Why corrosive ammo is bad for emergency supplies

[Fishslayer]

It has up to 1.5% Ammonium hydroxide by weight.


http://www.foothill.edu/printmaking/MSDS/Windex_MSDS.pdf

Any "glass cleaner" that is ammonia free will generally specify on the label. Ammonia free is what you want for tinted windows. Ammonia degrades the adhesive. That's why you see bubbly purple windows on so many cars.

 

[Hacker15E]

It's a wonder that any milsurp firearms even still exist, given how shooting corrosive ammunition without immediate white-glove cleaning will cause such damage.

It's amazing how in the internet age, corrosive-primed ammunition has been built up into a 30-foot-tall monster that will tear your weapon apart.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Funny, I seem to remember someone explaining why the mercury/lead/corrosive primers are more stable, and hence used for military ammo that is stockpiled for decades.

 

[xfyrfiter]

Black powder is in all respects more harmful than corrosive ammo, yet I have used boiling water + a little ivory bar soap,to clean my bp rifles. clean up and a couple of drops of any oil including cooking oil and it's done.

 

[WYOMan]

I seem to remember a picture of two British soldiers from the early 1900's with thier Enfileds muzzle down, and large funnels in the breech end, pouring water down the bores.

 

[P5 Guy]

H2O The universal solvent. The hotter the better.
Mentioned before; if things are that bad for that long, the last of our worries will be frosty bores.

 

[don p]

I've yet to see any proof that ammonia neutralizes corrosive salts.

It doesn't, the water its mixed with does the neutralizing.
All I use to clean my Mosin's after shooting corrosive ammo is Hoppe's#9
No water, no ammonia. Hoppe's and then oil the barrel.
At this web sight there is plenty of info about corrosive primers and what/how to clean.
www.7.62X54R.net banghead

 

[coalman]

Water (i.e. amount needed for cleaning) is basically free. The AK survived on commie corrosive ammo for decades. However, I agree once corrosive pricing bumped up to (very near) non-corrosive pricing the hassle of corrosive ammo is not worth it.

 

[P5 Guy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia
While ammonia does not do anything to the corrosive salts, it will attack the copper fouling. Maybe that allows the salts under the copper to be dissolved by the water?

 

[daniel craig]

If you clean your weapon after you shoot it then there is NOTHING wrong with corrosive ammo. If you don't clean your weapon after shooing, the it CAN corrode the interior of your weapon. Be a responsible gun owner and you have no problem.

Honestly, use valvoline engine oil to clean your weapon. Afterwards, if you think it needs more cleaning use vinegar to get the corrosive salts out.

 

[pockets]

The initial post is much ado about nothing. Mercy, how has humanity cleaned corrosive residue from their guns over the centuries without "a ton of supplies to clean"? Non-corrosive ammunition is a relatively recent invention.
As has been stated several times.....water is quite inexpensive and quite effective. I've been cleaning my flintlock and percussion guns for several decades with plain old water. And yes, I have tried cleaning with 'urine'....it works just fine. Dry and oil, all done.
My dozens of cartridge guns get cleaned with the bare minimum of commercial product, certainly nothing exotic is used, and I do nothing different after shooting corrosive ammo than non-corrosive.
And as has been stated; the cleaning kit in the stock of your AK-clone is all the 'a ton of supplies to clean' you'll need for it. A very clever tool kit that...just add water.

.

 

[sturmgewehr]

The last time I checked water was pretty cheap unless you're buying that bottle fashionable stuff at the local gas station.

If you don't have ANY cleaning supplies in your pack, you should probably rethink the contents of your pack.

I can clean my AK with pond water, spray it with CLP and call it a day. I've been cleaning my rifles with water for decades with no problems at all. It is water, not Windex, Ballistol or any other wonder chemical that deactivates corrosive salts. Yes, Windex does stop the corrosive action, but that's because Windex contains over 90% water. The ammonia is great for removing copper fouling but does nothing to deactivate salts.

Militaries around the used corrosive ammo all the way through WWII and in some cases through the 1980's. How is it that they didn't have all the problems you're talking about I wonder?