SKS Cleaning: Am I Doing It Wrong?

[DrSpaceJam]

Hi everyone, I've been using these forums for a lot of information gleaning and now I need some help with my SKS. I've been using it about once a month to do a little target shooting, letting loose with probably a hundred rounds per sessions. It's corrosive Romanian ammo I'm firing. This is my only experience with corrosive ammo so I've been a bit paranoid about it and clean it pretty thoroughly after shooting every session... or at least I thought I was doing it right.

When I opened up my rifle after the last shooting session, I've found some discoloration on some of the components. The ones that concern me the most are the bolt; the rest I cleaned up pretty easily, but this I can't.

You can see pretty clearly that splotchy look. Most of the bolt is nice and clean and these ugly spots on the bottom are making me wonder, am I not cleaning adequately? Is this corrosion? I thought if anything, I'm under-cleaning it. Maybe I'm not using enough oil after shooting, since I'm leaving the gun alone in the safe for a month at a time?

An image of the bolt face:

It's not as clear, but there's some brown-ish discolouration on the face. It doesn't brush off like spots of rust have on some of my other firearms. I'm not sure how to deal with it. Or is this all just standard wear-and-tear and this stuff is nothing to worry about? Like I've said, this is my first experience with corrosive ammo (or milsurps in general), and all I have to learn from is the internet.

If it looks like I'm messing up somewhere on cleaning, let me know. My process for cleaning is the same as with my other firearms, but I also pour hot water down the barrel and gas system to clean out the salts. I've also cleaned up the bolt with water and Simple Green in the past to keep it really clean to avoid the slamfiring issues I've heard of associated with a sticky firing pin. Maybe that messed the bolt up a bit? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong and I'm looking for advice from people with more experience, which is pretty much everyone here.

Thanks!

 

[Lobster_pot]

Well the bolt is stainless so it shouldn't rust. Not sure what the discoloration is. Do those spots feel rough when you slide your finger over them? I use boiling water. Let dry then normal clean. Sounds like that's what your doing too. If those spots are smooth I wouldn't worry about it. I check mine a few days after a clean. Then maybe once a week. Hope this helps

 

[Lobster_pot]

I forgot I also give mine a little brush with a tooth brush and bore brush down the bore and rinse again. I'm in the maritimes though and things rust easy here.That discoloration might be salt deposits??? I dunno maybe somebody that knows better than me might chime in

 

[points]

Well the bolt is stainless so it shouldn't rust. Not sure what the discoloration is. Do those spots feel rough when you slide your finger over them? I use boiling water. Let dry then normal clean. Sounds like that's what your doing too. If those spots are smooth I wouldn't worry about it. I check mine a few days after a clean. Then maybe once a week. Hope this helps

The bolt is carbon steel. Not stainless and it will rust. I strip it down and clean it with hot soap and water and rinse with boiing water. blow dry and re-assemble only when dry. Oil inside and out. Pipe cleaners are a cheap and easy way to clean the firing pin hole. I have seen SKS bolts at the range rusted solid and the owner would say he didn't think it needed cleaning.

 

[Lobster_pot]

The bolt is carbon steel. Not stainless and it will rust. I strip it down and clean it with hot soap and water and rinse with boiing water. blow dry and re-assemble only when dry. Oil inside and out. Pipe cleaners are a cheap and easy way to clean the firing pin hole. I have seen SKS bolts at the range rusted solid and the owner would say he didn't think it needed cleaning.

Well there you go. I stand corrected. Thanks!! I didnt know that. I always submerge mine in boiling water and brush with a tooth brush then rinse.

 

[Andurp]

I have similar discoloration on one of my Chinese bolts, also with Romanian corrosive ammo. It isn't rust, and it isn't harmful as far as I can tell. It only appeared for me when I was cleaning after a ton of snow got into the action of my rifle due to me dropping quite a few rounds at the range and then loading them up. I have a slightly darker version of what you have on my bolt now, but it hasn't harmed function and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the metal where it appears. I'm not worrying about it, and in my unprofessional opinion, you don't need to either.

In semi-related news, don't let snow snow fall into the action of your SKS, as when you fire it you get dirty melted-snow bukakke all over your face coming from the action and the back of the dust cover. Not exactly enjoyable.

And about the bolts, yeah, they'll rust. I've had one on my Izhevsk get a slight bit of rust on it because I didn't oil it very well and left the rifle unattended in the safe for about a month, and this was after a thorough cleaning to make sure I got all the corrosive crap off of it. I'd hate to see what a completely uncleaned bolt would look like after a few thousand rounds of corrosive ammo.

Bolt and firing pin maintenance is extremely important, and this was just recently reinforced for me when I didn't take the firing pin completely apart for about ten range trips on one of my Chinese SKS rifles. The pin still moved freely, but it was sluggish enough for me to decide to strip it down completely. It was so dirty I had to use the pick from the cleaning kit and a rubber mallet and whack it quite hard to get it out of the bolt, and when I did the firing pin was covered in black thick black goop that was quite difficult to get off and was extremely sticky, and the inside of the channel took about an hour to clean with pipe cleaners. I'm sure if I had neglected it for a bit longer I would have had some problems.

 

[DrSpaceJam]

Do those spots feel rough when you slide your finger over them? I use boiling water. Let dry then normal clean. Sounds like that's what your doing too. If those spots are smooth I wouldn't worry about it.

They don't feel 'rough', but they do feel slightly different than the rest of the bolt face. It's not abrasive or pitted or anything, but just a little bit less smooth. Sorry that's so vague.

Pipe cleaners are a cheap and easy way to clean the firing pin hole. I have seen SKS bolts at the range rusted solid and the owner would say he didn't think it needed cleaning.

That's a superb idea, thanks.

I have similar discoloration on one of my Chinese bolts, also with Romanian corrosive ammo. It isn't rust, and it isn't harmful as far as I can tell. It only appeared for me when I was cleaning after a ton of snow got into the action of my rifle due to me dropping quite a few rounds at the range and then loading them up. I have a slightly darker version of what you have on my bolt now, but it hasn't harmed function and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the metal where it appears. I'm not worrying about it, and in my unprofessional opinion, you don't need to either.

In semi-related news, don't let snow snow fall into the action of your SKS, as when you fire it you get dirty melted-snow bukakke all over your face coming from the action and the back of the dust cover. Not exactly enjoyable.

Funny you mention that because my spots showed up after a similar experience. We were shooting with gloves on because it was miserable out, and quite a few rounds that had fallen into the snow were put through the gun.

In any case, I'll keep a close eye on it. Thanks everyone.

 

[mckutzy]

Both pics look fine, its an sks. Now if it is a rare model or some how special, then I would say switch ammo.
The bolt underside, is that perhaps lacquer from the ammo.

 

[daniel_250r]

that part of the bolt gets worn down anyways i wouldnt worry. remember theres guys in god forsaken parts of the world walking in the mountains with an sks that hasn't been cleaned in decades. but yea soaking in hot soapy water worked for me no rust.

 

[bradofcanada]

I dont use water on mine at all.I just use regular cleaning supplies I use for all my firearms.Corrosive ammo isnt that big of a deal if you clean your rifle after every shoot.Make sure to keep an eye on the gas tube as I find that is where it gets corroded the most if not looked after.Also make sure not to oil the firing pin.

 

[rugersr22]

Why should you not oil the firing pin on a SKS? I clean mine in warm soapy water, then rinse and oil afterwards with gunzilla and haven't experienced any adverse effects.

 

[shooterbuck]

Why should you not oil the firing pin on a SKS? I clean mine in warm soapy water, then rinse and oil afterwards with gunzilla and haven't experienced any adverse effects.

Doesn't really need any oil,unless your putting away for long term storage. Oil can attract and hold dirt carbon, crap etc.
If the buildup causes the firing pin to get stuck in the forward position it can cause slamfire..

 

[Beermaker]

I clean with Hoppes #9 as it is meant for corrosive primer residue. I take my bolt apart, clean with narrow pipe cleaning brush (stiffer than the cheap pipe cleaners unless you can find the good ones) and a light coat of oil on everything. Not dripping just scare it to protect the surface against rust and to lubricate moving parts. It's hard to say what any surface discolouration may be unless you find someone in the metalology? field to analize it. I used to the boil water bit until I noticed the Hoppes 9 was for corrosive salts and residue. No problems noticed and cleaning time is cut in half.