Corrosive ammo cleanup?

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Caleb314

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I just fired my mosin today and I was wondering what exactly needs to be cleaned. I don't want to ruin it but I'm also lazy, I cleaned the bore with a generous spaying of windex and a few patches with windex (torn shirt sleeves lol I ran out of patches) I also spayed and wiped the bolt head and the end of the firing pin. Is that all that needs to be done? Thanks.

Btw it shot surprisingly well I got 2 groups just under 3 inches :D with Russian surplus mind you it shoot 9-10'inches height and 3-4 inches to the right ( 10 inches height without bayonet and 9 inches to the right)
 
The best solvent there is for cleaning corrosive priming salts residue is to use hot soapy water. To clean the bore just soak and use a number of patches and then follow up with dry patches before oiling. Another good technique is to insert the muzzle into a pail of hot water then wrap a tight fitting patch around the rod so that it functions like a piston and then pump the rod back and forth in the bore. The chamber and bolt face can be cleaned with the hot water as well.
 
For the time being il use windex since that's what I got it for. Il like the idea of hot soapy water in a squirt bottle though. Thanks
 
contact148 said:
clean it with hoppes #9 or clp or any other gun cleaning stuff you dont need water or windex
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Which runs counter to what 99.99% of the rest of the known firearms community believes about corrosive primer ammo.

The primers leave a build up of a salt which attracts moisture out of the air and then the combination of the salt and moisture is corrosive and the steel rusts as a result. Being a salt which is hygroscopic it is best cleaned with a water based solution. Being a salt it does not dissolve in the solvent soup of Hoppes or CLP. So using either won't ensure cleaning away all the salt residue.

Caleb, the only issue with using Windex, water or water with some soap is that it leaves the steel bare. After the water based cleaning run a dry patch. Then a Hoppes or other conventional cleaning solvent to displace any remaining moisture and to remove any powder based "normal" fouling. Once the solvent patches (typically only two) are coming out clean then run a dry patch, an oily patch and a last couple of dry patches to leave the clean bore with just a slight oil film for rust protection.
 
All you need is boiling water. I have a Chinese SKS that I barely clean, all I do is pour boiling water down the gas tube and barrel, wipe both parts down with a dry patch, oil and re-assemble. 1400 rounds of corrosive ammo from China, the Ukraine and Romania and no rust (or stoppages, gotta love the SKS) yet.

People seem to take corrosive ammo a bit too seriously. Sure, you need to dissolve the salts, but it's really not a big deal and it's very easy to do.
 
contact148 said:
clean it with hoppes #9 or clp or any other gun cleaning stuff you dont need water or windex
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Hoppes does not dissolve salts. Water dissolves salts.


Apply oil base to rifle and barrel after the water. At minimum, wd40 works in a pinch or when you're in the field.
 
whatever ive shot my vz58,my sks(s) my mosins and k98s all with surplus ammo all cleaned WITHOUT water or windex all bores look as new or as i recieved them same with gas sytem and bolts some of the above guns ive had 20 YEARS

do you guys really think that the ww2 soilder had windex or water to wash their guns with......
 
Why would they not have water? Europe has a major river every 50 miles or so and small streams and such all over the place.

Infact the British issued a small funnel at unit level to clean rifles with boiled water.
 
contact148 said:
do you guys really think that the ww2 soilder had windex or water to wash their guns with......
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You maybe be right about that but they did have nice warm pee to cleans the salts out their bores, winters are dam cold in russia so that explains the poor bores for the rifles on that front who wants to wip it out when it's -40 even if you can it freezes before it hits the ground or you have a Barrel that frozen solid.

Guns aren't cheap but water is that's the way I see it.
 
Of all the milsurps I own the Mosin is my favorite to clean, but...

This past weekend I used a trick that weimajack (a dealer on this forum) suggested in a similar previous thread. I shot around 200 rounds of corrosive 7.62x54r out of my SVT 40 and then at the end of shooting for the day I put a box of non corrosive PRVI ammo through it. I did this because I really wanted to shoot that rifle that day but knew I wouldn't have the required time to do a thorough cleaning, within the next 24-36 hours.

I had my reservations about trying this, but when I did finally get around to cleaning the rifle there was no signs of rust in the gas system or any pitting in the bore the following afternoon. I used my usual routine for corrosive cleaning at that point because I didn't have the guts to see if the corrosive action would start to take a toll on the bore (It's mint). I think I might try this method with a sacrificial gun and observe the results over a longer duration of time to put my mind at ease. The truth is I enjoy cleaning my guns too much to let them stay dirty for very long.

My corrosive cleaning routine:
1) Boiling water over all parts exposed to gas/ powder fouling and down the bore with the action removed from the stock (This is for my Mosin Nagant, SKS, and SVT 40)
2) Thoroughly dry all parts and lightly coat with WD40, I usually spray a little WD40 down the barrel as well to help get any water droplets out
3)Tooth brush/ Wipe off bolt face, bolt carrier, action, magazine. Lightly oil with whatever gun oil I have (Usually break free CLP)
4)Wipeout foaming bore cleaner down the barrel, let it sit for an hour or two and patch out (depending on how much I've shot I may repeat this process 2 or 3 times).
5)Dry patch down the barrel followed by a lightly oiled patch for storage.
 
The salts aren't that corrosive you have about a week before anything really comes up even then its just minor surface rust but the rust starts off were if left off so if your gun has some pitting or surface rust already it continues.
SVTs should have chrome lined barrels so 2-3 days should do any harm
 
I've had rust in my SKS's gas tube and on the piston within 6 hours of shooting in this damp climate. I know it's superficial for the most part, but I just like to avoid having rust on any of my guns for any reason.

Windex, if I'm not mistaken does have water in it that will cause rust if you don't thoroughly dry it out when you use it. I used to use windex but I found that using boiling water was the best because the heat made the cleaning process easier. As others have stated use the old water displacement fomula 40 for this.
 
contact148 said:
whatever ive shot my vz58,my sks(s) my mosins and k98s all with surplus ammo all cleaned WITHOUT water or windex all bores look as new or as i recieved them same with gas sytem and bolts some of the above guns ive had 20 YEARS

do you guys really think that the ww2 soilder had windex or water to wash their guns with......
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Its not an issue of how you care or not care for your rifles, its about the fact that you're quite mis-informed if you believe that Hoppes removes corrosive salts from your guns, and you're passing off that misinformation to others. And Yes, soldiers in WW2 did in fact have water. They drank it everyday.
 
contact148 said:
whatever ive shot my vz58,my sks(s) my mosins and k98s all with surplus ammo all cleaned WITHOUT water or windex all bores look as new or as i recieved them same with gas sytem and bolts some of the above guns ive had 20 YEARS

do you guys really think that the ww2 soilder had windex or water to wash their guns with......
Click to expand...

No not always but they did have CLP's that were formulated to remove the salt's back then. New commercial cleaners don't usually remove corrosive salts unless stated to do so. Times change and guns, ammo and cleaning solutions change along the way. I carry a small squirt bottle of windex when away from home and just use water when at home. Use either one then do a normal clean and oil and it's all good.

Oh and rust formation from corrosive ammo use may depend on location. I've had my SKS form rust in about a week after firing corrosive and not cleaning. If your in the dessert you may not even need to worry about rust from corrosive ammo use but if your living on Cape Breton you may need to deal with within hours of shooting. There are alot of variables involved as to why you might not be getting rust formation in your guns when shooting corrosive ammo, that doesn't mean it applies to everyone.
 
Ed's red removes salt.

It has both acetone and mineral spirits which have polar molecules in them that dissolve salts (water and soap's polar properties are the factor that allows it to dissolve salts).

If you want to remove a step, just clean with that stuff. I used to do the hot soapy water thing, but after hearing about ER, it made life easier. It gets rid of corrosive salts with ease. Ive been using it on my milsurps for a while and have had no issues whatsoever. The only thing eds red doesnt remove is copper fouling, but run a patch with hoppes every so often, and your good to go.
 
OK here it is AGAIN.
Every bore has microscopic pits in it though they might not be visible. Firing corrosive primed ammo drives the primer salts into those pits. A funnel and boiling hot water down the bore expands the pits and washes out the salts.
That is why the brits had armourers funnels that you stuck in the arse end of the barrel. They started using those funnels before 1900 and up untill the time they switched to Non corrosive primers.
Dating myself, but I was issued an M1. After a day at the range, we field stripped the rifle, took it into the latrine, and poured HOT water down the bore for the SAME reason, then cleaned it with patches and the usual gunk
 
Cdn303 said:
Why would they not have water? Europe has a major river every 50 miles or so and small streams and such all over the place.

Infact the British issued a small funnel at unit level to clean rifles with boiled water.
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John Sukey said:
OK here it is AGAIN.
Every bore has microscopic pits in it though they might not be visible. Firing corrosive primed ammo drives the primer salts into those pits. A funnel and boiling hot water down the bore expands the pits and washes out the salts.
That is why the brits had armourers funnels that you stuck in the arse end of the barrel. They started using those funnels before 1900 and up untill the time they switched to Non corrosive primers.
Dating myself, but I was issued an M1. After a day at the range, we field stripped the rifle, took it into the latrine, and poured HOT water down the bore for the SAME reason, then cleaned it with patches and the usual gunk
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They speak the truth. I bought this one through an ad in Can. Access to Firearms many years ago, as a collector piece to go with my LE.
But its so useful for actually cleaning corrosive, that I keep it with my cleaning kit.
I believe it is Canadian issued, so not just limited to British armourers.
DSC_3371.jpg

I got the kettle from a garage sale for $3. The OD can on the right is US made bore cleaner specifically for corrosive ammo.
My cleaning program now takes less than 10 minutes.
Boil water, while water is heating I get the funnel and bore cleaner and a cleaning rod ready. Strip gun down, depending on gas system.
Pour BOILING water down funnel into bore and out into a bucket. Small parts like gas piston are in the bucket already.
Let gun bore dry out (hold muzzle down so no water trickles into the action) (Barrel is HOT to the touch, so it will dry fast)
Pour out water bucket, dry small parts.
Dip bore mop in bore cleaner (this stuff stinks like hell! Dont do this at the kitchen table!) and wipe through barrel.
Reassemble gun. Done
 
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