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The advertiser said non-corrosive, but the headstamp has a K

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The Real Hawkeye

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I bought a bulk purchase of what was advertised as non-corrosive mil surplus .30-06, already loaded into M1 Garand clips and bandaleers, inside old ammo cans. Shot 32 rounds of it in my newly purchased 1941 Garand two days ago. Haven't had a chance to clean it yet. This morning I read that if the headstamp has a K on it, it's corrosive and, sure enough this morning I looked, and the headstamp has a K on it. Does this really mean it's corrosive? Has it already ruined the barrel and gas system after two day? I'm afraid to look.
 
try here http://cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes.htm that may tell you where it was made. Indicates Lithuania or India or England or Sweden...can't tell w/o more info.

As for it being corrosive I'm not sure...but to be on the safe side I'd clean it...RIGHT NOW before it does any damage. There are several different methods for getting the corrosive salts out (hot water flushed down the barrel, windex, or lots of hoppe's will all work...then clean per normal routine.

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=164438 - thread on cleaning corrosive ammo...
 
hot water flushed down the barrel, windex, or lots of hoppe's will all work...then clean per normal routine.
Click to expand...

No, Hoppes will not.

Salts are cleaned by a water-based solution. Ammonia helps to take care of copper fouling, it is the water that will dissolve the salts.

Hot, soapy water is my favorite.
 
A "K" on a headstamp would be part of a manufacturer identification, nothing at all to do with corrosiveness or primer composition.
 
I have been shooting stuff marked KA 74(number might be wrong) headstamped stuff for a LONG time, and all I do is boresnake afterwards. I have never had any trouble with corrosion.
 
I thought that K on aproduct meant that it was Kosher. Or is that just for consummables? But wait, isn't ammunition considered a consummable staple?
:rolleyes:

..wiley
Racing Miatas; Good cigars and Big guns
Houston, TX
 
The Korean M2 Ball with the "K" headstamp has been widely reported as corrosive. I would assume that it is and clean the rifle, ASAP. Btw, don't trust the advertisers when you buy surplus ammo. They often either outright lie about whether ammo is corrosive or not or make honest mistakes about what ammo is, and isn't corrosive.
 
No, Hoppes will not.
Click to expand...

http://www.gunaccessories.com/Hoppes/default.asp

During the early years of the twentieth century, smokeless powder began to replace the old black powder; and all ammunition was so extremely corrosive that the cleaning of a firearm was a long, tedious task. Mr. Hoppe began to explore combinations of chemicals to simplify the dirty job of cleaning rifle bores. His aim was to develop a product that would remove all primer, powder, lead and metal fouling from the rifle bore; while at the same time protecting it from rust

It's not the best, but it will work...and in the above I mentioned 'lots of Hoppe's'...the key as you mentioned is flushing out the corrosive salts.
 
Received a flyer today from Centerfire Systems advertising Korean .30-'06 ammo in clips and bandoleers. They said it is "mildly corrosive." Is that the same as a being a little pregnant?:rolleyes:
JT
 
Unlike many here, I do believe that not all corrosive ammo is the same level of corrosiveness. I found (and forgot which) one type of ammo shot through my Mosin needs to be cleaned IMMEDIATELY, as it will have started to rust before I get home if it isn't the last gun I shoot. Others I have done something else, forgot about cleaning, and came back two days later and rust was just slowly starting.

Now, whether or not it is truly 'Mildly Corrosive', you'll have to put some trust into the advertiser.
 
I have used the KA korean stuff in my CMP M1, and left it alone for a really long time (weeks), and have not seen anything that even resembled rust. I have gone through multiple cases of it as well.
 
This is going against common knowledge, but here goes...

I bought a case of Chinese 7.62x25 ammunition a long time ago. Good deal--2100 rounds for $165 including shipping!

Anyway, I've been shooting it in my CZ-52 pistols for years. I clean with CLP and Hoppe's benchrest. Absolutely no problems with rusting.

A couple of years ago, I took one of the pistols shooting and didn't have a chance to clean it immediately. When I got around to it, it was RUSTY. Not a little rust, the bore was in really bad shape.

I can only conclude that the ammo was corrosive and that either the CLP or the Hoppe's Benchrest was taking care of the problem until the one time I didn't clean right after leaving the range...
 
I'd get on it right now with hoppe's and a really good bronze brush...brush the crap out of it.

There's some foaming cleaner (can think of the name off the top of my head...somebody else jump in here) that's supposed to work very well on rust...but until you can get some, just start going at it with the Hoppe's and brush.
 
Cacique500 said:
I'd get on it right now with hoppe's and a really good bronze brush...brush the crap out of it.

There's some foaming cleaner (can think of the name off the top of my head...somebody else jump in here) that's supposed to work very well on rust...but until you can get some, just start going at it with the Hoppe's and brush.
Click to expand...
First time dismantling it now. At the point of disengaging the follower rod and removing it and the spring. Will get working on the bore as soon as I get the bolt removed.
 
Needed to get my next door neighbor to hold one end while I twisted the gas tube screw out, but got it out. Completely dissasembled the gun (not including the trigger assembly), except the bolt doesn't strip down like the instructions say it should. I held my thumb over the ejector while sticking a screwdriver above and to the right of the extractor, and twisted to flex it away from the bolt face, but the ejector did not pop out. Since this is the first step in taking the bold down, I wasn't able to progress on that. Any tips?

As for the rust. I wiped it down with a wet bore snake a couple of times, and it looks new again. Rust was just superficial. Then proceded to clean it with Hopps and break free. Should be ok. Cleaned the gas tube out the same way. Thanks for the help.
 
Glad you got the rust out of there!

You may want to check it again over the next couple of days just to make sure you got it all out. I've read about a few guys that thought they had cleaned well only to find rust re-appear after a day or so.
 
Cacique500 said:
Glad you got the rust out of there!

You may want to check it again over the next couple of days just to make sure you got it all out. I've read about a few guys that thought they had cleaned well only to find rust re-appear after a day or so.
Click to expand...

Correct. The "salts" are driven into the pores of the metal and ooze out over time. Once cleaning will not get what has been, in effect, driven into the metal. A good rule of thumb is to clean three times on each of three days.

Also, minor "pitting" does not adversely affect accuracy as long as the rifling remains sharp.(or retains its original form in the case of polygonal rifling.)
 
According to distributors, surplus ammo is always "non-corrosive, clean, and accurate." Don't believe any of them until you test it for yourself or get reports from someone who has. I always check what THR members say. :)

BTW, cleaning your gun immediately is like cuddling with your S.O. after relations...some guys like it, some guys don't, but if you don't do it, you're going to have problems somewhere down the road. :evil:

Glad it wasn't a big problem for you. BTW, how did that stuff shoot otherwise?
RT
 
You can also keep a bottle of Windex or other ammonia based window cleaner and send a wet patch down the barrel right after shooting. Also, get the gas chamber. Then, clean it normally with CLP or Hoppes.

Thats my usual routine and I shoot lots of corrosive ammo in 303 British, 7.62x39 and 8mm Mauser. Never seen a spot of rust in many years of this pratcice.

- Brickboy240
 
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