Ballistol for storage/rust prevention?

[CarloMNL]

Has anyone used this for guns that are mostly kept in storage? How often does it have to be re-applied to keep rust at bay?

An uncle is in his mid-80s but still keeps a shotgun at home. He used to rely on his favorite combo of Hoppe's 9 and Break Free for cleaning stuff but is now more sensitive to chemicals and strong odors. I bought a can of Ballistol for him to try but I have no experience with the product so I'm not sure how well it works for rust protection. The only other stuff I have on hand that I can give him is Lucas CLP but am not sure if Lucas is as mild/non-toxic as Ballistol.

[blues]

From their site:


FIREARMSFirearm Cleaning Lubricant
Keeps firearms protected – lock, stock and barrel.
Ballistol cleans and removes all types of bore fouling. Cleaning with Ballistol will save you time, minimize the need for brushing, and also form a protective film on your firearm. Due to its slight alkalinity, Ballistol neutralizes and dissolves black powder and corrosive ammo residue. In addition, Ballistol will beautify gunstocks, and prevent them from drying out. As a lubricant, Ballistol will never gum up or harden. With Ballistol, your entire firearm will stay lubricated and protected.

The main ingredient is mineral oil. It should be fine protecting a firearm in storage...assuming it is stored with a modicum of care.


Better make sure the odor of Ballistol is not repulsive to him. I don't mind it, but many folks do.

[CarloMNL]

Better make sure the odor of Ballistol is not repulsive to him. I don't mind it, but many folks do.

Thanks Blues. The scent part, I did not account for. I'll test later in the day and figure out if the smell is something that might be a problem for him.

[LittleLebowski]

The best stuff I’ve ever seen is a coat of lanolin and isopropyl alcohol, otherwise known as Dillon Case Lube (https://www.amazon.com/Dillon-Case-Lubricant/dp/B00AQJODDA/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1HF42A6WYOEG6&dchild=1&keywords=dillon+case+lube+spray&qid=1635260034&sprefix=Dillon+case%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-2) (you can make your own). The stuff leaves a light coat that stays put after the alcohol evaporates.

[CarloMNL]

The best stuff I’ve ever seen is a coat of lanolin and isopropyl alcohol, otherwise known as Dillon Case Lube (https://www.amazon.com/Dillon-Case-Lubricant/dp/B00AQJODDA/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1HF42A6WYOEG6&dchild=1&keywords=dillon+case+lube+spray&qid=1635260034&sprefix=Dillon+case%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-2) (you can make your own). The stuff leaves a light coat that stays put after the alcohol evaporates.

I'll look into that if Ballistol's scent does not pass muster. The shop I got Ballistol from was also suggesting Frog Lube but none of my friends who've used the stuff had good things to say about it.

[blues]

I'll look into that if Ballistol's scent does not pass muster. The shop I got Ballistol from was also suggesting Frog Lube but none of my friends who've used the stuff had good things to say about it.

To be honest, even a light coating of light machine oil or USP pharmaceutical (laxative) mineral oil (available everywhere) should prevent oxidation. It would just have to be removed / cleaned before the firearms were put back in use. There's little to no smell with those.

A little attention to wiping down the surfaces and barrel goes a long way.

[beenalongtime]

To be honest, even a light coating of light machine oil or USP pharmaceutical (laxative) mineral oil (available everywhere) should prevent oxidation. It would just have to be removed / cleaned before the firearms were put back in use. There's little to no smell with those.

A little attention to wiping down the surfaces and barrel goes a long way.

Cheaper and doesn't smell like used gym socks.
I don't find the smell horrible, until someone jumps on the bench and knocks over a whole can, while your going to open their cat food. LOL

[MandoWookie]

From their site:



The main ingredient is mineral oil. It should be fine protecting a firearm in storage...assuming it is stored with a modicum of care.


Better make sure the odor of Ballistol is not repulsive to him. I don't mind it, but many folks do.

At least for me, Ballistol has not been good for storage or rust prevention , I started using it as it was highly recommended by several black powder shooters, and I started getting into cap-and-ball. But all my guns cleaned and stored with it developed rusting issues almost immediately. Admittedly, this last year had insane high humidity in this area that I have never seen before, and I have had issues even with my guns that weren't used with Ballistol, but not as severe.

[Spartan1980]

I ran my own corrosion test a few years ago on a bunch of different gun products and a few others. Photobucket ate my pics or I'd post them up here. Ballistol wasn't the worst but it was close. Breakfree CLP was the worst which I wasn't expecting at all. It rusted as fast as the untreated control patch. As far as Ballistol not holding up to rust, I knew it wouldn't. It mixes with water and that's one of it's virtues as it makes a fantastic blackpowder gun cleaner. It's better than nothing but it's definitely not for long term storage. Pretty good stuff when used routinely. I use it fairly extensively and have three large cans with the spray nozzle. It's my main cleaning product and I use it for lube on certain guns. I use Amsoil or Lucas Extreme for oil on my hard use guns that get oil and not grease. Ballistol on most everything else.

What won out in the corrosion test? Froglube paste applied with the heat method and wiping all of it off after cooldown. Followed extremely closely by Eezox. It was kind of hard to tell the winner of those two as both were shockingly good.

[1Rangemaster]

Folks, on a blues steel slide-think old Colt style bluing-is there such a thing as “waxing”? My search revealed the brand “Renaissance Wax” and also suggested carnabua wax.
Does anyone have any experience here please?

[blues]

Folks, on a blues steel slide-think old Colt style bluing-is there such a thing as “waxing”? My search revealed the brand “Renaissance Wax” and also suggested carnabua wax.
Does anyone have any experience here please?

I occasionally use the same can of Rennaisance Wax I've had for 20 years or so. Mostly on knife handles, (wood, antler, etc) moreso than on blades...and never on my guns...but I no longer have blue steel.

I use it very sparingly and even then it still needs a bit of buffing after application. Not my favorite because of the additional work required. Call me lazy. It is great for bringing a shine.

By the way, a master knife smith on bladeforums recommends using neutral shoe polish (the kind in the can)...as an inexpensive and highly effective alternative.

I can't speak to the corrosion resistance of Ren Wax or Neutral Shoe Polish as I've never used them for that specific reason and have never tested.

That said, I don't get rust or corrosion on my guns or knives stored indoors...and we get lots of rain and humidity...but I'm not in a high saline environment here in the mountains.

[Trooper224]

I use Renaissance Wax extensively on swords and knives. I also use it on firearms that rarely come out of the safe. It was developed in the museum community for just such presrvation efforts on artifacts. I find it works as advertised.

[OlongJohnson]

I'm in Gulf Coast humidity. I use Hornady One Shot cleaner/lube as the overall wipedown on most of my guns, and a whole lot of stuff that lives in the garage and is thus exposed to full humidity with full temperature swings. Works fairly well. None of my guns rust living in the house. The solvent is naptha, though, so it's definitely a well-ventilated-area application. And gloves.

Somewhere, there's a test online of a bunch of different cleaner/lubes done on sheet metal coupons. That's what turned me on to the Hornady. Frog Lube did OK, but not as well. I also don't like Frog Lube for long-term storage.

FireClean can cross link if left alone for a long time and glue an action together. It's a PITA to hammer/pry everything apart, solvent soak and brush the hardened FireClean out, and put it back together with a non-crappy lube like you should have in the first place.

[blues]

I have many carbon steel tools for working outdoors in my garage which suffers from the vagaries of heat, cold, wet here in our rainy county. My garages are not heated, cooled or otherwise ventilated.

None of my tools...scythe, saws, axes, knives, all of which are carbon steel, have oxidized...though mold / mildew is common on sheaths and such. I clean it off when it bugs me.

I will very occasionally put a light layer of mineral oil or Ballistol on the tools which will be sitting for a very long while. But most have received none, especially the scythe and other cutting or digging tools.

OP, I wouldn't overthink it if the guns will be stored with a modicum of attention to how and where they are put away. Common sense goes a long way.

[5pins]

If you can stand the smell then EEZOX is the best stuff I have found for storage.

[CarloMNL]

I use Renaissance Wax extensively on swords and knives. I also use it on firearms that rarely come out of the safe. It was developed in the museum community for just such presrvation efforts on artifacts. I find it works as advertised.

I've used Ren Wax before on some collectibles and it does work as advertised though application requires a bit of elbow grease. Given that the item in question is a Parkerized shotgun, I am unsure how much Ren Wax would be needed to cover the barrel, receiver, and tubular magazine.




OP, I wouldn't overthink it if the guns will be stored with a modicum of attention to how and where they are put away. Common sense goes a long way.

I agree. He's had the good sense to store it in a drier section of his home (easier said than done when you live in a tropical climate) and despite the neglect, whatever corrosion was on the surface wiped off after letting CLP soak into the Parkerizing for a few minutes.

He didn't like the scent of Ballistol at all. I tested it on his bolt and he asked me where the foul stench was coming from. I reverted to Lucas CLP which he had no objections to so I'll just the Ballistol on my own stuff until the can runs dry. I'll admit that the smell takes some getting used to.


If you can stand the smell then EEZOX is the best stuff I have found for storage.

Have heard about Eezox but have not seen it available here. After the Ballistol odor objection, I'd hesitate to try it for this specific use case.

Thanks for all the inputs. It's Lucas CLP for now and I'll see how it holds up in a few months.

[Sharkbite]

Folks, on a blues steel slide-think old Colt style bluing-is there such a thing as “waxing”? My search revealed the brand “Renaissance Wax” and also suggested carnabua wax.
Does anyone have any experience here please?


This was developed for the British museum and is the tits! My Father has quite and extensive and expensive collection of cutlery and I hipped him to this. He applies semi-annually to wood, steel and leather. Zero corrosion issues in 1000% humidity Georgia. Oil the internals and wax the externals, and you should be good.

[JCN]

If he’s not going to use it, I use the coated storage bags / sleeves.

They’re cheap and they don’t leave residue on the guns when you want to use them.

https://www.zerustproducts.com/products/firearms-ammo-weapons/vci-gun-storage-bags/

[Clusterfrack]

Hornady One Shot Cleaner/Dry Lube has good rust prevention.

https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-99901-Cleaner-Aerosol-DynaGlide/dp/B007TNXGMK/

[sickeness]

This stuff has no odor at all, I started using it after reading some article 10 years ago where it beat every other firearms rust preventative on the market in terms of rust prevention. I have had nothing but good things to say about it.

https://www.amazon.com/WD-40-300038-Specialist-Corrosion-Inhibitor/dp/B00631GWS4/

[Archer1440]

I would strongly suggest you check into ACF-50, which has proven to be a reliable and safe corrosion inhibitor in many applications.

[gato naranja]

Folks, on a blues steel slide-think old Colt style bluing-is there such a thing as “waxing”? My search revealed the brand “Renaissance Wax” and also suggested carnabua wax.
Renaissance Wax is what the military collectible community tends to use on arms, armor, medals, etc. It requires a bit of time to apply and buff, but it is highly regarded by people with high-end antiquities.

(It will not, however, stop "zinc pest" found on many zinc-based military items... I don't think anything can stop that, as the problem is sort of "baked into" the metal when the alloy is composed and melted before casting.)

Many knife people like Tuf-Glide and I know people who think it is fine for wiping down firearms, but I have never tried it on anything but knives.

Ballistol is, IMHO, better than nothing as a rust preventative, but that is about it. I does have many uses, but rust prevention isn't really one of them. I have had good luck with Slip 2000 EWL in short-term storage, but YMMV. RIG and the original Cosmoline were pretty good in their day, but I am not sure you can even get them anymore.

[peterb]

RIG and the original Cosmoline were pretty good in their day, but I am not sure you can even get them anymore.

https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/mil-spec-grease-mil-c-11796c-class-3/

https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/rig-universal-gun-grease-3-oz-jar.html

[gato naranja]

https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/mil-spec-grease-mil-c-11796c-class-3/

https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/rig-universal-gun-grease-3-oz-jar.html

Cool! RIG used to be the gold standard for a lot of serious gun guys back in the day. One of the area gunsmiths used to push it to the locals who used their shotguns a few times a year and thought a drop of 3 in 1 oil or 30 weight motor oil rubbed into a thin film on the outside or cursorily ran down the bore would prevent their guns from rusting in whatever corner they stored them in. He had a little pyramid of boxes with the "toothpaste tube" of RIG inside them that never seemed to lose or gain a box.

There aren't many positives to aging out, but I guess one of them would be that I now have what is probably a "lifetime supply" - MY lifetime, at any rate - of cosmoline that I bought from Brownells when they still carried it.