cleaning after Corrosive ammo

[fishblade2]

I should of asked this question way before shooting tons of corrosive ammo through my mosin nagent but how would I properly clean after shooting corrosive ammo? I have just been using ballistol to clean shortly after shooting. Is this enough or should I make occasionally take time to clean it with something else?

 

[BCRider]

The corrosive salts left by the primers is easily cleaned away with some common water. Simply run a couple of water wetted patches down the bore. Then a dry patch or two to clean out most of the water. Then switch to regular gun cleaning solvent to get under the water in the bore. Finally run an oiled patch and final dry patch down the bore.

All in all the water, solvent and oil patches take about 5 to 7 minutes. Or if you use an oil bearing solvent like the Ed's Red mix I like it's simply the water patches, dry patch, 2 or 3 patches with Ed's on them until they come out clean then a final dry patch to wipe away any excess oil.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

I do basically the same as BCRider. Patches wet with warm water until those come out clean. This gets the salts and powder fouling. Then regular brushes and bore cleaner for the copper fouling.
Remember to wipe the bolt face with water as well, the surplus ammo likes to leak a little gas there, too. For a semi auto, clean the gas system the same.
Doing this, I am not afraid to shoot surplus through my late date M39. The bore is sparkling clean.

 

[madcratebuilder]

I do a quick swap with a water/Ballistol mix before leaving the range. Some use a patch with some Windex. Follow up with normal cleaning when I get home.

 

[Hunterdad]

I always used Windex.

 

[SlowFuse]

7.62x54R and 7.62x39 are the only two corrosive cartridges I currently shoot. When cleaning a Mosin, SKS, AK etc I remove and disassemble the bolt assembly and drop it in a container of water. Then plug the muzzle and fill the barrel with water. Let it sit for a minute then drain. Repeat if I shot a lot that day. Hit all of the exposed metal (to corrosive salts) with a wet brush and then clean as usual with eds red, clp, hoppes or whatever I choose to clean with that day. I don't consider it to be too much of a hassle especially when I look at current non corrosive ammo prices. Some people just clean as usual with solvents and have experienced no ill effects. I see water as an extra precaution.

 

[stl_303]

At the range: bore snake with a few drops of Hoppe's 9 on the tip, wipe the bolt face with a rag and some Hoppe's.

Once home, i have my Coleman camp stove and a pot in the garage where I set a pot of water to boil, then pour that down the chamber & barrel.

The is followed by your normal patch & oil job as you might prefer.

I use this on my Enfields and Nagants, pretty much no matter what type of ammo I just shot.

 

[caribou]

I pour boiling hot water down the chamber end and scrub my chamber good, then another round of boiling water and scrub......then a rinse of boiling water and I let the rifle stand against the wall , bolt removed, while the heat of the metal drys the bore, then I wipe the inside with patches and oil. I wipe down the bolt and other metals.

I only use milsurp through my Mosin.

The same Sako Ive been hauling around the ice and tundra still has a sharp shiney bore.

 

[VA27]

Moose Milk (water and Ballistol 7:1). Wet patches down the bore first, then a bore brush, wet patchs again. Wipe everything else down with a Moose Milk rag. Done.

 

[Jeff F]

A pint of boiling water poured through from the chamber and out the end of the barrel. I have a funnel with a hose that fits the chamber. Then clean as normal.

 

[303tom]

This is what I use.........

 

[fishblade2]

If the water isn't boiling and is just room temperature would it clean as well? With using water has anyone experienced rust in the barrel especially with SlowFuse who dumps bolt assemble in water. How long do you leave it there and is there any sign of water damaging it? Thanks for all the help!

 

[VA27]

Boiling water will evaporate faster and almost completely once the metal is up to temp, but even cold water will work, you just have to do a good job drying it off. With a water soluable oil such as Ballistol, cold water works fine. The water will evaporate and leave the oil behind as an oxygen barrier. Water in combination with oxygen is what causes rust.

Before I discovered Ballistol I used to boil my black powder revolvers and then drench in WD40. Now it's Moose Milk and a wipe with a rag and I'm done.

 

[SabbathWolf]

I always used Windex.

Does it dry to a streak-free shine?
I HATE washing windows!
I can never get the streaks out.

 

[Bentley4700]

Just do like the russian soldiers used to and piss down the barrel.

 

[SlowFuse]

With using water has anyone experienced rust in the barrel especially with SlowFuse who dumps bolt assemble in water. How long do you leave it there and is there any sign of water damaging it? Thanks for all the help!

I leave it in there 2 or 3 minutes. Never have I had any rust problems. Make sure its dry either naturally or by wiping it down and you'll be fine. Then do a normal cleaning.

 

[shuvelrider]

Windex with ammonia works good at the range for a quick fix until you get home for proper cleaning, then clean as you normally do. Blackpowder shooter's have always used the boiling water to kill the residue, then wipe down with some oil. That old G.I. bore cleaner always smelled like diesel to me, but it would kill the salts from from the primers back in the day. Gotta find me some more of that.

 

[Inebriated]

I clean my AK's pretty thoroughly, so it is a few steps, but takes me three minutes.

- Spray inside of receiver, gas tube, and barrel with water.
- Scrub gas tube and barrel with brush (12 gauge brush for the gas tube), then a patch/swab.
- Spray receiver, gas tube, and barrel with WD40 (displaces the water).
- Shoot it with the air compressor.
- put oil on all metal-on-metal points.
- Clean rifle as normal.