Ballistol
 

While looking into Ballistol as a bike chain lubricant I learned that it was developed for the German army in WW I. That could make it a natural for early, or other, Luger care.
Has anyone a helpful comment on this?

Once upon a time, Stoeger sold Stogerol. I wonder if it was just relabelled BALLISTOL, the claims were similar.
But what claims! In 1939, Stoegerol would clean your gun barrel and stock, and the leather holster, too. It had medicinal properties, too:
"Stoegerol kills pus germs and bacteria in wounds in man and beast and sterilizes them until medical assistance can be procured. Effective in running sores, chafing and soreness after horseback riding, perspiring and sore feet, burns, frostbite, prickleheat, eczema, rheumatism, gout, colds in the head, coughs (Rub nose, throat, and chest or other affected parts with Stoegerol.) If used before hiking and hunting tramps, prevents soreness and chafing. Stoegerol relieves piles, eczema, drin and moist, destroys fleas, body lice, mange, crabs, scabies and all other vermin on man or beast."

"Stoegerol is indispensable as a rust preventer of surgical instruments."



P.S.

I've been using BALLISTOL on most EVERYTHING, wood and leather as well, they say you can even drink it, non toxic, bah! I 've got no intention of trying it.


Sergio

How come this all reminds me of W. C. Fields.:evilgrin:

These medical claims make it sound like a "new age" offering---good for everything--a sign of quackery. Nonetheless, I sleep immersed in a vat of it. I plan to live forever...so far, so good.

So that is what the Soviets soaked Lenin in !

One thing for sure, Ballistol STINKS!

You're dead right, but BALLISTOL apparently contains medicinal grade mineral oil, alkaline salts of oleic acid, several alcohols, Benzyl Acetate and an oil from vegetal seeds; its a nice thing to have around since it is safe on leather, wood, and non toxic but perhaps it doesn't really excel at any one thing.
Still, Hickok45 swears by it and have seen his videos were it's used on top end guns.

Sergio

I have some and use it mainly as a light solvent. It seems to have useful qualities for removing other substances, and it does seem to have some lubricating qualities.

I think in the universe of all things mechanical, firearm lubrication is toward the lower end of the performance scale. In other words just about any lubricant will work. I'm not going to use vegetable oil or motor oil on my Lugers, but if I did I suspect they would work fine. I think that's why Hickock45 and other gun owners "swear by" various lubricants. They've always used them and they've always worked.

My guess is that when Ballistol is wet, the acidic/solvent componets help clean, and when those evaporate the mineral oil residue helps lubricate. A different way of repeating Sergio's comment; it lubricates and cleans but not as well as specialty substances for those tasks. But for most people most of the time it's good enough*.

*If in fact the Soviets/their successors hope it will "restore" Lenin, it would appear that so far it is not "good enough" for that application.

It is the only thing I will let touch my high end 98ks.

I have been using Ballistol for 6 years or so. It is very good for many purposes with firearms. If you investigate its uses you will find the list is very long. I clean leather with it. I clean grips with it. It gives the grips a coloring that I find right for me.
One use I have for it is mixed one part to 10 parts water it is excellent for cleaning black powder.
I also think it helps arthritis-just rub it in.
I don't find the odor offensive.
thanks
Jack

Hi,

I really looked into this stuff before I bought five gallons of it off of e-bay about four years ago. I can remember studying the German language site with some interest.

There are two types currently produced, the "Sportsmans' Oil" and the Medical type.

This stuff was developed for the German Army prior to WWI and was used, religiously, through the end of WWII; the CLP of the day, so to speak. Please compare it to what our army issued for gun cleaning at the same time. Wow, it's even biodegradable!!!

If you can get hold of a new can of "Sportsmans' Oil", most of the claims Stoger Oil made above, in the 1920s and 1930s, are still listed in the instructions on the can!!! May be someone can post same.

Yes, the German Army issue stuff was, indeed, used, medically, as described above. Obviously, it had some good medical properties; as some of these poor devils actually lived through its use.

By the way, one of the listed medical uses of it is to calm nervous stomachs. Believe it or not, my web search turned up that Hitler used this stuff, for his various and numerous stomach ailments, through the late 1930s. Now, just try that with a bottle of Cleaner-Rifle Bore, LSA Oil or CLP and see what happens!!!

This stuff is great for cleaning corrosive primer salts and/or black powder residue. It mixes with water, ten to one is about right. The black powder boys call it Moose Milk because of its color.

For Luger lubrication, I still use good old Hoppes' Gun Oil!!!

I hope this helps!


Sieger

I like the stuff and use both CLP Breakfree (mostly for hard core cleaning) and Ballistol but I tend to have twice as much Ballistol around as the CLP. I find that the Ballistol, when it dries, is a lot less greasy feeling and yet I know the gun is well lubricated. Plus the scent does grow on you (reminds me of fennel).

Since you gents have filled me in a little about the ingredients, those seemingly wacky claims now actually make some sense. Non-toxic, antiseptic properties, etc. I'll have to check PubMed to see if I can find a study on its efficacy as a "tonic"!

Quite amusing! :thumbup:

Sergio

CLP....some crook conned the military into buying that junk.. it neither "cleans, lubricates or protects"....it's supposedly a solvent AND a lubricant? Sorry, it can't do both. All I know is the stuff was worse than useless on M-60s and .50cals.

If it indeed does help with arthritis pain, then I need a barrel of the stuff!! I have never tried this product, but a lot of folks swear by it!!

Hi,

It doesn't claim to cure erectile disfunction; but then again, most 18 year old soldiers are not troubled with same.

One of Hitler's long-time health problems was uncontrollable farting!!! Now, I can't believe this stuff would have helped with that!!!

Sieger

Hi,

Midway USA sells this stuff. They also have a comment section after each product.

With over five pages of individual comments 99% rated the product 5 out of 5.

That should give you some independent feedback.


Sieger

Amen!!

CLP replaced LSA Oil for all general functions.

LSA was and is a much better lubricant than CLP.

I was so convinced that I recently bought 10 gallon of it. Being semi-fluid (thick oil), it really stays where it's put, including rifle bores!!!


Sieger

Wow Sieg....you must have cornered the remaining world market for LSA! Yeah, when I was in the infantry, we hoarded the remaining stocks of LSA we could find for the big guns....100 rounds through a Ma Deuce would sling and burn every drop of CLP off and the gun would be running metal against metal.

Hi,

Here is an outstanding source of LSA, as well as, all other military oils and greases:

sprucemtsurplus.com

Look for NSN 9150-00-753-4686 for one gallon cans of LSA (Medium Weight) for $25.00 each. This is the Castrol product and is excellent.

They also have the harder to find LSA-T. This is the higher tech one with the Teflon additive.

This site sells everything surplus, not just oils and greases, so have at least two hours or so when you go "shopping".


Sieger

Always My Favorite
 

One can lasts forever~Order on Amazon~

I use Ballistol (including on my Lugers) and love the stuff. You might think it stinks but in my opinion it doesn't smell nearly as bad as other gun cleaners. It's not a great lubricant, though. I only use it as a cleaner and rust preventative.

Since in common usage it is emulsified in water, it also works for cleaning up after corrosive ammo.

It clearly has cleaning properties, as when I use it on a q-tip I get material transfer.

I'm not a chemist, but I do believe it can be both a solvent and a lubricant. The solvent part appears to evaporate, and the remaining residue is the lubricant. If you spray or otherwise place a quantity of Ballistol on or in a non-porus surface, after a few minutes you will notice a volume decrease, that must be evaporation. I associate rapid evaporation with many solvents. The oder also also diminishes rapidly, which strongly suggests something is evaporating.

As far as the smell overall, it is not as bad as other cleaning solvents like acetone and Hoppe's.

I think what you really need is the MSDS! :D

FrogLube has a very similar smell to it, and the marketing claims are very similar to Ballistol's (except for the medicinal part). I'm just wondering if this is the same stuff in a new bottle...?

I have 2 cans of Ballistol under my sink and haven't touched it for 3 years. I don't trust a liquid to protect something from another liquid. Wax has been used forever for protection. It is referred to as a "MICRO-CRYSTALLINE WAX POLISH" PS it smells but no way as bad Ballistol. No worse then polishing your dress shoes! Its label "Apply sparingly with soft cloth and buff gently. Resists liquids spillage. Does not show finger marks" They sell it on Amazon!! My greatest endorsement!! Wax always protected leather and protect all of my valuables! PS Makes your holsters shine like a new pair of shoes!!! One small can lasts forever!! Eric

Eric

I'm amazed how much you defend wax also for firearms... but I would not call BALLISTOL oil just a liquid... then have you checked our friend (Hickok 45) what he thinks about BALLISOL OIL?:roflmao:

No really jokes apart I've been using mainly BALLISTOL but not only BALLISTOL for several decades now without any issue, surely is not the best of the best of gun oils, I'll post a video of another of my "gurus": Bill Wilson.

Have a nice week end Erik


Sergio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iQNiAv998o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQYEOB0glwM

Thank you my dear friend. Great Weekend No Storm!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

I just came across this posting and decided to add my 2 cents.

After being a Hoppe's #9 sniffer for 40 years I decided to give Ballistol a chance (after seeing a post that Hitchcock 45 put on You-tube). The smell is so annoying to me I only gave it one chance! I noticed that if I put rags that had gotten in contact with it, into my garbage bags, the local raccoons would not tear up my bags.

So each week I spray some into my garbage bags and "Voilà", I've never had another problems with the raccoons!!:thumbup:
but the stuff is not used on my gun cleaning bench!

Levi

Now thats an endorsement!!

That's how they advertise it: "Can be used for anything" :D