To use water/windex or not to clean after Surplus Ammo???

Do you use hot water/windex to clean when using Surplus Ammo?

  • oh yeah every single time!!

    Votes: 93 66.4%

  • no, never! i only use solvants+oil

    Votes: 31 22.1%

  • Steam.......?

    Votes: 5 3.6%

  • others, please specify

    Votes: 11 7.9%
  • Total voters
    140
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bluepill

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I just bought an SKS and will get a CZ858 very soon. I really like the SKS and I was very surprised with the precision for its price and age....it's a 1950.

A lot of people say that you can just use windex or hot water funnel down the barrel to clean if you use the surplus ammo; however, at the same time I also heard that it's not necessary. The first time I tried using water to clean the gun and use Remington "Rem Oil", the 3-in-1 cleaning oil, to oil it. I could see the SKS was already rusting from the joints of the barrel. Some people say that it water is not necessary, and just use solvant and oil is sufficient to clean the salt? I would imagine that the russian or czeckslavian did not use hot water to clean their guns for sure.

So, do you use water/windex to clean or no?
 
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When I was shooting my Mosin Nagant as well as my SKS with corrosive ammo I would generally use HOT soapy water then run a swab thru of Break-Free (CLP) gun oil. The hot water will evaporate quicker imo. Water is required to dilute the corrosive salts. There might be some fancy solvent out there that I'm not aware of, but water is cheaper.
The same combination is used when I clean my muzzleloaders after a days shooting except instead of CLP I swab with Bore Butter. I do however run Windex patches between shots when using black powder or bp substitutes.
 
After shooting corrosive, I use this handy little funnel that I got from P.P (fellow Gunnut)

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After flushing with HOT water, I follow through with a regular cleaning with CLP. Don't forget to clean the gas cylinder tube also, or it will all rust up on you.

My 1950 is quite accurate also. I believe most 1950's do not have a chrome bore, so cleaning is a must.
 
I use dollar store Windex and spray down everything. I use a toothbrush to scrub. I rub down with one of my micro fiber cloths. I then follow up with Simple Green. Wipe down again. I then spray off all the parts with the compressor.

For the barrel, I use Ed's Red or Hoppes 9 and use the Enfield cleaning process. (scrub, solvent, wipe, solvent, wipe, solvent, wipe) This gets the powder residue, dirt, copper fouling.

If you plan on storing the rifle for 6 or more months, oil the barrel with gun oil. It will evaporate and technically should be re-done monthly.

I have a CZ858 that the barrel always rusts FAST. (the other one doesn't go figure) I have to oil it each time I put it away, even if it is for a week. When I hit the range I just use a dry patch before firing.

I have not seen an SKS significantly rust between usages if cleaned this way. Maybe a small spot or spec here or there.
 
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I go with:
Windex down the barrel, gas port and a little on the other removable parts
a couple dry patches
Hoppes #9 till all that comes out is Cu on the swab, and lightly on other parts
a couple dry patches
oil

I only ever wipe down the inside of the receiver with an oily patch, should I be doing more to clean the inside of the receiver?

Never seen any rust, and I often don't clean till a week after the range
 
I use Sweets 7.62 that I mix up in a spray bottle and spray the removable parts and pour hot water down the barrel. Then I Wipe Out gets sprayed in the barrel as I wipe off all the small parts. Re-grease & clean out barrel. Done! It's useally take 30 minutes from start to finish but some times more if I shoot and don't clean it right away.
 
I imagine where you live can determine how fast the parts rust. If you live in a humid area such as on the coast, then more then likely it will rust faster then a dry environment. I personally do not understand how Ammonia would help stop the rust. Ammonia, being a base will neutralize an acid, but the corrosive properties of the ammo are caused by salts, that attract moisture and cause rust. If someone could fill me in it would be great.
 
I think people like it cause it make's the carbon easier to clean after useing an ammonia based product. Atleast that's the main reason why I use sweets for.
 
LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1 said:
I imagine where you live can determine how fast the parts rust. If you live in a humid area such as on the coast, then more then likely it will rust faster then a dry environment. I personally do not understand how Ammonia would help stop the rust. Ammonia, being a base will neutralize an acid, but the corrosive properties of the ammo are caused by salts, that attract moisture and cause rust. If someone could fill me in it would be great.
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Ammonia is used to remove copper fouling. Use plain old hot water to remove the corrosive salts. Do not leave ammonia in the barrel, ammonia will absorb moisture from the air that will cause rust.
 
SO FAR this has been working for me (4 weeks, 1000 rounds of corrosive Czech)

When I get home, or within a day or so, I heat about a gallon of water up to something like 75 degrees C.

Then I open the action of my CZ, and dump it through the barrel, all over the action, through the FAB Defense handguards and so on. Every spot that I can reach by dumping a ton of hot water gets hit, which I think is everything.

Then I let it dry, which is pretty quick because it's now hot.

Then I give it a quick wipe and oil, and run a bore snake through it with Ed's Red on it a couple of times.

Takes me about 5 minutes and SO FAR at least it seems to be doing the trick.
 
This might sound dumb, but iam a noob with an sks can you use brake cleaner to clean out the internals? Would it affect anything? In stead of using water because that just seems like it would rust something if i didnt dry it right.
 
Never cleaned with the water treatment trick.

Saved the time and effort to boil water and the extra procedure.

Cleaned like I clean my other firearms after non-corr ammo.

No rust just the same.
 
I am another one that has never used water/windex to clean after using corrosive ammo. However I do use MPro-7 which essentially does the same thing as water, and then clean and finish with a coating of Eezox.

We do clean our black powder guns with a bucket of hot water, plus soap and a bit of water soluble cutting oil.
 
30-06'in said:
This might sound dumb, but iam a noob with an sks can you use brake cleaner to clean out the internals? Would it affect anything? In stead of using water because that just seems like it would rust something if i didnt dry it right.
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I wouldn't do that, if you don't want to use water, do whatever else was suggested here.
I used brake cleaner to get some cosmoline off the rifle, seemed to do the trick for that. Cleaned and oiled it afterwards.

After shooting, I strip the rifle down and pour boiling water in and over everything. Dry & then oil. The rifle had some rust starting when I didn't clean it for a couple days after shooting. Cleaned, no rust starting.
 
I bring a bottle of windex to the range. while barrel is still hot spray er down. also hit the gas port. Bring home. Make sure completely dry with patch and pipe cleaners. Clean and lube with G 96 gun treatment. Done. no rust ever.
 
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