Ballistol, mea culpa...

[t.caster]

In recent post I disparaged the use of Ballistol for cleaning and maintenance of BP rifles, saying it led to rapid build up of rust in the bore. My apologies to Ballistol, as I just found out my friend was using Klenzoil (sp) all along. My bad.
Anyone else have experience with K-zoil?
I gave him a sample of RIG to use from now on between shoots, because it has always worked good for me on all the rifles I have built. For oils on lock & triggers I use FP-10 or 3in1 or now Lucas Oil has a gun oil out that seems to work nice too. The list goes on...

[VAshooter]

I have been using Ballistol for a few years now and I like it.

I started with using it in my Shiloh Sharps black powder 45/70 rifle. I mix it with water and us it as a swab and as a cleaner while shooting and when I've finished shooting a couple patches with the water/ballistol mix to clean the barrel, a dry patch and then straight Ballistol to protect the bore and I'm done.

Works good in a muzzle loader to. I'm one of those guy's that never got over them taking sperm oil off the market but I'm happy with Ballistol.

I've found it works well to clean out corrosive salts from Garands and Springfields and such. I use it straight in those dark bores you see so often in military rifles. The more you use it the cleaner they get.

VAshooter

[wvmtnman]

I too love Ballistol as a cleaning agent.  I mix 1 part Ballistol to 3 parts water.  Wet a patch with the mixture and clean. It cuts the residue and becasue of the oil, rust has never been an issue for me.  For long term storage, after the bore is dried, I spray a little WD40 on a patch and swab. 
                                                                        Brian
                                                                             

[Daryl]

I too love Ballistol as a cleaning agent.  I mix 1 part Ballistol to 3 parts water.  Wet a patch with the mixture and clean. It cuts the residue and becasue of the oil, rust has never been an issue for me.  For long term storage, after the bore is dried, I spray a little WD40 on a patch and swab. 
                                                                        Brian
                                                                             

Brain - after cleaning and drying, might I suggest spraying WD40 into the bore until it flushes any residual moisture out the vent or nipple-seat- then 1 dryp atch to collect the excess and that's it, using that patch to wipe down the outside of thgun.  I've been cleaning this way for many years now.

  I would not trust a WD40 "damp patch" to get all the moisture out of the bore - all a damp patch is really doing is a lousy lube job, imho.  WD40 is a water displacing lubricant and I feel it should be used as such - displace, lift and blast any residual moisture out of there - then you can patch to pull out any residual WD40, excess and give a more lasting oil treatment if you need it.  Here in Central B.C., more of anything isn't needed.

Taylor had a bad experience in hunting camp with Balistol in his Jaeger - I have some ballistol - untouched as yet. Maybe someday I'll try it for something.

I only clean the gun after I get home & generally the next day at that.  While shooting, I am too busy loading and shooting & talking to even 'think' of wiping the bore - there is no need, anyway, why would I do that as there is literally nothing to wipe out.  If there is, perhaps that Ballistol and water isn't doing the job that plain old spit will - or our WWWFluid and a few ounces of Neetsfoot oil does.  The 80th shot loads as easily as the very first- spit, Hoppe's #9 PLUS, LHV, or WWWF/Neetsfoot oil- straight water also works, which is all that's really needed for cleaning as well.  Besides, non of the aformentioned liquids smell like ballistol, either.

[yip]

 after reading wvshooter reply about cleaning his 45/70 sharps with ballistol, i been useing windex with vingar for cleaning my sharps, 3 patches of windex, followed by a dry patch, and wala, clean. that stuff goes a long way.

[grabenkater]

Works good in a muzzle loader to. I'm one of those guy's that never got over them taking sperm oil off the market

 

Pardon my ignorance......but ......can you explain?

[VAshooter]

Grabenkater,

Until the US instituted a ban on harvesting Sperm Whales you could buy sperm oil or whale oil which was the traditional lubricant and rust preventive in use since they burned it in lamps before guns were invented. Being an organic product, the sperm oil would soak into and condition the metal barrels which protected them from rusting even if they were shot and then not cleaned for a day or two. It had a distinctive smell that I and many others associated with shooting muzzle loaders. Not many shooters could miss the smell of Ballistol.


VAshooter

[Roger Fisher]

I'm told that Jojoba oil has many of the same properties as Sperm whale oil?

It is a southwestern bush of the plant variety

I can't see killing those whales either.

[jmdavis]

I'm testing jojaba oil on the inside of a lock right now. It's about time to check it again. I have not used it for ball lube (preferring either homemade or spit and because I have not tested it in the various mixtures). But when I put my smoothbore away in  mid Nov. I checked the inside of the lock and the jajoba from the summer was still doing its job (no rust, parts working smoothly).

The whales are being killed for their meat. The oil is a byproduct IMO.

[William Worth]

For bore rust prevention, I'm voting for Eezox.  Smells nice to, too bad it's hard on the central nervous system - I just try to take that into account in how and where  I use it.  All I have to do is keep it away from my central nervous system...

Sperm whale oil, from what I have read, is a wax.  And not having it available anymore I'm sure, makes it Oooh... so desirable.

 

[grabenkater]

Thanks VAShooter, I had never heard the term sperm oil before, I had only heard whale oil and I did not make the connection.

[jmdavis]

Sperm whale oil, from what I have read, is a wax.  And not having it available anymore I'm sure, makes it Oooh... so desirable.

 

If you look at the old recipes for many cleaners and lubricants you will find sperm oil at the top of the list. It was used as a cutting oil, a light lubricating oil, rust preventative, ball lube etc etc.

The best that we can come up with now has similar (but not the same) properties and may or may not have the same efficacy. So I don't think that it is merely a lack of access that makes the oil desireable.

As I said earlier I am testing jojoba oil on my ML's. I have also used it in some other uses such as old sewing machines. So far it is working.

[William Worth]

Actually, I have heard that whale oil is in lube application on spacecraft today.

Where does one acquire jojoba oil?

[jmdavis]

Health food stores. The cost is for a 2oz bottle is around $7. But 2 oz lasts a long time as a lock lube etc.

You want to make sure that the product is 100% jojoba oil. Also, it congeals at a little less than 40f. I'm not sure how much less but I keep mine in an inside pocked when out in the cold.

[William Worth]

Sooo...use it straight out of the bottle?  No mixing no blending?

[jmdavis]

 I've used straight  so far. It is very light oil. I don't even know about it's water solubility.

For cleaning I generally use Ballistol mix of one part Ballistol and 6-7 parts water along with an oz of Hoppes #9 as flavor. I have also used this as a patch lube in my smoothbore. Those results were nothing spectacular.

I have used the jojoba in the locks. I have also used it in some modern firearms (specifically an AR and a 1911 with a .22 conversion). Both like to be run wet and it seems to work well.

[Daryl]

I'm testing jojaba oil on the inside of a lock right now. It's about time to check it again. I have not used it for ball lube (preferring either homemade or spit and because I have not tested it in the various mixtures). But when I put my smoothbore away in  mid Nov. I checked the inside of the lock and the jajoba from the summer was still doing its job (no rust, parts working smoothly).

The whales are being killed for their meat. The oil is a byproduct IMO.

Interesting, I put a rifle, my .69 (caplock) away for some 8 or 9 years, unfired or touched, for that length of time. Is that a 'test' of oil?

I'd cleaned the bore normally after shooting one day, by dunking the barrel's breech in a bucket of cold water and flushing water in and out until I decided it was clean, then dried it with 5 or 6 heavy cotton patches, then sprayed WD40 into the bore until it ran out the nipple seat, then ran a dry patch up and down the bore with force, to blast out the excess WD40, then replaced the nipple, then wiped the lock off with a WD40's patch, then stored the gun as noted above - 8 or 9 years, muzzle down.  After that period of time, stored in my basement for at least 4 years and Brad's basement, butt down for another 4, maybe 5 years until we took it to the range to shoot (first and only for him) the first time in that length of time.  It was then cleaned as usual and stored for another year, then he sold it back to me.  No rust inside the lock, which had never been off for cleaning (initially lubed with Amsoil 100:1 2 stroke oil) no rust inside or outside the barrel. It had only ever been wiped down with a WD40 patch on the outside and WD40'd inside.

The humidity here runs about 30% to almost 100% with a yearly average of about 50%, which makes wood stored outside level out at about 9% moisture, which is perfect for making bows.  The humidity inside my house is usually in the lower ranges, probably around 40% (a guess), unless humidifiers are used to artificially increase humidity.

I can bring in a flinter with lots of black (wet) fouling on the outside of the lock, barrel breech and pan, and in 2 hours, it's bone white and bone dry. That's when the humidity is higher than 80% outside.

Humidity in the stored area is VERY important consideration to the preservatives used.

[Daryl]

I've used straight  so far. It is very light oil. I don't even know about it's water solubility.

For cleaning I generally use Ballistol mix of one part Ballistol and 6-7 parts water along with an oz of Hoppes #9 as flavor. I have also used this as a patch lube in my smoothbore. Those results were nothing spectacular.

I have used the jojoba in the locks. I have also used it in some modern firearms (specifically an AR and a 1911 with a .22 conversion). Both like to be run wet and it seems to work well.

Is that Hoppe's #9 or Hoppe's #9 Plus?

 There is a BIG difference. One is a BP lube, the other is for modern guns and smokeless powder and copper fouling, not BP fouling.  The ammonia in Hoppe's #9 might not be a good mixer for BP fouling if there is even a smidgen of chlorates in the fouling from the potassium nitrate used in the powders manufacture, which does/had happen(ed).  I'd not use #9 at all as there is no real reason to do so. It will not help clean BP fouling and water is all that's really needed, in my opinion, of course.  The #9 plus is not as good as the original Hoppe's #9 Plus from the 70's, but it does make a good patch lube, accuracy wise.

[axelp]

That made me remember-----

I kept a clean (only shot maybe 20 times total) Dixie Gun Works Tennessee perc rifle under my bed in five different homes which spanned the east coast, the west coast and western inland mountains... and never touched except when moving for----12 years?... It had been cleaned the last time with WD40 and maybe swabbed lightly with old Hoppes pre 1970s #9.

zero rust. I sold it 8 years ago-- and it was like new.

K

[jmdavis]

I'm looking for a few things with the jojoba on the locks.

1. Good lubrication.

2. An oil that doesn't gum things up.

3. Rust preventative.

Summers where I am often find humidity at the 100% level. I usually check and wipe down all of my guns every 6 months or so (surface wipe with a light oil). This keeps rust to a minimum. But I do sometimes find a little here and there.

For example if you like closely at my avatar you will see a little red tint on the cock of that fowler. It wasn't anything bad, but I immmediately grabbed a shop rag and some ballistol to deal with it.

After cleaning the ML's, I use something like WD-40 to displace the water. Make sure that the barrels are dry and then lube with Ballistol. I check them every six months or so.

[Leatherbelly]

What is Ballistol? Is it water soluble oil, like the oil they use mixed with water to lube machinery like big Do-Alls and heavy bandsaws?

[jmdavis]

It's a water soluable mineral oil. People seem to either love it or hate it. You can find pages and pages of threads similar to this one across the internet.

It uses anthenol (anise) and some people object to the smell.

[RichardW]

In recent post I disparaged the use of Ballistol for cleaning and maintenance of BP rifles, saying it led to rapid build up of rust in the bore. My apologies to Ballistol, as I just found out my friend was using Klenzoil (sp) all along. My bad.
Anyone else have experience with K-zoil?
...

To the original question of experience with Klenzoil, Yes, I use it to prevent rust after cleaning.

I clean with water, wipe dry as possible, then wipe with Klenzoil. I’ve never had a rust problem with that procedure; nor stickiness or residual buildup.

Prior to Klenzoil I used WD40.  I had a friend who used RIG for years, then switched to Klenzoil. He then got me started with it about 15 years ago. 

It is expensive to buy in small bottles, so the last time I bought two gallons split it with friends.

[roamer]

Whats wrong with 3 in one oil

[t.caster]

Someone say something bad about 3in1 oil?