Cleaning your rifle after using corrosive ammo

[sturmgewehr]

One of the most commonly asked questions I get is "how do I clean my rifle after shooting corrosive ammo?"

Mostly this is centered around my AK's and the fact I use rail systems that prevent the user from easily removing the gas tube. So I put together a video that shows my method for cleaning a rifle after using corrosive ammo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcFKCTfKENc

Questions and comments are welcome.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Good video.

Back in the Old Days, we cleaned the M1 Garand with boiling water -- the cooks would set up garbage cans full of water with immersion heaters set on full. The advantage of using boiling water is that the gun gets so hot that any water in the nooks and crannies evaporates, leaving the steel bone dry.

 

[wally]

I just flush mine with the hot water from a garden hose that has been sitting in the sun. Then let the gun sit in the sun for a few minutes afterwards and its dry and pretty much too hot to pick up

Then clean and lube like you would with non corrosive ammo.

 

[SentinelStrategic]

Good video. Very simple, but very good information.
BTW, I think you have the best videos of any other YouTube reviewer. You do a great job getting down the nuts and bolts and putting out the needed info without all of the unnecessary commentary. Kudos!

 

[4v50 Gary]

Somewhere I have a British Armourer's funnel that allows hot water to be poured down the SMLE action without wetting the furniture. I guess they needed it.

 

[redeagle]

Pretty nice video. I don't agree about the wd-40 since i think it dries to a sticky residue, but the water for corrisive salts is right on. I shoot a lot of corrisive ammo and use pretty much the same treatment. Using a tip from black powder shooters i use what they call moose milk, basically a mix of water and an emulsifying oil to rinse for the corrisive salts. Then use the compressed air, clean the bore as usual and lube.

 

[rodregier]

Bore guide plus a plain funnel is an easy way to deliver hot water to a bore of a bolt gun. Gets trickier in semi-autos with gas ports.

 

[Cosmoline]

It's a good method if you have a really, really, really soiled firearm that's been exposed to all sorts of corrosive compounds inside and out. Personally I would use extremely hot water in such a case, though. It both cleans better and most of it evaporates off.

For simply running corrosive ammo, a regular cleaning of barrel and parts with M-pro cleaner or other cleaner that neutralizes them works fine. With an AK you just pop off the tube and clean it along with the piston and the other parts.

After cleaning, finish with a light application of CLP.

Your method is thorough and powerful, but also requires an air compressor and a lot of steps to clear the dirt with water, clear the water with degreaser, replace the grease and oil.

Also, I don't think your method is going to do bo diddly for the standard old bore cleaning to get out copper, powder and other fouling. The worst of it may be dislodged, but most will remain. So unless you have a minty chrome bore you'll still need to get the scrubber in there and clean the bore. This is particularly true of older surplus arms with worn bores that really pick up the copper.

Also, with that sort of old worn bore I've noticed that corrosive salts can hide under the fouling.

 

[caribou]

"Also, with that sort of old worn bore I've noticed that corrosive salts can hide under the fouling."

Oh ya, bigtime.

And the pits as well, so flushing out corrosive priming salts into dissolution is the only answer, 'cause water will go where no bore brush can.
Ive even found rust UNDER Cosmoline (our favorite preservative, not our fellow forum member)
A good scrubbing and then a lead lapping in a pitted bore can lead to improvement on keeping corrosive priming compounds and rust out by basicly filling them with non ferrus metals.