testing corrosive primers on bare metal.

Curtton

Curtton

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
336   0   1
Location
BC
corrosive primers effects on bare metal.

similar bare metals on a rifle would be gas block, gas tube and non-chrome bore (on CZ858 non-res, pre 1951 SKS45 and all yugo SKS).

many of us like using czech corrosive ammo, simply bcos its cheap, yes, it does require a bit of more work to get rid of the corrosive salt left behind by the primer but after all these years im kinda use to it and it has become part of my cleaning routine.

i been using hot water ever since i started using corrosive ammo and i have never had any rust issue so i never found a reason to try another pre-cleaning technique however i will be moving soon and i wont have an access to a laundry tub so im looking for another technique that will free me from the tub. doing pre-cleaning at the range would be ideal.

now, over the years i have read so many ways to clean a rifle, more ways than to leave your lover but im hassitant to venture from the proven method. i have read from "do nothing, just throw in the trunk" to "pissing down the bore".

i have read there are commercial products that will also do a good job but i wont be testing those except for the WD-40 and that is only bcos i use it to protect the metal when i store it for the winter but never for pre-cleaning so im sceptical when i read a member recommending it .

test 1.
different pre-cleaning techniques only, not followed by regular cleaning. this test is compare the rust to each other.

day 1. started at 9am.
weather condition: cloudy temp 25c-13c.

P1100410.jpg


- 5 steel plate strips, i cleaned the surfaces with a grinder.
- 5 czech ammos , bullet & powder removed (thanks to my son).
- each test strip had 1 primer set off on it.
- waited 6 hours before applying pre-cleaning technique and then padded dry.

strip 1, no pre-cleaning technique.
strip 2. hot water (250ml) with a dab of dishwashing soap.
strip 3. semi-hot tap water (250ml) with dab of soap.
strip 4. windex, sprayed 30 times.
strip 5. WD-40, sprayed 7 times.

day 2.
light morning rain, rest of the day cloudy.

P1100473.jpg


when i came home in the evening (36 hrs later), i noticed a colour changed on the test strips, very noticeable dark red on 5 (WD-40), a little less red on 1 (no pre-cleaning). the other 3 had slight colour changed but really hard to tell so i had to use a flash light to the shiny irregular surfaces to tell the differences.

day 3.
cloudy.

the strips are slightly darker .

i will leave the trips for a few more days before proceeding to test 2 .

so far the test 1 revealed do not store your rifle without pre-cleaning (or regular cleaning) and not to use WD-40 for pre-cleaning.

in order of most rust are 5 followed by 1, hardly noticeable on 3, 4 and 2 is the least.

test 2 next, i will test the strips but this time i will follow with a regular cleaning with solvent and re-coating with oil .
 
Last edited:
Very interesting about the wd-40 as its not only a rust inhibitor but also recomended preserving oil for the CZ 858. I had the same results with the gas system in an SKS cleaned with wd-40. I feel a sticky comin on!
 
wow great post "who would of though WD40 would done so poorly"

Oh P.S. you need a proper bullet puller :p
 
For those that are convinced that WD-40 will remove salts, spray an ounce into a glass jar then add a teaspoon of salt to see if you can make it dissolve.


For those that don't have a jar or 60 seconds of spare time, it does not work. WD-40 will not dissolve salts.
 
I did a test a few years ago to simply determine the effect of corrosive primers on bare steel, i.e. no cleaners applied. I had bare steel fired upon by corrosive, another with non-corrosive, and another that had not been fired on (a "control" sample). I could not detect any difference between the three! I'd suggest that you require a similar control sample for your experiment. In the end though, I suspect that the most reliable method will be simply hot water. As for WD-40, if the "WD" is for "Water Displacement" (it is), then it's counter-intuitive to expect it to mimic the action of water. I have no use for it except to cure squeaks, but only temporarily. Kroil is far superior as a penetrating oil, cleaner and lubricant, and might prove to be a good solvent for corrosive deposits - second to hot water though.
 
I dont have a laundry tub, I just use a funnel and boiled water from a kettle and rinse out my barrel and gas block over my kitchen sink. Then normail cleaning and oiling. That has seemed to work great for the past couple of years.
 
I have to admit, I have never used water or detergents to clean up after corrosive ammo. I use g96 and strip the rifle all the way down and do a thorough cleaning. I have never had an issue with rust or pitting. My 2 cents.
 
jdman said:
You should make another test strip, and just use hot tap water, with no soap. That is how i clean my TT33, followed by solvent, and oil.
Click to expand...

sure.

soap is to cut down oil since i didnt applied a light coating of oil on the strips before the primer blast, i shouldnt have bothered with the soap but for your test i will not use soap but i will apply a light coating of oil prior to primer blast.

Dsiwy said:
wow great post "who would of though WD40 would done so poorly"

Oh P.S. you need a proper bullet puller :p
Click to expand...

thanks D.

you silly fart , the casing looking like that has nothing to do with removing the bullet, its to direct the primer blast gas or the casing would fly off to the ceiling . :D
 
I know you can't test this one metal strips, but does firing non-corrosive ammo after corrosive reduce or eliminate any chance of pitting?
 
Andy said:
I did a test a few years ago to simply determine the effect of corrosive primers on bare steel, i.e. no cleaners applied. I had bare steel fired upon by corrosive, another with non-corrosive, and another that had not been fired on (a "control" sample). I could not detect any difference between the three! I'd suggest that you require a similar control sample for your experiment.
Click to expand...

in your test , were you expecting the bullet to transfer the corrosive salt?

no need to test with non-corrosive cos we all know the results would be, this is a short term test.

bfiles said:
I dont have a laundry tub, I just use a funnel and boiled water from a kettle and rinse out my barrel and gas block over my kitchen sink.
Click to expand...

are you crazy ? im not putting my rifle near my new granite counter top in my new kitchen. :D
 
Rocket Surgery said:
I know you can't test this one metal strips, but does firing non-corrosive ammo after corrosive reduce or eliminate any chance of pitting?
Click to expand...

No, it won't. Let's say you fired CZ - now the salt is stick to the gas tube and piston. Then you fired Norc....but that's won't remove the salt at all.
 
I use windex, scrub, wipe down, followed by WD-40, wiped down and scrubbed. finished off with oil, including the gas system. Yes I know what they say, but as the SKS sits a lot, It's far easier removing oil than rust. Gun is still in fine shape.
 
I take a Thormos of hot water to the range. After shooting (barrel still hot) I pour a dose of water into action and down barrel. I assume this washes out some salt. Hot metal dries very quickly.

At home i clean normally.
 
Ganderite said:
I take a Thormos of hot water to the range. After shooting (barrel still hot) I pour a dose of water into action and down barrel. I assume this washes out some salt. Hot metal dries very quickly.

At home i clean normally.
Click to expand...

Don't think that's a good idea.

The corrosive primer works like this: fire -> salt onto steel ->salt suck water from air -> salty water + steel = rust

So if you put water it may increase the speed of rusting.
 
michaelsabre said:
Don't think that's a good idea.

The corrosive primer works like this: fire -> salt onto steel ->salt suck water from air -> salty water + steel = rust

So if you put water it may increase the speed of rusting.
Click to expand...

No, the water dissolves the salts and flushes them out.

As he said, he still cleans normally when he gets home.
 
Curtton said:
in your test , were you expecting the bullet to transfer the corrosive salt?

no need to test with non-corrosive cos we all know the results would be, this is a short term test.
Click to expand...

Ahhh no. I removed the bullet and powder first and fired real close like you did.

Not really. You need something to compare to what would be "normal" rusitng from the atmospheric conditions. For the test to be accurate, you need clean steel and you'd be surprised how much it rusts without any help.
 
i like the thermos idea , i think the will dry so fast that rust wont be able to set , besides a quick fix is to run a dry patch .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom