What's the big deal with surplus ammo?

mwjones

mwjones

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Took the new sks out to the range yesterday and put 60 rounds of czech surplus through it. I was worried about the berdan primers and stuff, but my old man assured me that if i just clean it well after use, everything will be fine.

Got it home and started to clean. Ran a patch soaked in cheap outers nitro solvent down the bore, let it sit for a minute. Brushed with a phosphor bronze brush, then alternated solvent and dry patches (maybe 5) until the dry ones came out clean. Brushed again with solvent, then patches until they came out clean again. Brushed out the inside of the action with solvent and an old toothbrush. The only thing i did differently from how i would normally clean a gun is to flush it out with windex. Soaked her down with silicone oil after drying, and I take a look today, not a spot of rust or anything. I did not have to strip the whole gun down, take all the little parts apart and soak in solvent or anything, just a normal, decent cleanign job that took me maybe 20 minutes. What's the big deal?
 
The biggest problem with shooting corrosive is the gas tube and piston getting rust. Also, the bolt and bolt carrier. If you flush everything with Windex or even plain old water, you will have zero issues.
 
Just went downstairs and removed the piston, cleaned the tube, piston, and piston extension, and they were all clean, as in, no black stuff, rust, or anything came off. Am I just lucky maybe? Gave it a flush with the windex and oiled it well anyway.

Is some surplus cleaner than others? The guy i bought it from told me that it was mid 90s manufacture, which is apparently better than "that junk from the 60s"
 
Mine is dated 1990. I wonder if that is an inspection stamp or date of manufacture? Either way, I field strip the whole lot, and clean. It doesn't take more than an hour and I have peace of mind. If I were in a pinch for time, all I would do is rinse the gas tube under hot water and wipe off the gas rod.
 
Depends on how humid your environment is, where you store it and where you've been shooting etc... The salts in the corrosive primers attracts moisture. If you're in a really dry climate there will be little if any effect.
 
Moisture is definitely an issue in my house. The poured basement has a random puddle here or there, and the carpet on the stairs usually feels damp to the touch. That said, I haven't had any problems with ANY of my guns. I recently saw an episode of shooting usa where they did a test to see if there were any dangers of over lubing. They sprayed an autoloading shotgun down with silicone, gooped it full of grease, then filled the action with cosmoline, and it fired perfectly every time. I don't go that far, but i try to remove all fouling and i am rather generous with the silicone spray.

Regarding the price of the windex...blue glass cleaner from the dollar store for a dollar for 2 litres. I used maybe half a cup to flush the gun out, and saved what i could so cost isn't really an issue. It seems liek it might work better than the actual name brand windex, as when i remove the cap, there is an unmistakable portapotty smell, whereas the windex smells like flowers :S I'd hate to be carrying pots of boiling water up and down stairs, as i will most certainly end up dumping one on myself.
 
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