Balistrol and Cap and Ball pistols

M

mrappe

New member
I went to a CASS Shoot in March for the first time in 8 years. I shot my Metalic Cartridge guns but after I go home I pulled out my 2 cap and ball pistols (Colt 1860 Army & 1858 Remington - both Pietta ) which I have not shot in a long time either. During the CASS shoot several people we reving to me about Balistrol. I usually shoot the BP pistols with Bore Butter on top of the balls with Wonder Wads underneath them and so when I get home from shooting I take the grips off and the cylinders etc off and put them in a tub of how water with Simple Green and brush them out. After i dry the off and run a dry patch down the bore I put them on a cookie try and put them in the oven at 190 degrees for about 10 minutes to get all of the water out . After they cool I lub them with Bore Butter. I ordered some Balistrol and was wondering if I could oil them buy spraying it over the parts and wiping them off. I was soncerened that the Balistrol might effect future caps that I place on the nipples. Any ideas?

Mike
 
Mrappe

I use Balistol like you are using the Simple Green and Bore Butter. I spray balistol on the frame, in the chambers & down the barrel of my Colts. Let it sit a couple days to loosen the powder fouling, then wipe the frame, patch the barrel and brush the chambers under running water. Final lubing is done with by spraying with Balistol and wiping off the excess. I always pop a cap on the nipples prior to loading the first cylinder in a shooting session to burn off/clear any moisture or Balistol residue that would contaminate the powder.

IMHO, it is unnecessary to use wads and lube over the ball. One or the other would serve the same purpose, and would be cheaper. I find the use of just the wad prevents chain fires, keeps the bore relatively clean, imparts some lub to the arbor/cylinder face, and is a lot less messy..
 
Thanks for the reply. I guess that part of the reason that I was using both the wads and the lube was that one time i tried to use my C&B pistols for CASS shooting after about 3 stages they got so stiff and stove up that I could hardly shoot them. Using so much lube is messy though and I would like to do without that part of it, I believe I saw one guy who was spaying his gun with Windex between stages.

Mike
 
This is confusing,

Mrappe says: and put them in a tub of how water with Simple Green and brush them out. After i dry the off and run a dry patch down the bore I put them on a cookie try and put them in the oven at 190 degrees for about 10 minutes to get all of the water out . After they cool I lub them with Bore Butter. I ordered some Balistrol and was wondering if I could oil them buy spraying it over the parts and wiping them off. I was soncerened that the Balistrol might effect future caps that I place on the nipples. Any ideas?

Fingers says: I use Balistol like you are using the Simple Green and Bore Butter. I spray balistol on the frame, in the chambers & down the barrel of my Colts. Let it sit a couple days to loosen the powder fouling, then wipe the frame, patch the barrel and brush the chambers under running water. Final lubing is done with by spraying with Balistol and wiping off the excess.

Them two statements don't in any way sound as tho Fingers paid a damn bit of attention to what Mrappe said.

HE SOAKS his pistol in Simple Green and hot water. YOU say you spray them with Ballistol, let them sit till your next shoot, spray a little more, wipe and shoot.

This is 2 totally different methods of caring for your pistol. I like boiling the pistol parts and my fingers till I can fish a piece out, clean it, rinse it.

Same token, 100 years ago, they didn't tear them down when they had to shoot a horse with a broken, leg. At the worst, rinse it in the nearest creek, OR don't do nothing. Most likely, next time you HAVE to cock it, someone barges into your house, it will most likely fire.

I have had carry pistols that I tried to shoot when out with BP pistols. I found that carry in the pocket will put enough pocket lint in firing pin channel that you would get a very bad surprise did you need it. One was a Smith .380.
Kel-Tec .380, will tell you, I am happy with. 7.2 oz. empty. About 11 loaded.. Shoots better than my S'inlaw's Sig Sauer 230. Mine 240, his 750.

I gotta get this boy, more my daughter, to allow me to bring BP over to shoot into the pile of dirt they had made when the house was built. Purpose of the hill was that the boy's dad was dying of cancer. He and I were supposed to shoot. He never got energetic enough to be able to. I miss him. I didn't know him all that long. He went to school with my younger brother.

Cheers,

George
 
mrappe,

140 years ago, they did not use Windex and stuff to keep their pistols working. I think you could splash that thing in some cool water and clean it off as well as boiling it would do.

Cheers,

George
 
You don't need both wads and ball lube. Wads are less messy. I've used Balistol but it's expensive. Water doesn't have to be hot for cleanup but it seems to go a little easier if it is. You don't need to soak anything with anything for a couple of days. As long as you use a vegetable based lube soapy water will clean it right up in less time than you can clean a smokeless revolver. Windex works if you're shooting a lot of rounds like in a CAS match.
 
I normally shoot four to six pistols on each outing. The end of the day I pop the grips and run them through the dishwasher, blow them off with compressed air and then spray with Ballistol, run a patch down the barrel and chambers. The Ballistol emulsifies with any remaining moisture.
If I have to let them set before I get to cleaning them I spray them down with Ballistol. I have gone several days like that with no problems.
 
Water and Ballistol sprayed on and in the barrel and cylinder. Brush the nipples out. Pull a bore snake through the barrels. Wipe the interior of the chambers out with a 12 ga bore mop. wipe the exterior down. Grease the arbor with bore butter and put them up. Take the grips off every 6 months or so.
You're wearing the guns out by cleaning too much.
 
I think the advantage of Ballistol is in-the-field cleaning when the pistols get cruded up. I can't find Ballistol anymore, so I use Hoppe's black powder solvent (milky looking)-- which I think is similar. Dilluted with water, you can spray/wipe Ballistol/Hoppe's down the barrel and wipe down the arbor with it to get the revolver revolving again.

At home I just wash my pistols in a bucket with hot soapy water. Then dry them and lube with veggie oil. I always check 'em a day or two later--just in case.
 
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