Ballistol Multi-Purpose Can Lubricant Cleaner Protectant 16 oz, Single with 1 Sprayer

I got this to clean my 1851 Colt Navy reproduction. It works really, really well… but ye gods, it stinks!

At first I was a bit skeptical about the claims that Ballistol could be used for so many things, so I tried it on a few (just a note- I didn't use the included spray head; I put some in a 1 oz needle tip applicator bottle). For an initial test, I used it on a 100+ year old bayonet w/ scabbard and leather frog. The blade was dirty, with some dust & grease and the leather frog for the scabbard was very dry & stiff. This cleaned all the gunk off the blade and left a nice protective film, and seemed to do a good job of conditioning the grip wood. It also brought the leather frog back to life after 2 sessions of applying with a gun cleaning patch and rubbing it in. It went from very dry, stiff, and rough looking to smooth & pliable. I then tested it on an old rifle that had been sitting for some time. After deep-cleaning the bore with some Hoppes #9 bore solvent, I ran a patch soaked in Ballistol through the barrel to leave a protective anti-corrosion film. The bolt was stiff and the old oil had gummed a bit so I used this to clean & lubricate the friction points, and it's cycling was very smooth afterward. Finally I rubbed a clean cloth patch with some of this on it over the exterior metal components and wood stock, and it made the rifle look much better all while cleaning dust, oils, and other gunk off. The Ballistol didn't cause any damage to the interior of my range bag, either, which was a concern I had since this is a cleaner/lubricant, not a straight-up gun oil. I haven't had a chance to test it as a bore cleaner, but will try it after a day at the range with a .22 once the weather gets better. If there is a down side to Ballistol, it's the smell. Think high school gym locker room after the soccer and football teams just played matches on a hot summer day- it's like wet, sweaty socks. You do tune out the smell pretty quickly, though, so after the initial hit it's not horrible especially in a well ventilated area. So, in summary, Ballistol actually does actually work for a variety of purposes and is very handy to keep around.

I know a lot of people love the smell of gun oil (especially Hoppe), but I really hate the smell of chemical solvents. I also hate the fact that, with petroleum based solvents, if you don't use rubber gloves your hands will smell like solvent for a long time no matter how many times you wash them. Because of this (and because I also dislike having to worry about inhaling harmful vapors or having toxic stuff soaking into my skin) I was looking for something non toxic and without an offensive smell to clean my guns. After a lot of research I came up with several products that seem to work as well as their toxic counterparts but without being toxic. I was almost about to pull the trigger (no pun intended) on the Slip2000 (which I think is also what I think my local gun shop uses, judging from the citrus smell) when I read a post from someone on a forum raving about Ballistol. Ballistol was developed in Germany for the German Army in 1905. The chemist who developed the formula was asked to make something that was as close to a universal oil as possible and I think he succeeded. Ballistol can be used as an all-in-one gun care product (cleans, lubricates, protects). It can be used with black powder guns (unlike most modern gun oils) and it's mildly alkaline so it neutralizes acids. It can be used on knives and blades to both clean them and prevent rust (which is especially an issue for high carbon steel). It can be used as a leather care product for boots and the likes. It can be used on wood to create a protective film. It can be used as a penetrating oil to break free rusty screws. It can be used on bicycle chains, boats, engines. It can even (in case of emergency) be used as a disinfectant on wounds. Ballistol is also the only gun oil that can mix with water and still be lubricating. It really is as versatile as you can get! So far I have had a chance to use it with: - A cheap multi-tool. It penetrated very quickly, making a stiff joint very smooth. - To clean knives. I have a couple of beater knives that I use to open packages and cut tape. They are often covered in sticky adhesive that is quite hard to get off. A bit of Ballistol got rid of it in no time, leaving the knives nice and shiny. - Guns. I used Ballitol to clean my LC9s and some shotguns; it did as good of a job as when I used Break Free or other classic gun oils and cleaners, without having to worry about being in a super ventilated area to avoid passing out from the fumes. - Leather. I used it to polish my leather boots and it did a very nice job. As far as the smell, it's very peculiar. It does smell of anise (anise oil is one of the ingredients) which I actually like, and it has a certain earthy note, which I personally don't mind at all. It doesn't smell like kerosene or solvents at all, and the smell disappears pretty quickly. Even on your hands, if you don't wear gloves, the smell is gone in one hour or less. In general, I tend to not be crazy about all-in-one products, because usually you trade the effectiveness of the single purpose products for the convenience of having to use just one product. While I'm sure in the areas of cleaning, lubrication and protection Ballistol might not be as good as the best single purpose product in the category, I find that the trade-off in this situation is the exception to the rule, because you don't really sacrifice much to have the convenience of one product. Ballistol is actually better than most single purpose products and it has the added bonus of being nontoxic. I have used both the version that comes in the aerosol can and this one with the plastic spray nozzle. Each can has some pros and cons depending on the application, and I like having both available since I use Ballistol for a wide variety of tasks. The only downside to this plastic nozzle version is that it does tend to leak, so you'll want to keep that in mind to avoid making a mess. I'm extremely happy with Ballistol and I feel pretty safe saying that I believe everybody should have a can in the house. It doesn't even matter if you don't own guns or knives. You will always have something to lube, some rusty screw, something made of leather, a bicycle, etc. and Ballistol will come to the rescue! If you found my review helpful, please click yes below, I would really appreciate it! 3/18/2017 Update: I've since gone through multiple bottles of this stuff, and it is truly worth it's weight in gold. I've found so many applications for Ballistol in my life I can't keep count of them all. In addition to cleaning my guns, waterproofing my leather army boots, and removing adhesive gunk from knives, I used this stuff today for two other things: 1) To lubricate the inner hard rubber seal of my new jerry can (Balistol can be burned in car engines with no problem) and 2) to remove a really impossible to remove wine bottle label.

I am really happy with this cleaner. I use it for firearms to clean and protect. The spray nozzle sucks though. I can’t fit it into the bottle but the cleaner is fabulous

Great product but if my opinion matters, get the pressurized version. The spray nozzle on this applies far too much that I need to clean up before assembly.

Great cleaner, lubricant, and protector for your firearms, all in one. Used by Hickok45 for years. This stuff works! Spray it on, scrub it with a brush, and spray it on again to rinse. Wipe off excess and you're good to go. Put some on a patch for cleaning barrels and chambers. You don't need 3 or more cleaners. Just this. Love it!