Ballistol

Anyone one know if this brand of lubricants is any better the dozens of the others on the market?

Jim

Ballistol seem to make lots of grandiose claims to be "universal" . I've not come across others making such claims. Used it for years with my Airguns with no problems. The strange smell can be an acquired taste.

I recently found C&Rsenal, an excellent US blog channel that looks closely at the development of historic small-arms. They're sponsored by Ballistol, so the product gets a certain amount of gentle pushing.

It's for cleaning firearms, and is safe on metal, wood, paint and plastics. Not aggressive, gets the muck off, and leaves a thin protective anti-rust layer. My feeling is it's in the same class as WD40, which is convenient and useful for everything, but not as effective as specialist lubricants, cleaners, protectives, or penetrators. A good all-rounder, targetted on shooting needs, that would probably be OK in my workshop too, except I'm happy with WD40!

One big difference from WD40 is Ballistol is non-toxic, to the extent that force feeding it to Guinea Pigs does them no harm.

Never tried it so will be interested to know if Ballistol users agree with my take!

Dave

I've been using their "Universal Oil" for the last few years and it seems a good lubricant for all manner of purposes.
I first bought it as an aerosol, but have since found it in 500ml containers which seems rather more economical.
They now have a UK website, which should improve availability, as well as offering a much larger range of their products. https://ballistol.co.uk/

As far as I'm aware, it's not intended as a water displacement oil, which is sometimes billed as a use for WD40, but like WD40, Ballistol now markets a wider range of products that first meets the eye.
The FAQs actually suggest it forms an emulsion with water and can be used in that manner for certain applications.

I've not found it as good as a specialist penetrating oil such as Plus Gas, but like the 50/50 Acetone ATF mix I've had good success substituting ATF in the mix with Ballistol Universal.

The Universal Oil works well as an instrument oil for micrometers etc, and has performed OK for me in dial gauges in lieu of clock oil.

My next one to try is their Gun Black.


Bill

I must give a warning here about WD40; it does not have any residual protection. It really does promote rusting, particularly if used on clockwork.

The best (and only in my opinion) use for WD40 is for machining Aluminium to stop any build up on the tool point(s).

I have used Ballistol, but can't say it is much better than 3-in-1, or such like stuff.

Regards,

Alan.

I believe that WD40 contains a high percentage of paraffin (Kerosene ) which i think tends to be hygroscopic so atrracts the verybthijngbthatbitbis intended to disperse initially!

Definitely with you there Howard.

Ballistol is quite unique in its function. Originally formulated for use by the German military and to meet the following requirements.

Cleaning and lubricating weapons, including removal copper and powder fouling in the barrel. It dissolves copper, so keep it away from your brass gibs

Dressing and preserving leather equipment, rifle slings, ammunition pouches and the like

Preserving wood on rifle stocks

And believe it or not, treating minor wounds and cuts. It is antiseptic, but it stings when applied to a cut. No need to ask how I know. Combined with blue paper towel and gaffer tape, it makes a good emergency dressing for those workshop ouch moments.

The name is a contraction ballistic and oil, albeit in German

As mentioned in previous posts, it is not a water displacement oil like WD40. However it does emulsify nicely with water and makes a good wash down mix for all sorts of applications. I have used the emulsion to revive old faded paintwork on my garage door, it seems to plasticise tired paint coatings.

I have used this on my rifles for years before locking away in the gun cabinet and can attest to its ability lift copper fouling.

From the the wd40.com webpage titled "Myths and Fun Facts about WD-40":

"A QUESTION OF LUBRICATION

Myth: WD-40 Multi-Use Product is not really a lubricant.

Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal."

Weekly wiping of my milling table with WD-40 has resulted in zero oxidation on it after three years in an unheated west-facing garage. The same cannot be said for other iron and steel objects in the same garage that have not been wiped with anything. If I want better protection against corrosion I use Waxoyl, but I don't want Waxoyl on my milling table as long as it remains in regular use.