Joe I can only guess on the compatibility

Hoppes was the only thing out there for years and smell alone brings back memories.   However today I think Hoppes is best for copper fowling, will clean powder fowling but it's best use is getting copper out of the bore.  I never used Hoppes for black powder lead bullet guns preferring hot water finished with light oil.  I found Hoppes will dry out in time and not the best thing for storing a rifle.

Ballistol on the other hand is different stuff.   Seems not to harm wood at all. I even will Balistol leather if it gets moldy.  Thing I like about it is it does not seem to be so toxic like WD 40 or other spray lubes. In Black powder guns it does a real good job cleaning and followed up the next day with another wipe have never seen any rust or remaining residue.  I suspect it has some water in the mix.

I do however give Balistol time to work.  Spray some on let it sit 5 minutes or so then go through the clean and wipe routine.  Next day wipe one more time then give the bore a light coat of Balistols Oil.

I don't generally mix products and see no good reason to follow Balistol with Hoppes. But cannot say for sure it's not a good idea.

Boats

Merle thats a good recomendation will have to try some of the Hoppes plus.  Wiping bores on BP guns between shots I use a mix of half anti freeze and half water.   It's a popular mix with the BPCS guys.  Don't use it to clean at home or for storing though. Squeeky clean and coated with light oil on my bores.

I also wax the lock stock and barrel on all black powder guns when storing.  My Minne ball rifle has a nice patina from that wax treatement and years of rubbing down. Just plain old clear floor wax. light coat rubbed on.

Boats

When I'm done shooting BP I blow tube the barrel, let it set a couple minutes then push the crud out with a snug patch. Sometimes I do it twice. Then I clean the bore with regular ole Hoppes. After the rifle goes in the rack at home I check it after a couple days. Very seldom do I have to clean it again. We have a dry climate here in the west and I can understand if that method doesnt work back east. I spent seven months in Kentucky and had fits keeping my rifles from rusting away! The horn buttplate on my #9 Ballard even turned green!

                                           Joe. 

I've been using window cleaner with vinegar- 3 to 4 patches, followed with one to dry, and one with Kroil does it. FAR easier than smokeless! And no, honest, the vinegar will not harm anything! The Kroil will also loosen any leading so a tight patch will push it right out. I run between 100 and 200 rounds of black per week.
              Doug

The folks I shot with in Iowa used 1/3 distilled water, 1/3 rubbing alcohol, and 1/3 Murphy's oil soap.  Seems to clean quite well.  Ballistol followed the cleaning.

FEB

Quote:


All my blackpowder guns are cleaned with antifreeze at the range and oiled with NAPA ATF5.  I put them in storage for almost three years in the Emer Keith country  of Idaho while I was in South Africa, with no other protection than this.  When I pulled them out of storage no rust. They were dusty thou, that's it. 

I posted about my use of antifreeze several years ago and no less than the great Glenn Fewless took me to task about how hazardous antifreeze was.  Yes there is some hazards using the antifreeze, no where as hazardous as Glenn let on. Glenn went so far as to post the MSDS.  He warned about how it attracted kids and dogs.

Well it's a fair warning, but not one to over react to.  It compares to Hoppes 9 which contains kerosene which is pretty nasty.  The old formula for antifreeze was changed some years ago to make it bitter tasting to kids and dogs.

Ballistol is pretty innocous, being mostly mineral oil.  The few times I used it, it worked just fine.  But it's plus shipping here in the wilds of Cut Bank, Montana.

I have a vague recollection from the old ShootersTalk forum days of an extensive discussion in which one of the gun cleaners---Ballistol or Kroil or something similar was used on a gunsafe full of guns and the owner wound up with a whole bunch of damaged guns.  Anybody else recall this?   
I dunno if it was external or internal or both or if it is at all relative to the above discussion.

I did some research a few years back and as a result have been using a product called CorrosionX--marine grade ---for all my preservative oiling needs guns, cutlery, archery tackle and fishing gear.