloaders clean up faster than ever before.
 
If you lube the barrel with anything, it will come out slightly dirty if you leave it for awhile. Theoils will pull stuff out of the pores of the metal over time. Not to mention particles in the air.
 
" What ever happened to hot water with dish detergent? " ... still my fav for a removable locked barrel . but most of mine are pinned and i get concerned about water under the barrel. (i also find windshield washer works good.)

but i don't want to swing this thread toward cleaning compounds.

one of the fellows talking about it had used ballistol on his son's air rifle.

but the thread was in no way empiracal evidence. just if you are using ballistol, keep your eyes on it. 95% of the time you will have no problem.
 
Ballistol is a product that most firearms users with a European or German background are familiar with. I've been using Ballistol since the seventies - storing firearms for years at a time. (This at a coast where a unprotected bicycle chain would rust in a weekend.) No corrosion. No residue. Spotless barrels.
Bottom line - clean the weapon properly, then apply Ballistol. For hunting rifles I've never used anything but Ballistol - although severe lead fouling and powder weapons requires a modified approach.

Hornhead - good, at least you checked the validity of the forum posting. The net tends to lends credibility - if it was posted on a forum, it must be true...
 
I buy it by the case. I don't shoot BP, but Ballistiol is the best case size lube I've ever used and it leaves no residue. I love the stuff.
 
seems to work fine with my firearms, muzzleloader or not. i dont get out to shoot that often and none get rust on them with ballistol unless i miss a spot oiling.
 
Colin said:
If you lube the barrel with anything, it will come out slightly dirty if you leave it for awhile. Theoils will pull stuff out of the pores of the metal over time. Not to mention particles in the air.
Click to expand...

This rings true to me. I've had clean patches after cleaning, oiled, and stored. A month later an oily patch run through will come out with grey or some black.
 
On more than one black powder page I've seen where folks suggest Ballistol or animal or vegtable based lubes just because the resulting powder fouling is far easier to clean than if a petroleum based oil is used. There's many reports I read that mention black powder and petroleum oils form a tar like goop that is much harder to clean with the typical hot or hot and soapy water wash.
 
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