sks corrosive ammo

[mcb-10]

i recently bought a yugo sks 59/69 a1,I took it to the range and it would not cycle and kept jamming.itook it all apary and the gas valve was badly pitted.iput a new murray chrome valve now it shoots great my question is ,do you think that was from corrsive ammo also there is a very tiny pit in the gas tube through to outside .inside the barrel seems to look good but i'm not sure if i know what to look for.i see no pits with a light.when i got the rifle the barrel was extremely dirty with spent gunpowder blast.alot of ranges won't let you shoot cheap russian ammo that's magnetic meaning steal bullets. why do thet make corrosive ammo.if you can't clean quickly it could cause damage.i'm somewhat new to these type weapons. thank you.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have a SKS that I bought over 20 years ago. It has been feed many thousand rounds of corrosive ammo. I simply clean the gun at the end of the day and have never had a functioning issue or even the first sign of rust from using corrosive stuff.

 

[nathan]

I use highly corrosive Yugo surplus ammo with my M59 66 SKS. I disassemble the rifle after each shooting and pour hot water down the barrel and the gas block. Drain and let dry. Proceed with normal cleaning.

The reason why many go for the Chicom made SKS. Theyhave chromelined barrels and you can bypass cleaning if you dont want to at the moment. But for the Yugo SKSs, it has to be done soonest to prevent corrosion.

 

[Vaarok]

Chrome lined barrels make it easier to clean, same as a nonstick frying pan. Doesn't mean you don't need to clean it.

The reason they made corrosive ammo is that it's cheaper, more stable, and more reliable. And they already had the equipment to make it. Boxer primers, used in noncorrosive ammo, are/were more expensive and sensitive, and the brass is more expensive too.

Remember, these were military rifles, meant to be used in warfare, and their makers wanted something that would work. It might get broken, rusted, or worn out during the war, but it had to work until then. Same with the ammo.

Your Yugo SKS probably was used in the Bosnian conflict, and chances are it didn't get babied all that much, so a little wear and tear is certainly forgivable.

 

[my762buzz]

alot of ranges won't let you shoot cheap russian ammo that's magnetic meaning steal bullets.

No, the bullets are not steel. The bullets are made of a lead core. The lead core has a thin steel jacket.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

Usually bullets that will attract a magnet are the reverse - steel core with a copper jacket. Sometimes with a layer of lead between the steel and copper. A steel jacket would be very hard on rifling. The steel core gives the bullet good penetration capabilities, but also makes it prone to ricochet, which is why many ranges do not allow them.

Regarding corrosive ammo, just clean with hot water. The corrosive material generated by the primers is a salt and just needs needs to be dissolved and washed away. I use wet patches on anything that the gasses from the cartridge touch until they come clean (that means the barrel and the entire gas system). Then clean with regular gun cleaners as usual to deal with powder and copper fouling.

Corrosive primers weren't chosen on purpose, they were just the technology of the day. At one point, all ammunition was corrosive until better primer chemicals came along. Go back further before smokeless powder and everyone was using black powder in their cartridges (think .45 Colt, 45-70, etc). The powder residue in that case is corrosive and needed to be cleaned (coincidentally, plain old water works great to clean up black powder as well). Nobody chose this on purpose, it was just the best stuff that existed at the time.