Cleaning a Garand after shooting corrosive ammo

[transalpian]

Greetings all!

I recently picked up a Garand and LOTS of KA headstamp ammo. I realize the ammo is corrosive or at least is likely enough to be corrosive to be treated that way.

I have read that Windex is a good first step in cleaning out the corrosive primer salts, prior to a standard cleaning.

In the Garand, my thoughts are to spray the chamber/bolt area, wipe clean/dry, and then proceed as usual.

Am I missing something? Is there another area I need to clean? I'd love to be able to clean this thing with only a field strip. I'm guessing our guys in 1942 didn't do a detail strip after each "outing".

Advise will be greatly appreciated.

'alp

 

[10X]

If you don't want to disassemble the rifle, and I don't either (that messes up the bedding and the gas cylinder becomes loose after repeated disassembly). The gas cylinder accumulates corrosive particles as does the operating rod. Open the action so the rod is locked to the rear. Unscrew the gas cylinder plug and swab in there also. Use some solvent moistened paper strips to wrap around the upside of the front of the operating rod in a back and forth motion. This will prevent the operating rod from corroding. The gas cylinder is stainless, so it won't corrode.

In addition, the action needs to be swabbed. When ejecting shells there is a lot of gas floating around the goes to the inside of the action. That gas has corrosives in it.

There is a lot of talk about the ammonia in Windex and water being what you need. Hoppes #9 used thoroughly works well too.

 

[briansmithwins]

Field strip and clean all the gas residue from everywhere you see it, then relube. How soon after shooting you have to do this to prevent rust depends on where you live.

As far as cleaners go: Water is what you need.

What you have to do after firing corrosive ammo is dissolve the salts that are in the primer residue. Those salts absorb water out of the air and that's what causes rusting. Normal gun cleaners don't work very well, if at all, for corrosive ammo residue.

Most people don't like pouring cold water on their guns. The alternatives that I've seen used or used myself in the past are:

1) Use hot water to rinse all the parts with gas fouling off.
Pros are it's cheap and it's pretty easy to get to.
Con is I don't have a teakettle at the range and my guns will start rusting by the time I make it home.

2) Ballistol mixed 1:10 with water.
Pros are it works very well to get the residue off and it still protects the steel. Ballistol is a pretty good lube and protectant also when used unmixed. Ballistol also smells halfway decent.
Con: It's another thing to buy.

3) Soapy water. This works because the soap cuts thru the grease and the water washes away the salts. Available as a premade solution like Mpro7 (which I've used a lot) or Simple Green Extreem (Simple Green w/o the nasty odor and coloring).
Pros: Can be used anywhere, at any temp above freezing. Also works great to remove old lube and carbon.
Cons: Mpro7 and Simple Green Extreem really do remove all the old lube, leaving behind unprotected steel. You must (MUST!) relube immediately after using this type of cleaner.

I'm on my 2nd case of corrosive Yugo M67 ball and have had 0 rusting problems since using methods 2 and 3. You can't (unless you live in a fricken desert) not clean you weapons the same day after using corrosive ammo. Chrome plating will only slow the rust down, it will not stop it. I have a Chinese SKS which is proof of that. BSW

 

[GRIZ22]

Am I missing something? Is there another area I need to clean? I'd love to be able to clean this thing with only a field strip. I'm guessing our guys in 1942 didn't do a detail strip after each "outing".



Fact is you really can't do a thorough cleaning job with just a field strip. Brian's suggestion is about the best you can do without a total strip down. This is the problem with using corrosive ammo in a semi-auto.

As Brian says water is all you need and water will dissolve the salts best. There is no magic in Windex which is mostly water and doesn't have any ammonia in it.

When corrosive ammo was in use by the military they didn't really care too much about the corrosion or appearance of the rifle. The important thing was the rifle worked. If the condition of the rifle got so bad the soldier or marine turned it in and got another. The rifle was rebuilt and recycled.

It's difficult to find any totally original WWII rifle that actually saw combat.

 

[lipadj46]

Like stated above Windex is not really needed to flush the corrosive salts just nice hot, preferably soapy, water. My only addition to this concoction would be to mix in some rubbing alcohol, maybe 5-10% if you want it evaporate faster, this is why people use windex.

A gas operated rifle rifle is a real pain in the ass to shoot corrosive because there are just so many more parts and inner chambers to clean out. That is why most don't really recommend to shoot corrosive in a garand but in say a Mosin Nagant it is not so bad because cleaning is easier.