Ballistol be damned!

[PJ Hardtack]

Bought some aerosol Ballistol at a match and cleaned my BP guns with it before coming home.

Checked them a day later and all seemed well. The next day, I could see corrosion happening in my pistol barrels and shotgun tubes.

It may well work emulsified in water, but my experience relegates it to rust prevention after cleaning with what works - hot, soapy water on the cylinders and nipples and my BPCR windshield washer fluid/Windex bore cleaner.

[Pettifogger]

Ballistol out of the can isn't a cleaner.  Good old water followed by Ballistol works well.  When it's "emulsified" in water, the water does the cleaning and the Ballistol just helps protect the parts from rust.

[Fingers McGee]

I use the aerosol Balistol on my C&Bs.  Spray the nipples, hammer and channel, chambers and barrel after a match and let them sit a couple days.  Most of the fouling just wipes off and it only takes a couple patches down the bore.  I have never seen any corrosion using aerosol Balistol.

[Bryan Austin]

Just because a baseball player uses a bat to hit the ball doesn't mean he can hit a home run. He must first learn how to properly use the bat! 

[August]

Doesn't sound like black powder to me.  Sounds like a substitute powder, like APP or Pyrodex.

[litl rooster]

Doesn't sound like black powder to me.  Sounds like a substitute powder, like APP or Pyrodex.

that's what I was thinking also.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Howdy
My vote would be Pyrodex .

[Jefro]

I use the aerosol Balistol on my C&Bs.  Spray the nipples, hammer and channel, chambers and barrel after a match and let them sit a couple days.  Most of the fouling just wipes off and it only takes a couple patches down the bore.  I have never seen any corrosion using aerosol Balistol.

Yep, I clean with Murphy's mix, then spray, wipe, and patch with Ballistol.....never had a speck. For long term storage I use Bull Frog products. Good Luck
http://www.bull-frog.com/products/

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Straight Ballistol is simply too expensive to clean with. I clean with Murphy's Mix and follow up sparingly with Ballistol as a lubricant/preservative.

However I am intrigued by Ballistol not preventing rust in your guns. Once saturated with an oil such as Ballistol, BP fouling will not absorb moisture from the air. Without picking up moisture, BP fouling will not cause rust. Have been using it like that for years.

However I shot some 38 S&W loaded with APP out of an old Top Break last year and I did notice that after cleaning with Murphy's Mix and follow up with Ballistol a few days later there was a little bit of rust.

[Cliff Fendley]

Doesn't sound like black powder to me.  Sounds like a substitute powder, like APP or Pyrodex.

Ditto

[PJ Hardtack]

I was shooting 100% Goex BP in all my guns.

The black crud I saw forming two days later after using the aerosol Ballistol took some scrubbing to remove from my shotgun barrels and pistol barrels. In both cases, brass brushes were required.
I cleaned the rifle barrel again after the first day, so the crud didn't have time to form.

I'm sure I'll find a use for the couple of cans of Ballistol I bought.

[Cliff Fendley]

You can send it too me if your afraid it's going to ruin your guns

[Peddler Parsons]

I shoot APP in pistols and rifle and Goex in SG for the last 12 years and have no problem with rust on or in my guns.
Use it stright,( spray down the barrels)  and mixed both; have sprayed them down and they were on the cleaning table for several days before I got back to clean them and NO! rust of any type was presant.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ballistol is a very old formulation.  It's been used well over 100 years.  The US Army chose it for their gun cleaning and lubricating, then we went to war with the country that was making it.  That'd be Germany, to those in Rio Linda.

I've been using Ballistol both straight and mixed with water from the git go with my black powder guns.  Never a rust problem.  Cleanup of my brace of pistols, rifle and scattergun takes about 15 minutes.

DD-MDA

[PJ Hardtack]

At no time did I use the word "rust". After cleaning with aerosol Ballistol applied to Bore Snakes and patches on a jag,  the guns appeared to be clean the next day. It was the day after that I noticed some black crud forming in the barrels that required brass brushes to remove.

If I have to resort to my usual cleaning methods after using Ballistol, I see no point in using it for that purpose. Your experience may vary ..... Forgive me for having a contrary experiential opinion.

[Bryan Austin]

Bought some aerosol Ballistol at a match and cleaned my BP guns with it before coming home.

Checked them a day later and all seemed well. The next day, I could see corrosion happening in my pistol barrels and shotgun tubes.

It may well work emulsified in water, but my experience relegates it to rust prevention after cleaning with what works - hot, soapy water on the cylinders and nipples and my BPCR windshield washer fluid/Windex bore cleaner.

corrosion/rust=same results  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosion

[PJ Hardtack]

Well, since you enjoy picking fly sh*t out of pepper, I concede that the black crud I'm referring to could have led to rust/corrosion.

The original point was my disappointment in the BP cleaning capacity of the aerosol Ballistol. On the other hand, the lesson I learned was that my guns need a follow up a couple of days later after using it. 'Tis not the end of the world as we know it ......

[Bryan Austin]

Well, since you enjoy picking fly sh*t out of pepper, I concede that the black crud I'm referring to could have led to rust/corrosion.

The original point was my disappointment in the BP cleaning capacity of the aerosol Ballistol. On the other hand, the lesson I learned was that my guns need a follow up a couple of days later after using it. 'Tis not the end of the world as we know it ......

You'll get use to it. You'll love Ballistol

[rickk]

clean with warm water, then 10% ballistol/90% water, then coat everything with 100% ballistol.

[PJ Hardtack]

Thanks all for the input.

I'll give it a go as recommended.