Ballistol use

[gumbo333]

I have used quit a bit of Ballistol over the years along with many other firearm cleaning/ protectant products. I know the Ballistol story and what uses it was developed for maybe 120+ years ago in Germany. One useage was medicinal use on your body, prevent infection, speed healing, etc..... So do any of you casters, shooters, tinker's actually use Ballistol as a medicinal product? Did it work or do any good? Or did it not work at all, or worse? I have and it sure seemed to help healing on cuts and stop a skin rash, maybe. Any comments good, bad or otherwise.

[cwtebay]

We have it on the shelf for an OTC emollient basically. Works for softening nostrils and paws, old dry wire cuts, etc. It supposedly was the first "medical grade" mineral oil. There may be something to the oils used in it that are therapeutic. All this AND it smells nice!
Oh, and I've heard some use it for guns??

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[jdfoxinc]

WHAT!!! Ballistol cleans guns even black powder very well, but it reeks! I have to use it outside or my wife complains for a couple of days till it dissipates.

[country gent]

While I use it to clean guns mostly, I also have used it for a cutting fluid for tapping drilling and turning

[Peregrine]

WHAT!!! Ballistol cleans guns even black powder very well, but it reeks! I have to use it outside or my wife complains for a couple of days till it dissipates.

I don't understand this. Everyone I've used it around says it smells amazing.

[leadhead]

Damn.... I don't mind the smell of skunk, but I'll gag at the smell of Ballistol.
Denny

[cwtebay]

You know, I think it's a little like scarlet oil. I think it's better than Chanel, but some say it's worse than boiled *********. I grew up with Ballistol in the shop and scarlet oil in the barn. I can't imagine more homey smells.

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[fiberoptik]

I don’t know why everyone whines about the smell. I don’t think it smells bad. Course I haven’t smelled anything since 1984……!


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[Rug480]

I swim in it like Frank Drebin. I LOVE IT

[lefty o]

use it and enjoy, just not around me LOL i cant stand the stink of it.

[fiberoptik]

I couldn’t smell the teargas in the Corps. Sure felt the effects tho.


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[LUCKYDAWG13]

Ballistol is all i use now but have a soft spot for the smell of Hoppes #9 thats what Dad had on his bench

[lefty o]

I couldn’t smell the teargas in the Corps. Sure felt the effects tho.


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id rather suffer the gas chamber again.

[winelover]

I use it and like it, but don't care for the aroma. Then again I hate the smell of Hoppe's. Will only use it outdoors. Never heard of it's healing properties...........will have to try it when my palms start cracking, again.

Winelover

[jonp]

I like the smell and use quite a bit of it on various things including leather boots, spray on molds etc. I like its use on molds, saw blades etc because it washes off easily.

It's medicinal use is well known in Europe and they even sell it as such in white cans with red labels. They call it Ballistol Universal but I think it's the same stuff just that it's approved for use on animals something they just won't do here because of the cost. I think....at least they don't differentiate between the two that I can see.
I use it on my hands for cracked and dry skin. It works great for that.

There are innumerous fields of application for Ballistol in housekeeping and technology, but equally countless are the possibilities of using Ballistol with human beings and animals. This is kind of a delicate subject matter, because according to the law on pharmaceutical products we are not allowed to give hints at the medicinal use otherwise we would have to dub Ballistol a medicament. But then it could only be sold and bought at the chemist's as a prescription-free remedy. Therefore we'll refrain from giving any more advice on that subject and rely on our customers to recommend Ballistol to friends and acquaintances.

Read for yourself
https://www.ballistol-shop.de/Body-Care/Ballistol-Universal-Oil_B_S_40_221.html
https://www.ballistol-shop.de/History-of-Ballistol:_:86.html

[nicholst55]

You can also use it to treat leather.

[lotech]

I've used Ballistol for years. It does have a foul smell, unlike any other similar product, but you eventually get used to the "dirty feet" aroma.

[Petrol & Powder]

I recall from reading one of Stephen Ambrose books (maybe Citizen Soldiers) that American soldiers in the European theater learned to recognize the smell of sweat stained German leather gear when they were in close proximity to German soldiers. I always wondered if that might have been some combination of perspiration and Ballistol soaked into the leather gear?

[Eamonn]

I recall from reading one of Stephen Ambrose books (maybe Citizen Soldiers) that American soldiers in the European theater learned to recognize the smell of sweat stained German leather gear when they were in close proximity to German soldiers. I always wondered if that might have been some combination of perspiration and Ballistol soaked into the leather gear?

That sounds similar to the basis of the old swedish name for birchbark-tar, ryssolja (russian oil), because the russians used it to treat their leather gear and during the wars in the dark and fog the swedes are said to sometimes have been able to smell their enemies before they could see them.

As far as wound treatment and the like I use wool fat and have only use ballistol for guns and other metal items like creaking doors and the like.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I don't understand this. Everyone I've used it around says it smells amazing.

Yeah it smells amazingly like Cat Pee! I asked them about it last year at the SHOT Show and they confirmed that it in fact, has some in it!

Randy

[cwtebay]

Yeah.... definitely not cat pee. The smell of cat urine immediately infuriating to me, and while Ballistol may not be Chanel - there's definitely no feline excrement in it.

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[Carrier]

Yeah it smells amazingly like Cat Pee! I asked them about it last year at the SHOT Show and they confirmed that it in fact, has some in it!

Randy

I find that a bit hard to believe.

[lefty o]

I find that a bit hard to believe.

sometimes you have to have your hip waders on around here.

[fiberoptik]

I’ve tried it on pocket knives and don’t think it lubes very well.


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[W.R.Buchanan]

sometimes you have to have your hip waders on around here.

Duh?! Sometimes people just forget to bring them? I guess?

Randy

[waksupi]

The main ingredient is mineral oil, along with propane, and some other thing I don't recall. Search for the msds.

[Buzz Krumhunger]

“Ballistol contains medicinal grade mineral oil, alkaline salts of oleic acid, several alcohols, Benzyl Acetate and an oil from vegetal seeds. The mineral oil is unchlorinated and conforms to the specifications of US Pharmacopeia XX.”

Ballistol MSDS page 3

I believe the propane mentioned by waksupi is the propellant in the aerosol form of Ballistol.

[Sam Casey]

Keeps my shredder running smooth.

[pworley1]

Ed's Red is also good for minor cuts. It stings a little though.

[skeettx]

Smells like licorice to me.

A bit pungent , but works amazingly well
at many tasks

Mike

[rfd]

initially, ballistol wasn't particularly nice smelling, but i've gotten very used to it over the decades, to where it's of no thought or concern.

i use ballistol predominantly for trad muzzleloaders, either straight up or cut with water, because the stocks of these guns will always get wet with whatever is used during final cleaning and ballistol is good for the wood.

[jonp]

Smells a little like Jagermeister to me. I like the smell

[nicholst55]

Smells a little like Jagermeister to me. I like the smell

Jagermeister tastes like mouthwash to me. I never associated the smell of Ballistol with it, however.

[Chill Wills]

Jagermeister tastes like mouthwash to me. I never associated the smell of Ballistol with it, however.

Jagermeister is cheaper than Ballistol. So I use Jagermeister to clean my barrels.:idea: It is a pretty good solvent.;-)

Okay!

I do use Ballistol. The gallon price delivered makes it cheep. I also like Mr. Ed's Red for many gun chores. It is very good and many thanks for offering the recipe to the public so many years ago! I don't however, ever leave it (Ed's Red) wet in the barrel of my cast bullet rifles, mainly BPCR, with out cleaning it all out dry. I found out the hard way it galls or pulls lead jast as well shooting as cleaning. Pulling lead is a very good trait when cleaning a barrel. It is a bad trait when just starting a string of cast bullets in a match and getting leading from the get-go.
I dry the bore if I have used Ed's Red and then reapply Ballistol which makes a world of difference for me with cast bullets. YMMV

I have never used the product for cuts and infection. Too many other products available made just for the medical complaint at hand.
However, for a soldier 100 years ago, it may have made sense to have one item that versatile.
I have no problem with the smell - and 40 years ago if a girl had put Hoppies or Ballistol on as perfume, I would have been asking her for a daytime walk in the woods in a heartbeat! She could have her choice of rifle or shotgun.

[jonp]

Jagermeister tastes like mouthwash to me. I never associated the smell of Ballistol with it, however.

Hush your mouth :groner:

[Wayne Smith]

Jagermeister tastes like mouthwash to me. I never associated the smell of Ballistol with it, however.

Specifically Vicks 44 - and exact match to taste IMHO.

[jaysouth]

My father brought home a CZ27 from WWII. the pebbled finish leather holster always had a peculiar smell to it. Many years later when I bought my first container of Ballistol and opened it up, I immediately recognized the smell as the same as the holster. Apparently the holster and gun had been treated with Ballistol in the WWII era by the Germans.

[444ttd]

i luv the smell of ballistol!!!!!!!!

[Walks]

Used it My whole life.
Dad went to Germany in 1947, looking for Family. Didn't find any, but brought home Ballistol. Found it was great on Black Powder about 10yrs later.

Between it, WD-40 and Hoppe's #9 that just about covered cleaning and lubing everything.

Smells Good too.

[ukrifleman]

Whenever I use it, it makes me cough, but it has to be just about the most versatile product for use on firearms.

An unexpected bonus is that my wife can't stand the smell, so I get left alone in the loading room whenever the bottle is open !!

ukrifleman

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I don't mind Hoppes smell, but I did think Balistol smelled a bit dirty. I do like licorice and was hoping Balistol smelled like it, but it didn't to me. I also like the smell of menthol, but haven't found Listerine to be a satisfactory gun cleaner...