Cleaning for Corrosive Ammo in the Houston Area

[Dsparil]

for those in the houston area, what is your preferred method of cleaning to prevent corrosion due to corrosive ammo? I think we all know how foul the humidity gets here. What's your formula or procedure?

 

[Outbreak]

I'm not in Houston, but with my Mosin, I remove the bolt, point the barrel down, dump about 20floz of water down the barrel, then dump a good 10sec worth of WD-40 to purge the water out.

 

[Dsparil]

never had any problems with corrosion?

 

[M. Sage]

Clean it ASAP. Hot, soapy water works best, but any water is useful. I usually will use soapy water like solvent and patch it through the bore to help dislodge all the crap. Clean anywhere that gets gas flow - clean the chamber and around it and the bolt face. When I lived in a humid area (San Francisco area), I would shoot a ten round string then pull the bolt immediately. The barrel would be warm, so it would heat the water up for me. That's a decent way to clean at the range so you don't have to wait until you get home. You won't have problems with corrosion if you do it like that.

 

[Dsparil]

ok just so I understand, you would fire ten rounds, dump nothing but water in it, relying on the barrel to heat up the water and remove the salts, then you'd just simply keep shooting? or would you run wd-40 to remove the water before shooting? after doing all of that what was/is your cleaning procedure for after you're done shooting and for when you get home? All this is essentially going to go towards a zastava m76. It's a hellishly accurate gun with the m75 sniper ammo from bosnia. problem is, even the 1990s shit is corrosive. but it'll do .5 moa. I just to find a cleaning "schedule" to use in maintaining the gun. Basically want a list of ideas for shit I can take to the range with me.

Clean it ASAP. Hot, soapy water works best, but any water is useful. I usually will use soapy water like solvent and patch it through the bore to help dislodge all the crap. Clean anywhere that gets gas flow - clean the chamber and around it and the bolt face. When I lived in a humid area (San Francisco area), I would shoot a ten round string then pull the bolt immediately. The barrel would be warm, so it would heat the water up for me. That's a decent way to clean at the range so you don't have to wait until you get home. You won't have problems with corrosion if you do it like that.

 

[M. Sage]

I'd do a ten round string, run patches soaked in water down the barrel, run a dry patch or two, then pack up and go home and usually clean it with Hoppes 9 before I put it up.

On a semi-auto rifle, you'll also want to clean the gas system, especially the gas port - get some pipe cleaners for that. Don't shoot it after you clean it with water. There's no point in cleaning the rifle before you stop shooting, since that is just going to put more salt in your barrel and gas system. And there's no reason to clean the rifle unless it's going to sit idle for at least a couple of hours. It does take some time for the salt to react with moisture and cause rust.

 

[TexasFats]

If you can get access to a copy of Hatcher's Notebook, by the late Major General Julian S. Hatcher, there is a whole section devoted to the problem of chlorate primers and the corrosion produced by the potassium chloride residue that they leave in a bore. He gives the procedure that the US Army developed to deal with the problem.

P.S. I think that every gun nut should own a copy of Hatcher's Notebook. It is a treasure trove of good information about guns, powder storage, disposal of powder, and his experiences during his career with Army Ordinance in WWI and WWII, including stints at the Springfield and Picatinny Arsenals.

 

[TheDan]

...disposal of powder...

Heck, I thought everyone knew how to dispose of power. All it takes in one match...

 

[Wolfwood]

simple green.
great for that sort of thing.

*****edit*******
add elbow grease to the equation for optimum results.

 

[hunto]

Beaumont here.

This guy lives in Orange and runs a great website about guns, and does penetration tests:
Educational Zone #13 - Shooting & Cleaning Corrosive Ammo - Page 1

I use Windex, patch, WD40, patch, and then use bore solvent.

 

[cuate]

After firing corrosive ammo, whether ten rounds or a hundred, the rifle was cleaned with GI bore cleaner, and then an oily patch, cleaned this manner three days in a row. Equally done was with hot, soapy water, then dried with patches and a final oily patch ran through the bore but one time. The latter also used on black powder firearms. I like Hoppe's Bore Cleaner but do not know of its ability to clean corrosive salts from a barrel as did GI bore cleaner ? The cleaning must be done after firing, not next week.

Somebody borrowed my M1 to play Aggresser and fired blanks (corrosive) Brought it back and put it back under my cot. When I got it out for a rifle inspection the bore looked like martians left something growing in it. We heard rumors of somebody getting 6 months in the brig (jail) for letting a rifle bore rust. I tired everything including steel wool. Finally getting the d---ed thing fit to turn in and avoided rifle inspections in any manner I could. I am sure the accuracy was ruined but that nut case Leutenant did not get a chance to hang me and I went to another unit and never again loaned my rifle to anybody for any reason. Just lucky as a double hung billy goat that time...My crime erased....

 

[Texas Patriot]

After shooting corrosive ammo in my AK, I bring it home, field strip it, get the water in the kitchen faucet as hot as it will get and flush out the barrel, gas tube, fcg and the piston and bolt. Take outside and use compressed air to get the water out. Then clean as usual with #9 or CLP or whatever you usually use. Using the hottest water you can use makes it dry very quickly, thus limiting the opportunity for water caused rust. Give it a good coat of lube after you finish. No problems yet and I live in Spring, just north of Houston.

 

[wrtanker]

I used to fire a lot of old, surplus ammo. My routine was similar to cuate's. After I finished firing for the day I would strip and thouroughly clean the weapon using GI bore cleaner and end with a light oil covering. I did this for three consecutive days after a shooting event. This worked very well. I was also single and did not have a steady girlfriend to take my time away from my cleaning duties.

 

[Adionik]

I used hot soapy water yesterday. Then some hopps...