So most of us who go onto YouTube have probably run across a guy named Hickock45. He seems very knowledgeable and has years of experience. He uses Ballistol and it seems like a good cleaner/lube? I bought a standard cleaning kit from the local gun shop and it comes with lube and cleaner, two separate bottles. Any thoughts from long term gun enthusiasts would be appreciated.

I have used Ballistol for a number of years. I find it is a great rust preventative and it seems to lube pretty good. I do not use it as a cleaner. It has been around forever and seems to always get good reviews.

Never tried but read good reviews about it. I use CLP most of the times, and hope's 9 once in a while.

__________________
M&P 9, Shield9.

Been wanting to try it for close to a year, but can't ever find any in my travels. Strange. I know it's available online, but I'm too cheap to pay double the price (shipping) to try it out. If I ever run across a can of it, I'll let you know.

I think of Ballistol as sort of the German WD-40, it's good for everything, and it's non-toxic. It's not an aggressive cleaner in my experience so a heavily copper fouled barrel might need Hoppes 9 or equivalent.
I know Mercury Marine uses Ballistol-water emulsion as a cutting fluid in their machine shops. Ballistol mixed with water is also good for cleaning after shooting corrosive primed ammo or blackpowder.

A friend of mine who loves sailing went off the coast of florida to move a sailboat for a friend to the gulf region . He took his semi auto and a few magazines , loaded . Everything that he sprayed with ballistol endured the salty air just fine . He forgot to spray one of his magazines and it rusted really bad .
If you're just cleaning powder residue , inside or out it seems to work just fine . I have used it for some time now and will continue to buy it .
I get mine @ gun shows . Always a few people there selling cleaning supplies . " Safari Charlie " is my all time favorite but again , can only find it at gun shows so I always stock up when I find it .

I bought a small spray can to try because of all the positive reviews about it. Seems to work fine just like any CLP product. My only complaint is the odor. It's pretty strong, not really offensive, but not like perfume either. My wife came in the room where I was cleaning guns and said "What's that awful smell?", so she didn't like it.

I have been using Hoppes 9 since the Stone Age and she doesn't mind that nearly as much as Ballistol. Maybe we'll both get used to it

My wife won't allow it in the house due to the smell.

It's touted by many as being "non-toxic", but having looked over the SDS/MSDS information before or even just the label itself, it sure doesn't fit the description to me. If that is a big selling point to you, I'd pick something else.

I like Hickok45. He is a good guy and entertaining personality, but I wouldn't base my decision on anything just because he endorses it.

As a cleaner, Ballistol is slower and less aggressive than Break-Free CLP, but a whole lot faster and more aggressive than FrogLube. What I don't like about Ballistol (I'm looking at a 16 oz can as I type this!) is that after 3 or 4 months it can start to get tacky and turn acidic; consequently, I don't use Ballistol on any of my long term, 'safe-queens'. Why? Because I learned the hard way!

I NEVER use a "one bottle does it all" product. It will always be a compromise. No matter what products I use, it's usually Hoppe's #9 cleaner, & whatever lube I have laying around. But I always use a separate cleaner, & lube. GARY

Thank you all, I picked up a small can of it to try out, and I'm gonna try the hoppes #9 also... I'm sure I'll try many of different kinds of cleaners and lubes before I settle on one...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am a big ballistol fan. It works great on guns, leather, wood, vinyl. I get it from Amazon with free shipping. I use pretty much Hoppes 9 and ballistol on my firearms. No problems yet.

__________________
Mike
S&WCA #3065

If smell is important....be sure and sniff a product called Clenzoil before you buy it . Been around forever, supposed to be great on metal , wood , leather , the ultimate cleaner, lube , protectant, blah, blah , blah... you've heard all the claims....and it might just be all that. BUT....the stuff just stinks ! It has a peculiar order that I just can't get over, I bought a big bottle and would love to use it...the funky smell is off putting.
So smell before you spend.
Gary

Ballistol smells like industrial liquorice to me. I have used it for several years and it works well for after range cleaning.

Mals

I hav never seen a can on the shelf. What I do find is G96. Its the same kinda thing does it alll. And it smells damn fine too.

Pretty sure its not safe to inhale though.

Actually G96 has no harmful vapors. Perfectly safe to use indoors, no need for ventilation of any kind. My favorite. I've been using it for over 50 years!

Think I'll mix up a gal of " Eds Red " . Hear good things about it, easy to make , cheap & it works ( supposedly) . Ed Harris came up with it years ago .

Another happy G-96 user, because it just plain works! Been using it for years!

I bought a spray can of Ballistol several years ago, partly because of Hickok45's recommendation. It worked really well, but I just couldn't stand the smell...it smelt like my brother-in-law (he was a Marine, and he seldom bathes) on a hot day. I could clean my gun with it, and smell the odor in the air for hours after I put my gun away.

It does work very well...we had a door that the knob was getting very difficult to turn. I tried spraying WD40 and silicone spray inside the lock work, and they didn't help. I was just going to buy a new knob, and then I tried spraying some Ballistol in it, just to see...it turned like silk, and several years later it's still working like a charm.

I just wish the stuff smelt better!

Smells like well used athletic socks to me. But I like how it performs!

I think Hoppe's No.9 smells wonderful, WD-40 smells O.K., Ballistol kind of below average, but not too bad, and Break Free CLP reeks of decaying corpses. The aromatics in No.9 are aptly named and give it that wonderful firearms smell that only carcinogenic chemicals can. Plain old mineral oil, no matter who packaged and marketed by, is pretty much odorless. LPS is another pleasant smelling brand with three grades and fragrances to choose from. They all work and are not that critical unless deployed in the Arctic.

I use Ballistol for short term "cleaning" on firearms I shoot often.

I use hoppes for "deep cleaning" followed up by Ballistol.

I also use Luca$ gun oil for certain high friction areas such as slides.

Odor means nothing to me. Performance means everything.

I like it and use it in my cleaning routine.

__________________
Shield 45

I use Ballistol on my guns, knife and at work to clean the inspection tools & hand measuring instruments when calibrating them. I agree with sportsdad60, performance overrules the smell.

__________________
M&P40 FS, SD40VE, M&P 9 Shield

I've been using ballistol for over a decade, it's the only liquid that touches my guns. I use it for long term storage, cleaning, and lube. I have never had any rust or corrosion issues. It is a very mild cleaner like others have stated. It will attack copper, just not aggressively, not for use on plated guns due to copper being the base metal!

You will hear others talk about how it seems to condition the metal, and I will agree with this. After letting it "soak" on a metal surface and then wipe it off and the metal has a slick feel to it. I swear my guns are easier to clean after shooting because of this.

The funny thing is when I was introduced to it, the guy told me "your wife will not like the smell", I have yet to hear of a woman who doesn't complain about it.

I have used Ballistol for short and long term cleaning on all of my firearms with absolutely no issues. I use it for lubrication purposes only. IMHO.

__________________
5906tsw,MP15,Shield9/45,39-2

Ballistol "Moose Milk" and plain spray version is what I use after shooting black powder thru my SAA clone and my AK-74 Arsenal after shooting corrosive Com-Bloc ammo. (I consider all 7.62x39 and 5.45x39 Ammo corrosive seeing rust freckles after supposedly non corrosive Wolf ammo was shot)

That is interesting. According to their website, Ballistol is actually the opposite of acidic...it is slightly alkaline....which counters acid (think a persons sweat).....Ballistol neutralizes the acid in sweat of fingerprints left on a gun

I generally agree with the above ^^^. At the moment I have Ballistol, CLP, Break Free, Rem Oil and Hoppe's 9 in my cleaning supplies. My favorite "grease" is Tetra Gun Grease. I always use Hoppe's 9 in the bore and depending on the job, I use the other products for cleaning and lube on the other areas of the gun. And yes, Ballistol does does smell and whenever I use it I move to the garage with the door open.

__________________
I'm gonna grow fins.

I have never tried Ballistol. I use Hoppe's 95% of the time. Sometimes I use CLP. I have some Lucas Oil cleaner that I won, but I have not used it. Everyone in the family is familiar with the smell of Hoppe's. The smell brings back fond childhood memories for the girls. For lubing, I use Area 51 oil and Tetra Gun Grease. I have never had a problem using Hoppes and Tetra.

I buy it at Gander Mountain, they always have it for sale here.
Just to add, I do not use it to clean but I do for lube afterwards. I prefer the lighter properties it has compared to conventional gun oil. Just personal preference.

ballistol is ok, but gets sticky after long term storage. I just use Royal Purple 5w30 synthetic motor oil to lube and ed's red to clean. simple, cheap and will last a decade at least lol

I can only repeat what I've seen and handled with my hands. When I open revolver frames I can often tell which ones have been cleaned with Ballistol by looking at the amber-colored gum that I find inside.

Sometimes when that gum is removed I've seen very slight etching in the metal. Consequently, I no longer leave Ballistol on a gun for more than 3 or 4 months; and I, also, make an effort to keep it out of the action. Others are welcome to do whatever pleases them.

Interesting, as I have put Ballistol on some of my old revolvers (a heavy dose as I knew they would be unused for an extended period of time) and even after a year sitting in the safe, when inspected they look great with no signs of anything abnormal. I guess results may vary.

I have used it for 6 years now (Ballistol) and have no issues. I have a 1952 Winchester Model 94 (30/30) that I have used Ballistol on. I store it in a silicone gun sock and I never have any issues. I also use it on my Glocks and revolvers and have zero issues. I love the stuff. I use Breakfree CLP on my AR and am happy with that as well. I also like Hoppes.

No tackiness or yellowing from Ballistol for me either. I use many different things. It just depends on what I feel like before or after a match.

People overthink cleaning and oiling. I have used 3-in-1 oil with no problems whatsoever in the heat and humidity of Florida.

Use what you have based on what is available. Guns are not high performance engines, oil is not really a concern.

+1

Except your pistol smells like grandma's sewing machine, and grandpa's fishing reels!

Am I the only dinosaur using Hoppes to clean my barrel and breech area?

Take a look at the MSDS sheet for Hoppes #9. It is corrosive to skin, mutagenic, noxious fumes...etc. I have asthma so it a no-go for me.

Works for me...been using it for over 3 decades. Wife doesn't mind it either.

I bought a can of Ballistol because of all the hype...got rid of it in less than a week because it stunk up the whole house.

Back to Hoppes 9 and FP-10.

I used Hoppe's 9 for 40 years to clean my revolvers and Hoppe's oil to protect them.

When I bought my Glock 19, I saw Hickock's video and just happened to go to a gun show a few days afterward. A vendor was selling Ballistol, so I bought a can to try.

Since then, I have been using Ballistol to clean and protect my Glock, Shield and 1911. I still use Hoppe's to clean my revolvers, but use Ballistol to protect them.

However, I must point out that I am a clean freak and all my guns are cleaned the same day I return from the range.

I also think that because I almost never shoot more than 100 rounds (usually less) thru any gun on a range day, that my guns never get that dirty, so the Ballistol does a good job cleaning them. if I shot a few hundred rounds thru a gun in one range trip I would probably use Hoppe's for cleaning.

I contacted S&W Customer Service via email a couple of days ago regarding a couple of 1970's nickel-plated Smith & Wesson revolvers and what I could clean and wipe them down with that will not damage the finish.

I also asked if Ballistol is safe to use as the cleaner/lubricant/surface preservative or if will it damage the finish.

Their succinct response was that they would recommend using Hoppes Elite cleaner.

well I bought a can of ballistol and it seems to work good so far, I also picked up some hoppes 9 bore cleaner. I think this combination will work fine for me.