First time using ballistol......

[armsbearer]

I love the smell of Ballistol in the morning.

[gogohopper]

It's called Ball-istol fellas, what'd you expect it to smell like.

[AregularGuy]

Ballistol smells like fermented multiple days used gym shorts + a hint of anis. Bought a pour can and dropped out 5 drops at most just to see what it was. Stinks horribly and permiates through out the room. The odore is so foul I could not believe some one made a product like this for anything other than the hardware used in or around a barn.

Is that supposed to be Anise (black licorice scented flavored spice) or Anus (the part that poop comes out of)? It matters.

[heidad01]

It is the spice. cell phone auto correct/insert.

[bug_eyedmonster]

do you guys use this stuff as a CLP or just a lube? I bought a bottle of it to try out, it came shipped in a bag, after reading this thread, now i know why. hahaha


Jerry

[BigPimping]

If you have Ballistol and cant seem to quit using it, smear some on an old tee shirt you have and wash it with the wife's underwear. That is all you need to quit using it!

Wow........

[SamsDX]

I have a whole bunch of different CLPs, lubes, cleaners, etc. For some odd reason, certain cleaners or lubes have gravitated toward certain guns, for no good reason other than I bought the bottle of the stuff around the same time I got the gun, and I wanted to try something new. Break Free CLP goes on my ARs, M-Pro gets used on my plastic fantastics, Hoppes gets used on my 1911s and shotguns, and Ballistol gets used with AKs that shoot corrosive ammo.

Out of all of these pairings, Ballistol is probably the one that makes the most sense because of its supposed abilities to flush away the corrosive salts used in com-bloc surplus ammo. I don't know this for a fact, however, and I'm more or less going off of the recommendations of a knowledgeable AK guy.


The smell of Ballistol doesn't bother me at all, and in fact, I find it the most pleasant of them all. Frankly, Froglube is the worst smelling of them all - there's some kind of strange funk. I don't use it for that reason, and because I'm somewhat apprehensive of needing to clean out all traces of conventional oil first and lubricate exclusively with it. (

[Wrangler John]

All one needs to do is read the MSDS of any product to understand what it is and what it contains. Ballistol is claimed to be non-toxic and contains the following ingredients:

"Ballistol contains medicinal grade mineral oil, alkaline salts of oleic acid, several alcohols, Benzyl Acetate and an oil from vegetal seeds. The mineral oil is unchlorinated and conforms to the specifications of US Pharmacopeia XX"

Just read the entire MSDS here: http://www.baileysonline.com/msds_sh.../ballistol.PDF

The manufacturer claims that they filled the stomachs of rats and rabbits with no long term negative health effects. It is a highly alkaline solvent as noted in the MSDS:

"Ballistol has a pH of between 8.5 and 9.5. This variance occurs, because the pH of Ballistol can only be measured, when Ballistol is emulsified with water and because the concentration of Hydronium ions varies with the concentration of Ballistol in the emulsion. With an emulsion of 50 gr. of Ballistol in 1000 gr. of water a pH of 9 should normally result."

If it stinks, don't use it, there are plenty of other products that clean and protect, from synthetic motor oil to auto wax, that don't stink. At one time 3 -in-1 oil was it, just a mineral oil with a little citronella for that special bug repellent scent. I have my grandfather's Pflueger Rocket fishing reel last used before 1955 for surf casting, it was maintained with 3-in-1 Oil and resides in its box as pristine as the day it was purchased. Suggesting that it may not be the oil, cleaner or preservative, as much as the care lavished in cleaning and applying the product. The reel is loaded with a braided line that must have been soaked in clean tap water to remove the salt residue and dried before packing away, otherwise it would have caused corrosion.

I do not recommend Eezox however because of the stink. Never ever use it inside the home. Use chemical resistant gloves when applying it and avoid breathing the stuff because it can be toxic. MSDS here; http://www.eezox.info/msds.pdf It contains Trichloroethylene CAS NO: 79-016, something to be avoided. Read the MSDS before slathering these chemical concoctions all over your guns, and breathing the aerosols.

My ideal CLP product would have either the aroma of fried chicken or bubble gum, or maybe a hint of a good peaty Scotch.

[freethemouse]

I bought a big bottle and used it once to clean my guns. I never used it again because of the pungent aroma. It's just too much, especially when used indoors. It seemed to work fine as cleaner and lubricant though. Been using bf clp. I'll try some other clps as long as they don't cost an arm and a leg.

[SVT-40]

Can I ask why mix it with the water?

When using Ballistol to flush corrosive salts the water helps flush the salts away...

I mix about 1 part Ballistol to about 3 or 4 parts water...I put it in a spray bottle and flush everything before cleaning..

When cleaning a barrel I spray the Ballistol mixture down the bore, and scrub with a bore brush.. and push a patch down the barrel.. I re-flush with the Ballistol and water mix, and again scrub with a brush (clean brush between uses)

Then clean as usual..

Never had any rusting issues...