Ammo Warning for Mini 30 owners !

D

Dr van Nostran

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
29   0   0
Location
Lower Mainland, B.C.
The owner's manual for the Ruger Mini 30 rifle advises:

"Ruger Mini Thirty Rifles are chambered for the 7.62X39mm cartridge, and can use either standard military or factory loaded sporting 7.62X39mm cartridges manufactured in accordance with U.S. industry practise".

However, there is a very bold warning which reads:

"USE OF CORROSIVELY PRIMED IMPORTED AMMUNITION CAN DAMAGE OR RUIN THIS RIFLE. USE ONLY U.S. COMMERCIALLY MANUFACTURED AMMUNITION".

So there you have it, straight from Ruger. Mini 30 owners may wish to stop using the corrosive Czech 7.62X39 that is around immediately.
 
Imho I have to disagree with you on this one Doc. If you take the proper steps to clean your rifle after you shoot it, corrosive primed ammo will not damage your firearm.

I believe that is why they worded the warning CAN damage not WILL damage.
 
762nato said:
yep a little windex will take care of the corrosive problem, shoot it all the time in my Nagant.

Andy
Click to expand...

The Windex thing has me on the fence, I have heard quite a bit of talk both for and against the use on Windex for neturalizing salts caused buy corrosive primers... Don't know who to believe.
 
Anyone have any info about the proper cleaning method for corrosive ammo in semi autos? I have a mini 30 and a crate of corrosive ammo im going to use in it. Do you have to take it all apart, or can you just spray something down the barrel and get it all out after shooting it. Also how many rounds until its time to clean it?
 
So do i just put it in the bathtub and run hot water over it, or do i boil up some water and pour that over it? How hot should it be. Some people say to use windex, that to me sounds alot easier. Then i could take it with me to the range and use it right after im done before i head back home. What about brake cleaner, i used that to clean my 22 semi auto, and it worked really well.
 
"...straight from Ruger..." And Springfield Armoury Inc says never use handloads in their rifles. It's a CYA thing to avoid frivolous law suits.
"...how many rounds until its time to clean it?..." Flush out the rifle with boiling water as soon as you can after firing one round of corrosive ammo. Mind you, the CF used motor oil for eons on Lee-Enfields with no fuss.
Brake cleaner is for removing grease, not salts.
"...can you just spray something down the barrel..." Nope.
 
The Windex thing has me on the fence, I have heard quite a bit of talk both for and against the use on Windex for neturalizing salts caused buy corrosive primers... Don't know who to believe.
__________________
Click to expand...
I shoot my nagant frequently, pass a couple of patches saturated with Windex through the bore, then clean as normal, I use ED's Red solvent (1 part Mineral Spirits, 1 Part dexron, 1 Part acetone, 1 part denatured Kerosene). Bore on my Nagant is mint. Would have to clean the gas system on a Mini 30 as well.

Windex has ammonium in it and can cause problems in your rifle
Click to expand...
Only if you leave it in there, so would most other chemicals.

strip down to major parts and trow boiling water at it then iol and re assemble. EVERY TIME YOU SHOT CORROSIVE
Click to expand...
Would work, but is a lot of work.
 
Stop using the ammo is only good advice if you don't clean and oil your firearm after using the corrosive stuff.
Clean it even if you shoot 100 rounds...clean it if you shoot 5 rounds....just clean it when your done.....
 
Here's a link that I've posted several times before for cleaning after corrosive ammo...
---http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/corrosive/index.asp---
 
Boiling water (not hot, BOILING) down the barrel a few times, and over everything that contacted gas from the system. Scrub as necessary to make sure it's completely flushed out.

Then just clean as normal. I've been doing this with my VZ58 and NEVER had a problem with rust forming.
 
doesn't Mini 30s have .308 bore instead of .310?that would be another good reason not to shoot mill surplus ammo and reload instead
 
Imho boiling water is not a necessary.

I use warm water with a touch of detergent.
Field strip.
Swab the barrel with this and patches. Wipe down any part that could come in contact with gas from your rounds with the water mixture(+1 Canucklehead). Then simply clean with whatever CPL you like.

Don't get lazy with the complete wipe down and oil thing... those corrosive salts will hide anywhere. Like say for example...Between the gastube and the hand guard on a SKS.:rolleyes:

It's damn fun to shoot corrosive ammo, just don't be lazy with your cleaning and you'll be fine. Who can resist shooting 7.62x39 for 15 cents per round compared to 75 cents. :D
 
Last edited:
I use hot out of the tap water and run it through the barrel with an Enfield cleaning funnel untill the barrel is hot enough too be unpleasent to touch, then I clean and lube as normal. This has worked fine for me so far for my bolt action rifles and the SKS though with the SKS I soak all of the metal parts in hot water while I do the barrel as well.
 
For me and my SKS , windex has worked great .
right after use I strip it and hose the living sh#t out of it with windex . Scrub the bore with a windex soaked patch and don't forget the gas tube .
Then I blow it all down with brake cleans .
I finish it up with a regrease and re-oil .
It looks good , isn't very hard and don't take long . I have had no problems doing it this way .
 
No great mystery here. Pour a kettle of boiling water down the pipe and gas affected parts. Once cool, clean the bore as you normally would, oil down the gun and your done. Always worked for me.
 
The warning from Ruger says CAN damage.., not WILL damage..., so it looks to me like they just want to avoid a lot of whining from people to lazy or unfamilair with corrosive ammo issues.

As for the Windex thing, I call BS. It may work on the BORE, but giving the advice, "just spray a little down the bore" doesn't even begin to protect the gas system at all.
I wonder if 7.62nato would back up his advice with a money back guarantee for all the rusted semis that result.
Buy a kettle at a garage sale (mine cost $3) and use boiling water on all parts that come in contact with the corrosive gasses.
 
762nato said:
Would have to clean the gas system on a Mini 30 as well.
Click to expand...

762Nato did specify that it's easy to clean out his rifle with windex, and that any semi's would require extra cleaning of the gas system. He never implied that you can dump windex down the barrel and everything would fine on a semi.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom