my creepy corrosive ammo experiment

[silverlance]

I am rather clumsy, and if I were to completely disassemble my nagants for hot water cleaning each time I wanted to shoot them I'd break the handguard by the third bath.

So, I decided to experiment with one of my 91/30s.

I shot lots of corrozive cz through it. Each time, I'd wait a couple hours (went for dinner), then sprayed Windex with a spray bottle liberally into the chamber and barrel. I'd then spray a couple of patches with windex, and pull them through with my Otis. Boy they came out black.

After about five or six windex patches, I'd dry the bore, walk the dog, and then come back to pull a few patches of oil through and then a dry patch.

For the bolt I'd just spray the bolt face a couple of times, wipe dry, then oil.

I never diassembled anything - just spray and wipe.

Well, it's been half a year of this now, and i've shot the gun about 14 times. No rust yet.

 

[Thin Black Line]

I have never had a problem with cleaning out corrosive ammo using MODERN
bore cleaning solutions such as Shooters Choice. The soapy water advice
has been handed down for a few generations from a time when soapy water
was really the best thing going at the time.

That said, if you let a dirty corrosive bore go a couple days --especially
when you were out shooting in moist/humid/foggy/rainy/snowy conditions,
I can guarantee you that your barrel will look like a sewer pipe and be
forever pock-marked as a lesson to you.

The old-timers' advice about cleaning right after you shoot still applies with
corrosive ammo. Solvent should be used not only on the bore, but any other
parts that would have had contact with the burnt powder. Bolt of course,
but in an AK also the gas piston, gas tube, gas tap elbow off the barrel,
and bolt carrier (yes, I've seen those rust bad if forgotten). If the weapon
has a flash-hider, remove it and clean both it, the barrel threads and the
muzzle end. Almost forgot the area under the rear site base on an AK and
the inside of the dust cover.....doesn't take much solvent at all, though,
for that just enought to wipe the carbon out.

And, as far as ammo that was advertised as "mildly corrosive" remember
that's like being "mildly pregnant" and requires no less care in cleaning.

 

[Bwana John]

Here in Arizona I dont even worry about quickly cleaning up after crossive ammo, I have went months shooting every week and never cleaning.

But, when I lived 2 blocks from the ocean in Morro Bay the gun would be rusty before I even got it home from the range.

 

[armoredman]

True. When we have "moisture in the air", it's called monsoon season.

 

[dfaugh]

When i bought my first coupla milsurps, I'd never heard about corrosive ammo, or any special cleaning requirements. I just cleaned them the same as my other guns. Years later, and I've never had a problem. Frankly, I think people have succumbed to the "corrosive ammo= big problem" myth.

 

[Ditchtiger]

I've made a beer-bong to run hot water down my bores, no need to disassemble. In the Oregon rainy season this will get the rifle good and hot to dry moisture hiding in hard to get places

 

[wnycollector]

I have shot mil surplus ammo out of my SKS' for 15 years and my nagants for the last two with no problems. I am a firm believer in the windex and wipe method of cleaning. I'm sure it is overkill...BUT I REALLY like my guns

 

[DMK]

I've made a beer-bong to run hot water down my bores,

LOL! That's a really good idea.

I am rather clumsy, and if I were to completely disassemble my nagants for hot water cleaning each time I wanted to shoot them I'd break the handguard by the third bath.

I think it's a rather common misconception that you have to do some kind of super-heavy-duty cleaning job after shooting corrosive ammo. It really is just the simple matter of flushing the bore with soapy water, wiping off the bolt face and then a regular cleaning with Hoppe's or whatever you'd use for any other gun. The only guns that need to be disassembled are semi-autos and that's only so far as to flush out the gas tube and wipe down the piston.

 

[Firehand]

In my MN and K98 all I've ever used has been corrosive-primed milsurp ammo. I'd read about water with ammonia being good to flush the salts out, and since the Sweet's 7.62 solvent has ammonia, I tried it. Cleaned as soon as I got home, never a speck of rust.

Tried a couple of things over time(including the US Military bore cleaner for corrosive ammo, hard to find now), what I settled on is Ballistol. Mix it one part to about ten parts water, and keep a small bottle of it in the range box. When I finish shooting, I run a couple of wet patches through the bore, use one to wipe the bolt face, then dry patches. If won't be able to clean when I get home run an oily patch through and wipe the face. Otherwise I just use Sweet's or whatever when I get home for a normal cleaning. I take the bolt head off the MN every second or third time and wipe the firing pin down, and that's it. Big thing about running a few patches through the bore at the range is it makes the later cleaning easier.

Also use the Ballistol mix to clean my CZ52. Use Sweet's on the bore as normal cleaning, then use the Ballistol to wipe the outside of the barrel, inside of the slide, etc., then wipe dry and oil. Works very well with no sign of rust anywhere.

I'm told there has been some ammo in the past that was really nasty-level corrosive and demanded heavy-duty cleaning; the stuff around now doesn't seem to be that bad. Just a little extra attention to be sure in trade for lots of cheap ammo.