I suspect an entire generation of firearms aficionados and enthusiasts around my age grew up in front of a computer monitor, listening to a personable old codger from Tennessee smoke pot with the entire gamut of firearms. One immutable characteristic of these videos, aside from the judicious death of two-liters and cigar boxes full of reloads, is one word.
“Ballistol.”
I know you can just hear that twang in your head as well as I. He swears by it on every gun and on every part within those guns.
When I first became of the legal age to exercise my rights, there were only two names in cleaners, protectants, and lubricants that I knew — Hoppe’s and Ballistol.
Some folks don’t like the smell of anise, but if you ask me, that heavy scent weeds out the men from the boys.
Being a mineral oil-based product, Ballistol offers several advantages over the stiffer solvents and compounds: it is less horrible for your health than more caustic CLP-type chemicals, and it’s likewise safer for wood, leather, and other things that aren’t exclusively the bore of your rifle. In fact, it’s a boon to these things.
As a simple man, only capable of simple things, I enjoy being able to douse the entirety of my carry pistols in this Tetutonic elixir, work all of the dead skin, pocket lint, and coarse Mojave sand out from each nook and cranny, give it a final wipe-down, and be on my merry way. This also applies to stock and grip wood; it prevents both water absorption as well as dessication. I’ll give the everything on my Model 70 a good rub-down before a rainy spring bear hunt, and then again once I get back into town (and back into 14% humidity). Even though it may not be strictly necessary, I also always oil my shotgun after each hunt, before it goes back in the same.
Lastly, medical-grade mineral oil is also given as an “intestinal lubricant” if the plumbing is a little backed up. I’m not a doctor, but if you’re twelve Mountain Houses in on a hunt, you might be glad to have a small bottle with you.
There are tons of examples of people oiling everything else from jackets to boots with Ballistol.
I doubt Mr. Hickok has ever seen a royalty check from the Ballistol company, but if not, they should seek to remedy that. Post-haste.
