Dealing with corrosive ammo.

[SomeKid]

Well, I was cleaning all my rifles today, when I came to my Mosin. When I started cleaning, I found the barrel was full of rust, and after spending a good half hour, pitted. The barrel is effectively ruined. What bugs me, is I thought I had cleaned it out pretty good. Since I had a good expectation that the ammo was corrosive, I was very careful to clean the barrel until the patches were coming out clean.

I would appreciate it if someone could tell me where I went wrong in cleaning this rifle.

After shooting a hundred or so rounds, I came straight home, took the bolt off and began cleaning. I used Hoppes 9 and 10 plus Break-Free. (In that order.) I stopped after a few patches when they looked clean, and the barrel looked good when I took a look. I cleaned the breach and bolt, both of which are totally fine. What did I do wrong on cleaning that ruined my rifle?

Also, corrosiveness is in the ammo, and chrome lining in the barrel isn't a factor, right? I ask, because my AR has not had this problem, or any other guns. I do have a nice unissued Yugo SKS that is not chrome lined, and I plan to take it out, but I certainly don't want to ruin this fine gun with a similar mistake.

Any thoughts or tips are appreciated.

 

[ocabj]

The only surefire solution that cleans corrosive salts is water (yes, water is a solution).

Using a standard cleaning solvent probably did enough to clean fouling, but left the remnants of corossive salts in the bore itself. Any lubricant used in the bore would have help preserved the salts rather than neutralize them.

If you fired corossive ammo in your chrome lined AR, the most vulnerable part of the rifle will be the gas system. The tube specifically.

 

[SomeKid]

The only guns that I have that I think may have fired corrosive, are the MN, and my Garand. (Both have old mil-surp, but I gave the Garand a good heavy look-over, it is fine. Thankfully.)

So, water? Like maybe just pour it right down the barrel before actually cleaning it?

 

[MSGT9410]

Hot, soapy water or windex should do the trick.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I have just been shooting "windex" (cheap dollar store version) down the barrel after I get done shooting corrosive stuff. I do it while the barrel is still hot/warm before I leave the range.

I think I got that advise here and so far it's been working well. Between the water and the ammonia in the cleaner it seems to be doing the job.

 

[ocabj]

I haven't fired my VZ24 or my Mosin Nagants in a while, but when I did, I used the method outlined on Empire Arms. I mixed water and with household ammonia (1 to 1 ratio or more water than ammonia). Soaked patches in this and ran it through the bore. I would run patches soaked in this stuff before cleaning with Butch's Bore Shine, and then some patches soaked in it after. Then dry patch and oil. Haven't had a rust problem, yet.

I think a niftier way would be to get some clear pvc tubing with a bottle on the end full of water. Then just run the end of the tube into the chamber and turn the bottle upside down to get the water into the bore.

Then there's the method I saw in Shotgun News that I didn't try, but appears would work. Fill a bucket or container full of water. Use a cleaning rod with a tight fitting patch and jag. Run rod through bore from breech end until the patch and jag are near the muzzle end but still in the bore. Put muzzle into the container of water. Draw rod back which should pull the water up into the barrel like a straw. Pull rod completely out and water will fall back into the container.

 

[GunDog44]

Must use ammonia to nutralize the effects of corrosive primers. Windex is fine.
To kill two birds with 1 stone, I use sweets 7.62 to remove the copper, at the same time kill the corrosive issue.

 

[DWARREN123]

Like a few here I use a cheap knock off of Windex and spray down the barrel while still warm, push a wet patch (Windex knock off) down the bore then dry and use regular cleaning method. I will do the regular cleaning again when I get home.
The corrosive part of the ammo is in the primer actually.

 

[Diomed]

A funnel and a couple quarts of boiling water. That's all you need.

 

[mrmeval]

Best cleaner for corrosive ammo is soap and water. The salt is potassium chloride, same as substitue table salt. It desolves in water. The salt is hydrophilic 'water loving' and will suck it right out of the air. You can slow this down by swabing the bore with a lubricant after shooting then clean with soap and water when you get home. Windex will wash out the salt and does do a weak job at removing copper, it does not neutralize the salt. Be sure to flush any soap and water out with clean water then clean with your regular cleaner and lubricate as normal.

Articles on this and some tests of various cleaners are on http://www.surplusrifle.com