That's an unanswerable question. There's some synthetic R&O oils that are better at lubrication. From a cleaning and general good choice ballistol is a great choice....and it makes a great cologne.
Hornady One Shot cleaner & lube came out on top of many oil and lube tested….I saw that test. I use it now on all my firearms and it best at preventing rust. Place a fish hook outside treated with One Shot and it will not rust. There are 2 kinds…. one is a case lube and one is a cleaner/ lube…. Midway USA has it. Best I have ever used….it is a dry lube leaves no oily film when applied….great for triggers, bolt on your guns.
It's non-toxic, so that's good. Apparently anti-microbial as well. I know they used to sell it in German pharmacies, and maybe still do. I like it but the more modern lubes/cleaners/preservatives do everything better.
Been using it for a long time. One big plus is it doesn’t harm wood or any wood finish I’ve encountered thus far. Same applies to Clenzoil, which I’ve been using a lot of, especially on my O/U, which has an oil-finished stock.
Ballistol is wonderful stuff for those who shoot real BP an 777 too. Mixed with water 1-4 it’s a great cleaner and patch lube and still protects.
I just use Kroil, Gisele ALG Go Juice and their 0000 very fine oil. I do also use a synthetic grease applied to the lugs of every rifle.
I can tell you with certainty that there is nothing that works better than Kroil in an environment with very fine carbon dust in the air. I use a spray can for air tool oil and it is the only one that has kept these 18000 - 24000rpm tools running with no hiccups. I have tried every single CLP, Gun lubricant, air tool lubricant, synthetic oil, traditional oil and wonder slick em snake oil. Every single one of them either significantly reduced rpms or gum up to the point I have to stop and flush them out and go back to Kroil.
Fine carbon fiber is probably far worse than any environment that a firearm would see. I apply it and blow off the excess.
We use r&o 68 in the hydroelectric turbines which are always potentially wet and cost enough to make congress cringe. I use the same for wear areas and general rust protection on my guns.....except the bp guns. There's something about ballistol that makes it exceptionally good on black powder residue.
Interestingly enough, Ballistol has a huge following in the aircraft industry. In my home town, the only dealer is the local FBO. I have no idea what they use it on as i work on GA planes as my day job and nobody I've ever worked with had even used it!
Went around my house and gave every door hinge that made the slightest squeak a small blast of it, worked instantly, and sure enough, I smelled its unique odor.
Peppy LaPew would be floating in my house in an amorous mood lol
Works great, better than WD40 which has its own foul scent!
I use the Multi-Purpose before I put guns away. spray them down and wipe them off. It works good on Blued, Stainless Steel guns and Wood or synthetic stocks. It does smell a little funky, but I like the fact that I can spray it on anything. I use other assorted cleaners and lubes for the bore and internal parts.
Yep. After I clean with KG-12 I spray the bore with Hornady One Shot and then use a bore mop to remove the excess. Because One Shot dries to a film, I do not store the rifle muzzle down. However, some oils can migrate out of the bore into the action and/or magazine so it's not a bad idea to store muzzle down for a few days in the safe.
Before the next range day or hunt I run a dry patch through the bore for safety sake.
Ballistol has been around a while. When it first showed up on the East coast it was in the early 80’s and it was handled by a guy driving a station wagon with cases in the back hitting gun shops trying to set up buyers and accounts. I still have two of the original steel round cans with the old style label with the big green Juniper branch on it. The label told the buyer that it was good for general lubrication, leather, firearms, as a disinfectant for minor wounds etc. That it is issued to German and NATO troops as an all around field do-all oil.
Well Ballistol’s biggest problem was, and still is, poor marketing and networking. The old traveling salesman with the station wagon told the gun shop I was working in that the Germans really didn’t give a damn whether it sold well in America or not. I’d see him at gun shows and all he had under the table was three cases and he rarely sold more than a case and a half. Couldn’t compete with Birchwood Casey, Hoppes, Shooters Choice or the other couple dozen local products. I know that the early formula had licorice root oil in it as you could smell it. That the old Ballistol would eat brass though many refused to believe it. I tested it once in a plastic jug with some 45-70 cases and after a week or two they came out shinier than ever but I could easily bend or crumple the mouths with my fingers. I still use a lot of it despite the new formula or what the latest product skewed reviews say. Kind of like Consumer Reports that have never said a good thing about Ford trucks.
Yep. After I clean with KG-12 I spray the bore with Hornady One Shot and then use a bore mop to remove the excess. Because One Shot dries to a film, I do not store the rifle muzzle down. However, some oils can migrate out of the bore into the action and/or magazine so it's not a bad idea to store muzzle down for a few days in the safe.
Before the next range day or hunt I run a dry patch through the bore for safety sake.
Great tip STRSWilson!
I saw that on a YouTube video, even using oil on actions the oil can migrate into the stock butt, don't want that!
Didn't think of the muzzle-down idea, great idea, thanks!
Sectioned cleaning rods are a no go. Cleaning from the muzzle is a no go. Cleaning without a bore guide is a no go. The solvents recommended are OK but not the best performers for copper fouling which is the most problematic issue with bore fouling.
Here is what I would recommend:
1. Get a coated Dewey or BoreTech one piece cleaning rod. 2. Get both nylon and bronze cleaning brushes - bore specific 3. Get a bore guide for your action/caliber. 4. Get cotton/flannel cleaning patches and cleaning jag that fits your bore.
Cleaning Solvents:
Powder/Carbon Residue - Hoppes/CLP/BoreTech/OneShot/Kroil/Montana Extreme/Butches/ATF/ etc. etc. Copper Fouling - KG-12 period.
Cleaning Routine:
1. Using a bore guide run wet patches through the bore with powder/carbon cleaner. Make one pass with patches from chamber to muzzle and remove. Do not scrub at this point.
2. Let the solvents have time to loosen/attack fouling - 15 minutes
3. Soak a bronze brush with powder/ carbon solvent and make 5 to 10 long slow passes through the bore.
4. Dry patch out the residue - one pass from chamber to muzzle. Use patches until clean.
5. Then using a nylon brush wet with KG-12 make one or two passes through the bore. Let is soak for 15 minutes.
6. Push clean patch through the bore. One pass.
7. Depending on how clean you want to get the bore you can do another pass with KG-12 until the dry patches come out clean.
8. Lightly oil the bore with Hornady OneShot or EEZOX.
9. Don’t forget to open the magazine and wipe it clean with OneShot or CLP. Also clean and lubricate the bolt again OneShot or CLP.
The worst cleaning mistake folks make is scrubbing a bore to death. Just let the chemicals do their thing and you won’t have to scrub so much.
If you want to visually inspect your bore to see how well you're doing get a cheap borescope from Amazon - Borescope
I always use a bore guide, and this is the Bore Rod I use.
What have been doing for years:
I run a brass wire through the barrel several to loosen any copper bore fouling then I switch to clean white patches soaked with a brand of bore solvent called Truly Remarkable Bore Solvent. I keep on running fresh patches soaked with this solvent until the patches come out clean, meaning they are white and without residual blue color on them. That's about it.
I do not overwork the barrel rifling with the brush since it is an M1917, and I do not want to ruin the threading, this rifle is a great shooting rifle!
Now that I have the barrel off the stock because I am refinishing my M1917 stock I want to do a detailed cleaning and oiling of all other parts.
I bought the BALLISTOL, to give all parts a final spray of this oil. I have never put oil in the barrel itself, but since it acts as a cleaner, lubricant, and protectant I was thinking this may be a good idea, which is why I asked if anyone else does that.
Looking forward to seeing my M1917 back on the finished stock, should look real Pruddy
Took a look at bore inspection devices, since I am from Canada I found this on, good enough?
Almost all copper solvents contain ammonia and ammonia will pit and corrode almost all alloys of stainless steel. So if you’re using ammonia based copper solvents you need to wipe them very clean before a lay away light coat of oil in your bore. Never leave your bore wet with ammonia for any length of time. I always wash my barrels after cleaning with brake cleaner the oil. If when using a copper solvent your patch turns blue, the more copper brighter blue, the you know it’s an ammonia based solvent but actually your nose will confirm it. For years the benchrest crowd used Sweets but this is a very strong solvent so on stainless you need to be careful removing it. Some of the newer products may or may not use ammonia but I find it hard to believe anything short of strong acids will dissolve copper much faster.
Of course copper solvent will also dissolve your bronze brushes as they are mostly copper. I’ve got old 35 & 30 cal brushes that now fit my 25 cal bores. Same with brass jags but not as aggressively. On badly gilded barrels I’ve found that two or three passes with Sweets followed by JB bore compound answers well. I think this is because the ammonia softens up the copper gild and the JB compound sorts of sweeps it out. I have a shelf full of years accumulation of bore cleaners but it would be a full time job buying and testing all of the new cleaners that continually pop up. However since the 80’s I’ve used Ballistol for most everything and use it on a lightly wetted patch in my barrels before lay away.
Yep ammonia based cleaners are hygroscopic and will cause corrosion if left in the bore too long or residual remains after cleaning. If someone is going to use them they need to take care of flushing the bore and patching it out after use. That's why I feel KG-12 is a better choice as it is water-based plus it tackles copper better than any other solvent.
KB - That might work, however, check the diameter of the camera end as you might be limited on bore size. The smaller ones are designed to interface with a cell phone.
Yep ammonia based cleaners are hygroscopic and will cause corrosion if left in the bore too long or residual remains after cleaning. If someone is going to use them they need to take care of flushing the bore and patching it out after use. That's why I feel KG-12 is a better choice as it is water-based plus it tackles copper better than any other solvent.
KB - That might work, however, check the diameter of the camera end as you might be limited on bore size. The smaller ones are designed to interface with a cell phone.
STRSWilson Good Call buddy! I just checked the diameter of the camera: Camera Diameter : 0.31 inch
The Diameter of an Enfield .30-06 is: 308 inch
Will that work?
Another interesting question about Ballistol, it says it is also good on Leather and rifle straps????
Penetrating Oil on Leather?? Ever heard of that? lol
I hate the Dewey rods. There is no thrust bearing on the handle and mine rarely lasted more than 2-300 strokes before dragging so bad that the rod no longer spins
2. Sanded out major and deep scratches earned over 20 years of Bush hunting
3. With an IRON, I steamed out quite a few serious dents, that worked better than I ever hoped!
20 Tung Oil applications to date!
4. The first application was 50/50% - 50% Mineral Spirits/ 50% 100% Pure Tung Oil mixture.
5. Followed by 19 more applications of 100% Pure Tung oil. In between every application, I rubbed the entire stock with 0000 Synthetic Steel. A member told me not to use real Steel wools because metal shards may break off and get into the wood, and rust. I ever happy I listened to his great advice.
I am saving the checkering for the last job and am thinking of giving it only 2 applications.
6. The first with 10/90% - 10% Mineral Spirits mixed with 90% Pure Tung oil.
7.The second with 100% Pure Tung oil
After letting the Tung oil Cure, I will finish it with:
8. First light polishing with Pumice FF
9. Second Light polishing with Pumice FFFF
10. 3rd and FINAL polishing with Rottenstone FFFF
11. The last application and coat will be with Renaissance Wax and I will call it a day
While the stock and Tung oil are curing, and only after a minimum 30-day curing period, I will clean the barrel and Action with Ballistol.
This has been a very long process and without you Gentlemen's GREAT and VALUABLE advice and input, I do not believe it would look this way. So thanks again, Gentlemen!
Very nice work. That wood has so much more character now than it had with the original finish. This is one of the reasons I usually strip and completely refinish. I have found so many factory stocks are hiding the great figure and wood grain that is just begging to be exposed. Nice thing about Tung oil is you can always add another coat at anytime to freshen up the finish if it looks a little dull..
Yep ammonia based cleaners are hygroscopic and will cause corrosion if left in the bore too long or residual remains after cleaning. If someone is going to use them they need to take care of flushing the bore and patching it out after use. That's why I feel KG-12 is a better choice as it is water-based plus it tackles copper better than any other solvent.
KB - That might work, however, check the diameter of the camera end as you might be limited on bore size. The smaller ones are designed to interface with a cell phone.
Like most things, that's a matter of opinion. Wipe Out foam kicks copper's ass, at least my bore scope says it does. Fill the barrel with it, let it sit as long as you want to, patch it dry. Clean the carbon out with Kroil first though, maybe that helps the copper some too.
Well guys, I finally used the BALLISTOL I bought last month today while cleaning out the action and the inside and out of the barrel of my M1917. I really like the stuff and am happy I bought it! Cleans very well and leaves a super slick lubricating residue.
The outside of my barrel looks new which says a lot, especially being a 106-year-old barrel. My barrel looked clean before I started, but after spraying it and letting it soak for a while, I was surprised to see some brown gunk come off the barrel on my blue shop rag.
Everything looks brand spanking new, looking forward to killing something with my freshly cleaned and lubricated action and barrel, I know you guys know exactly what I mean.......hehe
Not a stock holder or have any interest in....But all of my guns look new, they get cleaned after every outing. I hunt around the world, literally. I carry a spray can of G-96 in my gun case, checked baggage for airline transport. It has been a companion for 50 years. For shotguns, a spray of G-96 down the barrel, set in a garbage can, left for two hours and a full day of a 2,000 bird shoot comes mirror clean with a bore snake, dissolves the shell cup plastic, lead, powder, etc. Displaces water in the rain too.
Inside my rifle bores I use Sweet Shooter. It is Techron suspended in a solvent, reported to make a slick, easy to clean bore, when shot in the wet bore break in process.
Thanks for your input Rapier, holly-mac you sound like on serious Shooter/Hunter!
I use Truly Remarkable Bore Solvent inside my barrels, and it works great. Usually, I only shoot 5 to ten rounds per year out of my M1917 so it works very well for me.
When researching the best bore solvents, I read an online article by OutdoorLife, in their article they list Hoppe's Famous No. 9 as the Best Overall solvent on the market, go figure. Best Spray was BALLISTOL from what I have seen so far it's exceptional.
I will be looking into Sweet Shooter and was surprised it wasn't on the OutdoorLife shortlist. Neither was Truly Remarkable.
i used to go out and buy "today's" copper cleaner and gun oil. i found that Sweets, Shooters Choice and Gunslick's foaming bore cleaner was it. i tried Hoppes, Froglube, Barnes, Montana...you name, i probably bought it.
now for gun oil it is either non-aerosol Ballistol (short storage) or aerosol G96 Gun Treatment (long storage). i'll use G96 if i buy a rifle, either new or used.
i shoot cast bullets in my rifles and revolvers. fit is King. i usually go .002 or .003" above the bore size. my 30-40 Krag and 444 Marlin are about 4500-5000 rounds out of them. the bore is still bright and shiny as the day i cleaned them. i will use Ballistol on the rifles, but never inside the bore. well, i clean the bore about after 1000 rounds. and by clean, i'll take a Ballistol patch that goes thru the bore about 4 or 5 times.
I use Ballistol exclusively on all my black powder guns. It is the best hands down for storage of a muzzleloader. I works better than anything I've used to keep down the surface rust, especially inside the barrels. It rinses out well with just hot water before you shoot. As soon as I get through shooting, I swab the barrels until I can clean them properly and then store them with a coat on and in the barrel.. I've had no problems in damp weather since using it. The only downside to me is the strong smell. I always wash it off before hunting deer, etc.
Charles E. Petty, who gives me the impression he’s a curmudgeon of rare abilities, once wrote that when someone tells him so and so is the best lubricant, he just says, “And HOW do you know THAT?”. He also said he uses whatever he has, usually something he’s been given.
I use Ballistol as my PD cartridge sizing lube with no need to clean the cases of any residue after sizing and the Ballistol has thoroughly dried. I was skeptical after reading about this usage in an AS article but am now an ardent follower.
now use old-fashioned ballistol mixed with water to clean black powder and then wipe down with pure ballistol. I also have a ballistol aerosol that I use or just wiping the black powder collection down once in a while . I have ever have not used it on conventional firearms I have other stuff that I use and not saying it's better it's just a habit..
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