cheap ammo..

curvy

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i know this topic has been around the block, but can anyone summarize by answering the following question...

is all the cheap/bulk/surplus sks ammo corrosive? do you ever see relatively cheap bulk ammo that's NON corrosive? or is the extra cleaning the inevitable trade off?

thanks.
 
The days of cheap non-corrosive 7.62x39 have passed.

Used to be able to get Norinco silver box and Wolf hollow points fairy easily, had a line on South African as well a while back.

Then they scammed us all with that hungarian stuff which myself and many others will tell you is highly corrosive.

I still have a couple hundred rounds of the wolf, but those are mine mine mine.

Wish there was still stuff available.
 
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With millions if not BILLIONS of rounds of the corrosive, steel-core stuff that had been stockpiled in former combloc countries in the event that the cold war ever went hot, none of which can be sold on the U.S. market, it'll be decades before anyone has any incentive to start up production again, even with a couple of wars going on. By that time most of the guns chambered for 7.62 x 39 will be long worn out, and since it's pretty much an "obsolete" caliber, hardly any major country still uses it anymore, and those that still do are mostly in the process of phasing it out, so forget about surplus. I don't expect to see ANY non-corrosive 7.62 x 39 to become available in any kind of significant numbers (and at milsurp prices) during my lifetime.
 
is it the fact it is steel core the problem with the US market? :redface:

I don't see the cleaning as a huge chore, as I always clean anyway after shooting, and the thirty seconds more it takes to pour boiling water down the bore does not seem all that terrible. :cool:

plus that commie ammo smells "unique" :runaway:
 
RobSmith said:
By that time most of the guns chambered for 7.62 x 39 will be long worn out, and since it's pretty much an "obsolete" caliber, hardly any major country still uses it anymore

It is still made, and it is still used in several armed forces around the world in great amounts. And it is far from being an obsolete caliber. :rolleyes:
 
CanAm said:
Yes, steel core X39 is banned for import in the US.

is it a political reason, or does this steel core ammo have some sort of logical reason for being banned? Is it due to its ability to punch holes in a few cm of steel? :redface:

Somehow I feel fuzzy knowing I own two cases of something you can't get in the US :wave:
 
Proutfoo said:
is it a political reason, or does this steel core ammo have some sort of logical reason for being banned? Is it due to its ability to punch holes in a few cm of steel? :redface:

Somehow I feel fuzzy knowing I own two cases of something you can't get in the US :wave:

Steel core was determined to be "Armor Piercing" and thus verboten in the U.S. .... Pure B.S. of course, as there's no evidence that steel core M43 has any more penetration than the lead-cored varieties.
 
RobSmith said:
Steel core was determined to be "Armor Piercing" and thus verboten in the U.S. .... Pure B.S. of course, as there's no evidence that steel core M43 has any more penetration than the lead-cored varieties.

Yes and no...(picture taken a week ago).
Range 100 yards, penetration 1/4" to 1/2" into 1" thick steel plates.

100_3306.jpg


Two rifles used:
My P14 shooting 1937-44 copper, and nickle fmj .303.

And my SKS shooting 1971 steel core fmj 7.62x39.

Interesting stuff as the steel core SKS penetrated deeper then the .303 stuff, and the soft nose .303 hunting stuff just left a small divot.

In any event Methinks Kevlar wouldn't do squat to help you.
Also of interest...
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot16_5.htm

So it would be interesting to see what tests the US Government did with the 7.62x39 stuff.
But in a way I'm glad they don't get it as they would probably hog our supply. :D
 
Proutfoo said:
is it a political reason, or does this steel core ammo have some sort of logical reason for being banned? Is it due to its ability to punch holes in a few cm of steel? :redface:

Somehow I feel fuzzy knowing I own two cases of something you can't get in the US :wave:

It was deemed an armour-piercing handgun round due to the AR/AK pistols.
 
You don't have to pour boiling water down the barrel after corrosive ammo is used. Any number of cleaners from Hoppes #9 to Sweets to Windex will neutralize the corrosive salts. Clean the gas cylinder carefully as well as the bore. I go back in a few days and double check with another patch of Hoppes.
 
Calum said:
Funny how they can still buy steel core surplus 7.62x25 TT Pistol ammo.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=243642

:D

The test ammo in that link is copper jacket w/lead core. I don't see any mention of them using steel core ammo, other than an anecdote regarding someone being hit by a steel jacket/core bullet. The import ban came in in the 90's, they can still buy it if it is in country.
 
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Calum said:
Petroleum based products will not neutralize the corrosive salts.
Only Hot water will.

A friend and I who both own Yugo SKS rifles (non-chrome lined bores) and bought cases of the Czech ammo were wondering about this. Hoppes #9 used to say right on the bottle that it was effective against corrosive ammunition but it doesn't say that now. So my friend wrote to Hoppes and they replied that yes, Hoppes #9 is still effective against corrosive salts. That's what I've mostly been using on my SKS and I can unequivocally confirm that it is effective, not a hint of rust. Hoppes is petroleum distillate based.
 
heavyBullet said:
And ya just got to luv the smell of Hoppes!!! My ex used to hate the smell...so I always made sure to buy the biggest bottle I could find :evil:

hahahaha , thats one way to keep her away from your guns.... so what does it smell like, i have never used, hot water works for me.
 
i just use birchwod casey No.77 black powder solvent, it's a "water based formula" acording to the label..... say's rite on the bottle it kill's mercuric primer residue.... i shoot a fair bit of old .303 ammo (still have a few boxes stamped 1943 ;) ) and i swab and brush after every trip to the range.... you would be amazed what the first few patches look like.... i also use it to clean my flinter.... i would think that any black powder solvent would kill salt...
 
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