Does anyone know if this 8mm ammo is corrosive?

[Godfather]

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Romanian_8mm_on_Stripper_Clips.html

i've emailed the site people before about other stuff and received no response. Does anyone here know? Thanks.

 

[jobu07]

I'm pretty sure that just about all surplus 8mm is corrisive.

 

[jefnvk]

Yes. Unless I'm mistaken (it happens more than I'll admit), there is no non-corrosive 8mm surplus.

Still good ammo though. Much less harsh on the shoulder than Turkish surplus. Don't let the corrosiveness throw you off, just scrub the bore out good with water, as well as any part hit by the gunpowder, then clean as normal. It is that easy.

 

[Rico567]

By 8mm, without going to the site, I take to mean something like 8x57R. That caliber, Eastern bloc country....the chances of it being non-corrosive are approaching zero. If it looks like it's a good deal, just buy it, shoot it, assume it's corrosive and clean accordingly. A friend who shoots lots of surplus stuff once said he follows the rule that if it's stated to be non-corrosive, assume that it's mildly corrosive. If it says anything at all about corrosive, clean it IMMEDIATELY after shooting.

 

[spacemanspiff]

yes, its corrosive. and i have successfully exhausted the alaska supply of romanian 8mm.
now i'm working on the turkish stuff.

 

[Nitram68]

All milsurp and foreign-made ammo is suspect, even if it's marked on the box "non-corrosive". A friend bought some S&B .30 Carbine marked "non-corrosive", and he still got some rust in the bore when he was tardy in cleaning it.

Commercial 8mm should be fine, IIRC.

 

[Jim K]

AFAIK, all current S&B ammo is non-corrosive. IME, the only surplus 8mm (8x57js or 7.9 Military) that is non-corrosive is Canadian WWII stuff made for the British Besa MG, and the Israeli stuff made at the plant Frankford Arsenal set up for them. Both are like gold if you can find them.

As to rust in a barrel, non-corrosive ammo does not prevent barrel rusting, it just doesn't cause it. If one fails to clean and oil a barrel, it can rust even if the ammunition primer is not contributing to the rust.

Jim

 

[TimRB]

I've never seen the Roma on clips before. If I didn't already have so much of the stuff in boxes, I'd buy some. BTW, it *is* corrosive, so clean accordingly. Tell them you don't like corrosive, and make them an offer they can't refuse.

Tim

 

[Bear Gulch]

While it is corrosive proper cleaning is the key. This stuff is good serviceable ammo. I still have a bunch of 1946 Turk that I am shooting. It is amazing how long ammo can last if properly stored!

 

[Godfather]

OK, thanks all. I don't use corrosive ammo, even if it is easy enough to clean. I just don't really want to risk it. I may buy some just to make snap-caps out of, however.

 

[Bear Gulch]

S&B makes good noncorrosive ammo that is loaded to the high european standards. Most factory 8mm from the US is loaded to ballistics similar to the 30-30.

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Treat everything that says Mil surp or, pre 19xx as corrosive. Even if it's not it's better safe then sorry. If your not wanting to shoot the milsurp you could try the Sellier and Bellot ammo. A little on the expensive side, I got 40 rounds for $14 as opposed to my 1,000 of Ecuadorian at $63.

The reason it's labeled as corrosive has to do with the primer of the rounds. They put a salt content on the barrel and much of what the gunpowder touches. Now the salt isn't necessarily what's bad, but it attracts water and can pit/rust. Easiest way to clean is with warm soapy water, or some windex for the initial fouling, then just clean as you normally would.

With my M48 I usually slide the bolt out, dis-assemble it and place in a large bowl of soapy water while i'm cleaning the barrel. Once i'm sure the barrel is clean and the gun is re-assembled I take the bolt out, let it dry on a paper towel, clean and oil the pertinent parts, re-assemble and slide it back in. Next day I usually take it out again and check to see if there is any signs of spots I might have missed. I know, not necessary but i'm paranoid lol

Good luck

 

[Ky Larry]

Just observe the old addage:"Never let the sun set on a dirty weapon."

 

[BenW]

I also am unaware of non-corrosive 8mm surplus. There is, of course, 8mm put out by US ammo companies that's non-corrosive, soft point, and reloadable, but it's a good deal milder than the surplus stuff.

 

[Godfather]

I have some remington hunting ammo, but for blasting I use Olympic 8mm for cheap, non-corrosive stuff.

 

[Bear Gulch]

Use one patch dipped in 1part sudsy ammonia 2 parts water. Swab bore well. Then clean as normal.

This brought to mind something that Drill Sergeant Tyus used to say: "Anybody who shoot a rifle and not clean it would **** and not wipe his ***." A deep though for our troubled times. But I have remembered that over the pass 20 some years. Especially because it is the same thing that my father taught me.