Ballistol Multi-Purpose Non-CFC Aerosol Can Lubricant Cleaner Protectant 6 oz

Great cleaning and lubricant all in one

I think that this stuff was originally designed to be a firearm lubricant. It serves that purpose very well, but it excels at lubricating countless other things as well. Anywhere that you might lubricate with WD-40, try this instead. It lasts longer, smells nicer, and works better. It also works as an anti-rust coating. I spray saw blades, and other polished tool surfaces and this stuff keeps the rust at bay. I am very happy with it, so much so that I subscribed to it so I can put a can of this stuff just about anywhere where tools or things might need lubrication.

Like other people have stated in their reviews, I was first introduced to this product on Hickok45's YouTube Channel. I have been using Remington Oil, Hoppes No. 9, BreakFree CLP, and Hoppes Lubricating Oil for the decade of my firearms ownership and I have not felt a particularly strong need to deviate away from them. Seeing how great his faith in this Ballistol stuff is, though, I decided it might be worth a try: particularly given that it is environmentally friendly and apparently less hard on the skin than some the other cleaners I am used to.When I first got this rather spendy container of lubricant, I was impressed by the spectacle of all of the claimed functions of Ballistol labeled on this otherwise unassuming green can. Enthusiastic about getting started, I began by disassembling and beginning to clean my custom Ruger 10/22. Like other reviewers have said, this has a sort of slightly rotted licorice smell to it. It does not bother me too much, but I did find that I needed to use this with the garage door and window open as it does irritate my respiratory tract far more than any other cleaner I have used.Like a lot of the reviews and Hickok45 have recommended, I sprayed the more fouled portions of my rifle like the barrel, chamber throat and bolt face and let the Ballistol and let them sit and soak while I went to work spraying and wiping down some of the less fouled portions of the rifle. This is where I think the Ballistol falls short of my hopes: Ballistol is very slippery and definitely has a sort of filmy, slimy feeling to it. This quality is what I imagine makes it a great action lubricant for most firearms, but for the purpose of general cleaning and wiping down like I use Rem oil I was disappointed. I found that the slimy nature of the lubricant made the carbon and crud stick and pool wherever I didn't manage to wipe the Ballistol off where as the Rem oil typical just blasts stuff away and seemingly evaporates in short order, leaving nothing but smooth and reasonably slick surfaces behind that I can than lubricate with light coats of CLP or Hoppes lubricating oil depending on the firearm (I am kind of finicky about my choices).Coming back to the areas that I soaked with Ballistol, though, I was in for a happy surprise. Using my Scott's shop towels, I was able to wipe the surfaces I soaked clean with a few passes which would have taken a good couple of minutes of scraping and scrubbing with brushes and Rem oil otherwise. I shoot my 10/22 ALOT and I glad to have found something that expedites the cleaning process as I have to engage in doing so frequently. Additionally, I did a pass through my 10/22 barrel with a boresnake and was happy to see it come out with grit and grime in tow, leaving behind a shiny bore.The next place where I am super thrilled about Ballistol is why I will be keeping it in my firearm cleaning box: wiping down and protecting the wood, plastic, and metal exteriors of my firearms while in the safe. I took a soft cloth and sprayed a small amount of Ballistol onto it and proceeded to wipe down the wood stocks and metal of my heirloom firearms: Dad's Winchester model 37 shotgun he was given when he was 14, Grandpa's 1997 Marlin 60 that has killed innumerable critters and varmints, and Great Grandpa's Mossberg bolt action 20 gauge shotgun that has killed just about everything legal with wings on it. What the Ballistol did to those firearms just stunned me: it left the blued finishes brilliantly shiny with a trace of attractive-looking wetness to them that lasted (unlike Rem Oil) and left the stocks polished and shiny looking with just a bit of slipperiness to them. I put them back in the safe and a week later when I came back to inspect them, they all were still looking lovely and protected! I have a paranoia that goes to my core of letting these guns devolve into neglected piles of junk, no matter how low their monetary value, and as such I am proud to add Ballistol to my repertoire of cleaning agents for that purpose!Where I am not feeling okay about using the Ballistol is on my AR-15. CLP was specifically developed for the cleaning, lubricating, and preserving of military arms like the M4/M16 platform and I don't think Ballistol cuts it. The AR-15 action is a dirty, high heat, high movement action and needs lubricants that can handle the abuse. My opinion is entirely my own and not representative of what may be truth to someone else, but my anecdotal experience using AR-15's is that they like to run wet in optimal conditions and need lubricants that can leave behind a barrier of lubricant when wiped completely away in non-optimal conditions where excessively lubricated guns will jam up from the accumulation of particulates and fouling from the environment. Ballistol does leave behind somewhat of a film, but after running a few hundred rounds through my AR at the range, I found that the rifle was dry and crusted with carbon in all the places where Break Free CLP would have remained wet and kept fouling from cooking onto the bolt and BCG. This is unacceptable to me and thus CLP will remain the primary all-in-one oil that my AR-15 gets cleaned and lubricated with.All in all, Ballistol deserves 5 stars for its amazing versatility, easy-going nature on your body and the environment, and as a historical multi-purpose oil that has stood up to the test of time for most all applications. I hope this zany, slightly disorganized review has helped you some and I hope you have a great time getting to use this great legacy of a lubricant from our honored friends in Germany.

No exaggeration, this is an amazing product, especially for gun care. There's a gentleman on YouTube who regularly reviews handguns with the handle Hickok45 and if you have the opportunity, check out his reviews. I did and it's how I found out about this little gem of a gun cleaner/lubricant.He explained in a video that it felt to him very much like curing a cast iron skillet. The more he used it, the smoother the metal became. I liked that analogy and after having used it on my Glock, I can fully agree - it really makes a difference! It's also fantastic as a cleaner and really helps to pick up the gunk that might be in your firearm.I have some advice that I'd like to share with fellow new gun owners:CLEAN YOUR NEW GUN.I have heard time and again how people say "It's fresh out of the box, it's clean, go to the range and burn off a few rounds!" Well, okay but...I'm old school. I've been cleaning guns for years and my #1 rule is - If I didn't clean it, it ain't clean.To add some weight to that rule, I recently purchased a pair of Glocks. Very nice guns, excellent reputation, I don't need to preach from the Glock Bible, you either love 'em or you don't. This isn't about them...it's about cleaning.I stripped down both Glocks and proceeded to clean and lube them, using Ballistol. Not only did my cleaning rags come out BLACK with gunk on these guns, I even picked up some METAL out of the slide area from one of them.METAL.Metal tends to harm other metal, especially if it's floating around between two sliding areas - even if they're well lubed.The point is, I'm *very* glad I cleaned them thoroughly (as I always do) before I took them to the range. Be smart, when you get a new gun, strip it down and clean it. Lube it as recommended by the manufacturer. This is for two important reasons:#1: Now you *know* it's clean. No need to second guess.#2: Now you know more about your gun than you did after you first bought it. You've learned how to field strip it (critical to know should something go WRONG while you're at the range) and you should have a better understanding of how your particular gun works.That's worth the extra 20 minutes it'll take you, right there.