Corrosive or Not?

[Patocazador]

I have a large number of .30-06 cartridges with a 54 WCC head stamp. Are these shells corrosive?

I've heard that all WWII Garand ammo was corrosive hence the repetitive rifle cleaning exercise.

 

[Jeremy2171]

non-corrosive

 

[Mk-211]

Here ya go.

http://cartridgecollectors.org/?page=introduction-to-30-06-cartridges

I believe that by 1952, all U.S. made ammo was using non corrosive primers. WCC is Western Cartridge Co. U.S. produced.

If it's not U.S., consider it corrosive.

 

[wally]

If you value your rifle, assume it is corrosive. If its not and you treat it like it was all you have done is waste a little time with cleaning that might not have been necessary. But if it is and you assume it was not, you may be surprised by how quickly it can damage a favorite gun if left uncleaned after shooting.

 

[Jeremy2171]

If you value your rifle, assume it is corrosive. If its not and you treat it like it was all you have done is waste a little time with cleaning that might not have been necessary. But if it is and you assume it was not, you may be surprised by how quickly it can damage a favorite gun if left uncleaned after shooting.

Or you just know it's non-corrosive and not worry about it

 

[David Hoback]

Not a big deal. Seriously people! Educate yourself of what it is and stop being scared of it. Corrosive ammunition uses primers with Salt acids, that when burned, decompose leaving a residue of either Potassium Chloride or Sodium Chloride. BOTH of which are soluble in soapy water water.

If you were near an ocean & got salt water on your firearm, would freak out? Maybe think your rifle is going to melt before your eyes, paying homage to the “Wicked Witch of the West”? Of course not!

Shoot the ammo and clean your rifle regardless of what you fired. If you have any suspicion the ammo IS corrosive, do an extra bit of soaking with hot soapy water. Good grief people! It’s not “Molecular Acid”! (I wonder who can tell me why that reference is from?)

 

[Mk-211]

"It's a bug hunt!"

 

[Mk-211]

Just make sure that you clean every part that the primer compound comes into contact with.

There are cleaning solvents still on the market that neutralize the residue of corrosive primers.

 

[David Hoback]

"It's a bug hunt!"

Bingo!

 

[Scout21]

All you need is water. Don't even need soap. It's not hard. Some people have these long, drawn out cleaning rituals for corrosive ammo and it's just unnecessary.

 

[PRD1]

Jeremy 2171 and Mk-211 are correct. All U.S. military small arms ammunition made in 1953 and after is non-corrosive primed. Also, the salt residue from corrosive primers (Potassium Chloride - KCl) cannot be 'neutralized', but is easily dissolved and removed by water. No cleaning solvent which does not contain water can remove the salt residue, and no amount of mechanical scrubbing will do so, either. There is no solvent of the salts even 1/10th as effective as water, bore cleaner makers' claims notwithstanding. After firing corrosive-primed ammunition, simply clean the bore with water (or the earlier G.I. bore cleaners which contained water), dry and oil. If the salt residue is not removed, and the local relative humidity reaches 50% or higher, corrosion WILL occur.

PRD1 - mhb - MIke

 

[Mk-211]

Good post PRD1!

This is why I use Boretech Eliminator.

https://www.boretech.com/products/eliminator-bore-cleaner

 

[Remington1911]

Jeremy 2171 and Mk-211 are correct. All U.S. military small arms ammunition made in 1953 and after is non-corrosive primed. Also, the salt residue from corrosive primers (Potassium Chloride - KCl) cannot be 'neutralized', but is easily dissolved and removed by water. No cleaning solvent which does not contain water can remove the salt residue, and no amount of mechanical scrubbing will do so, either. There is no solvent of the salts even 1/10th as effective as water, bore cleaner makers' claims notwithstanding. After firing corrosive-primed ammunition, simply clean the bore with water (or the earlier G.I. bore cleaners which contained water), dry and oil. If the salt residue is not removed, and the local relative humidity reaches 50% or higher, corrosion WILL occur.

PRD1 - mhb - MIke

I have always operated not just the bore, but everywhere that gas CAN get to. This means on bolt guns doing the bolt, and on gas guns doing the entire gas system.

Now if you are a lazy bastage like I am you will find a total tear down of a gas gun to be a bit of a pain, so you will only run non corrosive. Back in the hayday of cheap 54R everyone had a spam can, I never shot it in my psl or svt....just why bother. In the mosins easy, at the range just pour a bit of bottle water down its butt, run a patch through a quick squirt of oil and done.....but I did learn you need to do it as rust will happen real fast.

Story time:

Several years ago buddy and I are out shooting, trunk full of guns, we start in the morning as it is a typical Missouri summer day with temps in the upper 90's with humidity right there with it. We get hungry, want some tacos....yea, toss the guns in the trunk and off to the taco place about 45min away. Eat, BS a little, the wifes join us, we each go our different ways. When I get home the mosins are already starting to rust. The nagant revolver is REALLY bad....I wish I had taken pics....much worse then the rifles.

This is when I started the procedure talked about above. I have nearly a spam can left of the ammo and have not used it in years....guess I should really just shoot it up.

 

[Jim Watson]

I have a large number of .30-06 cartridges with a 54 WCC head stamp. Are these shells corrosive?

I've heard that all WWII Garand ammo was corrosive hence the repetitive rifle cleaning exercise.

No.

Nearly all WWII ammunition other than .30 Carbine was chlorate primed. We did get some noncorrosive .30-06 from Canada. But WWII was over in 1945. It was planned to go noncorrosive as war stocks were replaced but Korea interfered so the changeover took longer.