What exactly is corrosive in surplus ammo, and what does it corrode?

sgt.rock

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I just had to ask this question, I have never owned a caliber of weapon that could use surplus ammo with corrosive components . I just bought a .308 and maybe the possibility exists that I could come into some ammo down the road that had corrosive components. I just dont know when it says "corrosive" on the advertising what exactly is corrosive - I.E. primer? powder? Does this mean that if your weapon is not cleaned very well after shooting this type of ammo, the barrel and rifling may start pitting? I am only asking as I dont truly know, and this has been one of those nagging questions I never thought to ask.
 
It is salt. Salt causes rust. Primer

The only corrosive 308 around is Czech with ZV headstamp. Stay away from it and you won't have to worry about it.
 
If you want to learn more about corrosive ammo, just do a search in the SKS forums. Ya got to love cheap surplus 7.62x39

I do, but disassembling the rifle after every shoot is beginning to irk me. I have rails and a red dot to deal with. I guess I could always suck it up and spend the dough on new ammo:eek:
 
"...may start pitting?..." Pitting is the result of rusting. It takes a while. You'll get a fine coat of rust first, that if left will pit eventually.
The primer compound contains salts that get into the wee crevices in the barrel and attract moisture. Flushing with hot water cleans the salts out, then clean as per normal. Mind you, CanAm's advice is quicker and easier.
 
Fulminate of mercury is not corrosive and in fact was used in early noncorrosive primers. The potassium chlorate turns to potassium chloride on firing and that is what is corrosive.
 
Mercuric primers do not cause corrosion--they cause the brass cases to become brittle and fail after one or two re-loadings.

44Bore

Correct!! The reason we have Lead Styphnate as the modern primer active ingredient is that it does not leave any salts behind, and produces no product that attacks the Tin or Zinc in the brass to weaken it. I keep hearing about lead-free primers, but feel that they are not easily obtained yet. I also have read about long term stability concerns with the lead-free primers. One thing about the Primers that are available today, the shelf life (if properly stored) is practically unlimited. I have a batch of CIL 8½ large rifle primers that is about 35 years old, and they still work like day 1. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Just to add, corrosive primers were favoured by the military in years past because the non-corrosive primers used at the time were more sensitive to absorbing moisture and becoming inactive over long periods of storage, even under the best of conditions.

Those old surplus rounds may have corrosive primers, but they still go bang!
 
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