Corrosive Ammo: It is worth it?

[jedi]

Just as the title implies. Do any of you use it for your rifles?
If so what do you do to keep your rifle from getting damaged from it?
Thanks

 

[dice dealer]

Yes i use it .
Just gotta make sure to do a good cleaning of your weapon after ..
but i do that anyway on every gun no matter what ammo i use ...

 

[Hoosier8]

From what I understand the primer leaves salts which can only be cleaned out with water, oil will not do the trick. Dryer climates are not as much of a problem as moist ones, like ours. Salts and any kind of moisture would start a process called galvanization which would corrode the barrel. A simple cleaning fixes that.

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The old traditional method of cleaning a gun after firing corrosive ammo was to thoroughly scrub the bolt, barrel, and gas system with HOT soapy water (just like black powder shooters), then dry it all out and administer a light coat of preservative oil to the clean gun. This method is extremely cheap, reliable, and effective.

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The correct way is to use boiling hot soapy water. A one or two gallon pail works well. Field strip, put loose parts in pail to soak. Immerse receiver in solution and scrub the bore and chamber with a brush and solid rod, using a muzzle protector. Remove the gas plug, immerse the gas cylinder and muzzle (but not the handguard) and swab the cylinder bore with a brush. Repeat in boiling hot 'rinse' water with a few drops of oil on the surface. Clean the residue from the small parts and the recessses of the receiver with an old toothbrush. Use Hot water and latex gloves to protect your hands. The hot water evaporates quickly, and WD-40 can be used to displace moisture from the rear sight and the bolt extractor without disassembly. Swab the bore with an oily patch, then use it to go over all parts. Grease and reassemble.

Resourceful GI's could bathe, shave, clean the M1 and their socks in a helmet of boiling water.

Other people have other methods.

I just picked up 800 rounds of corrosive 7.62x54r for around .21 a round. It is cost effective if you are willing to clean your weapon. Almost all mil surplus ammo is corrosive so if whole countries could wage war with it, I bet you could shoot it once in awhile and still have a fine rifle.

 

[jedi]

Thanks for the info on "countries waging war with it". I had more in mind of stocking up on cheap corrosive ammo for when the STHF days. I do clean my guns the same day I come home from the ranges. But was not sure what "extra" steps if any I had to take with "corrosive" ammo. The name alone makes it sound like it will eat your gun up. =)

 

[indykid]

Only the primer contains the corrosive salts, so it really isn't a problem if you clean your firearms as soon as you get home. As stated above, warm water does a good job. I use water with ammonia to clean my rifles after using suspected or known corrosive ammo. My daughter is chemist and can explain why adding ammonia helps break down the corrosives, but plent of warm soapy water will do the trick too.

A little extra cleaning will allow you to use the less expensive ammo. I have gotten some off individuals for really great deals because they didn't know what they bought and paniced at the sound of "corrosive".

I then hose my rifles down with WD-40 to displace the remaining water. If you don't get it all out, that in itself can rust your treasures.

 

[jedi]

IndyKid, thanks I've been googling the topic and have seen that people saw to "dip" the parts in a bucket of warm soapy water when they clean it due to the "corrosive" ammo. Is that what you do?

Maybe I'm crazy but I have found that I enjoy cleaning my guns more than shooting them! Perhaps it's my technical background that just comes out and is fasinated with some a simple combination of parts in metal when put together can be so deadly. Espeically on my Survival Henry rifle. My wife hates it when I clean the guns becuase I spend so much time cleaning each part, oiling, and just paying attention to th guns more than her and the kids. LOL!!

 

[indykid]

I do an initial clean using two spray bottles, both Windex. One is filled with standard Windex with ammonia, the other with soapy water. After liberally spraying with the windex into everywhere powder residue can get, and that includes well into the receiver, I then "hose it down" with the soapy water. I then wipe down as much as possible, followed buy a hosing with WD-40 to get the water out completely. I then go through my standard cleaning using Hoppes 9 spiked with a little ammonia, and Break-free CLP.

The only issue I have ever had using corrosive ammo is I missed one hole in a compensator and a couple of weeks later it had an orange coating on it. CLP took care of that.

 

[Libertarian01]

Jediagh,

I almost exclusively use corrosive ammo. I shoot at targets for now at reasonably close range, 100 yards.

I have to clean the rifle after it has been shot, but this is no big deal. It only takes a few minutes.

The downside of corrosive ammo is that it is NOT as accurate as some of the modern or very high end stuff. IF you are planning on competition shooting do NOT use it (at least not for the competition)!

Do not forget that corrosive ammo killed millions in WWI, WWII and countless other world conflicts. It is deadly!

It is also far, far cheaper in some cases than reloading. Unless you are going to fire thousands of rounds of ammo I would go with surplus.

It also depends upon the caliber. 7.62x54r surplus cannot be beat for cost. British .303 also cannot be beat in many cases, same w/ 8mm Mauser. Others may vary.

Hope this helps.

Doug

 

[Hoosier8]

Only water will remove the salts. I have read to be careful with Windex with ammonia as it will do something to stocks, discolor? I don't really know.

Yeah, use WD-40 after washing in water since the WD stands for Water Displacement. It is the best product for that.

 

[jedi]

Thanks Libertarian01,

I was looking into the corrosive ammo to stoickpile for my the SHTFcache of goodies. Won't be doing any comeptition shooting with it. It's more to have enough ammo to use for myself and the group that I am slowly putting together.

Hoosier8 not concern if the barrel changes color. As long as it shoot I don't care if the stock turns hot barbie pink with yellow and purple pokie dots. If the gun will continue shooting and do it's job no issue with is on color. =)


So looks like I need to stock up on WD and some "water bottles" as well.
So much stuff to have to get slowly but surely