Corrosive bs. Non-Corrosive Ammo

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Hi --

I am looking at the various deals available for SKS and ammunition, and I wanted to ask those who have more experience how concerned should I be about using corrosive ammunition. Lever Arms has a package for $500 for a re-arsenaled Russian SKS and 1400 rounds of non-corrosive ammo. Marstar has never-issued Chinese military SKS's with 1400 rounds or corrosive ammo for $360. I can't make up my mind! Help!

Thanks,

Grey
 
Go the Russian SKS with non corrosive ammo;

-non-corrosive ammo=less worry, so;

-it's the price and pedigree of the gun (and quality) as well; my two cents sez a Russian SKS is cooler than a South Asian copy.

I'd hope rearsenaled means tip-top condition
 
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As long as you don't mind cleaning your sks when your done shooting, corrosive ammo is a much cheaper option. But the lever arms deal sounds really good. Are you sure it's non corrosive?
 
I second the Russian deal.

And I believe the Marstar package will be $435 delivered, don't know what Lever charges for shipping.
 
Most surplus is corrosive when you do high volume shooting it makes a big diffrence but if you goto the range once in a while and shoot a few rounds at a time (5 round mags) Takes a long time reloading to get through a crate. I've found that there was surface rust in 1 day time with crossive ammo I just reinspect the firearm after cleaning to make sure it's cleaned completly. Now for the price of the gun and some rust who cares. Me I just don't like cleaning as often so I shoot non crossive ammo.
 
I'm not sure how big of a concern it is, but as I understand it, the corrosive nature of the milsurp ammon comes from the primer used.

I've also read that some non-corrosive primers can be softer and pose more issues with popped primers that foul the firing pin big time and result in slam fires. If there's any truth to that, it may be better to stick with harder milsurp primered ammo.

There's also a vague correlation with primer types. The two common primer designs are 'boxer' and 'berdan'. Berdan was invented in the US but is used mainly in Europe. Boxer was invented in Europe and used primarily in the US. The commerical ammo makers, who tend use non-corrosive primers, also tend to use boxer style primers. Milsurp ammo often uses corrosive berdan style primers. It not a hard rule, just a tendency from what I have understood.

So in summary, corrosive primers are dirtier and can generally foul the firing pin faster, while non-corrosive is a bit cleaner... but occasionally, the non-corrosive ammo can cause a popped (punctured) primer which can result in a more immediate fouling of the bolt and firing pin, resulting in slam fires.

You could fire off 100's of milsurp rounds and barely foul the firing pin. Personally, I'd be more concerned about popping a primer and causing a more immediate slam fire.
 
Those guns fired nothing but corrosive ammo all their lives...

Each to their own. If you are not cleaning your semi-auto firearm regularly, you are asking for trouble...even a refurbished 40's vintage gun.

My son and I put over 500 rounds a month of corrosive 50's milsurp ammo through his SKS, and have probably had 3 or 4 FTF's in the last 6 months. Amazing considering when this stuff was made.

We totally stripped down the rifle recently and compared the condition to digital photos we took when it was originally cleaned of cosmoline. No appreciable wear or damage noted. Yes, the bolt got a bit of surface rust, but a little frog oil took care of that. Bore is in amazingly good shape.

So, it is up to you what you want to shoot through your SKS. We will keep shooting the cheap stuff, and grinning as we do it.
 
I used to hate the idea of cleaning up after milsurp ammo. But lately I've actually been enjoying it, and even taking a little more time than I probably need to. It gives me a chance to admire and baby my SKS a bit. These are a pretty slickly designed and contrstucted rifle for a Soviet milsurp. There's a lot to admire about them and taking a bit more time in cleaning just gives me a better chance to reflect on their design & construction, and to practice disassembly & reassembly.
 
Go with the Marstar deal...Thats what I did and dont regret it. Corrosive ammo is easy to clean. Just pour boiling water everywhere, clean, dry and lube....As for quality of russian vs Chinese, its all subjective...IMO, russians look nicer but as for accurancy and realibility, its the same...
 
To Everyone who responded:

Thanks so much for your input and advice. I am always amazed by the amount of information and good advice I have received from the folks on this forum when I ask a question -- thanks for taking the time.

Cheers,

Grey
 
i have only shot cheap surp ammo (corrosive im sure) through my sks and cz858. they both come apart so easily for cleaning i do it everytime i come home from shooting them. all my others usually get cleaned every couple outings or sooner if im bored. if you want your gun to work properly it needs regular cleaning etc, no matter what you shoot through it. if its steel cased ammo i treat it all as corrosive, better safe than sorry, and just because something says its non corrosive yet it comes in a crate and looks to be 40-50 years old i would bet it will be somewhat corrosive in nature.
 
In countries where these firearms are made, they shoot nothing else but corrosive ammo with them.

That's what these rifles are made for, so don't over think it.

Have fun and be safe!
 
I went with the Marstar deal for my first gun. Honestly, after all the research I've done, unless you really care about the gun being a russian model, it makes no difference. The Chinese SKS is the military version, not the more cheaply made civilian version. It has a chrome bore as well. I'm heading into my 2nd tin of 720 rounds. I shoot between 100 and 200 rounds ever time I go out and clean after every day of shooting. So far, no rust at all, and my gun sits for weeks at a time between shooting.

I also treat all Millsurp ammo as corrosive. Ive seen alot of it listed as corrosive on one site and non corrosive on another, exactly the same stuff. If it really matters, don't buy millsurp ammo and be prepared to pay for it. If its just for fun, its hard to beat 1400 rounds for $250, which is what I paid for my last crate... shipped.
 
don't be scared of other peoples opinions on Corrosive i was worried for nothing because of the worry warts out there... go shoot after get some Windex and coat every spot that the gas hits let it sit... sit watch tv, sit by the fire at your camp drink a beer go back brush it in with a copper brush then do the normal cleaning you would do ... I own a cz 858 1800 rounds and the only time i had rust was when I was testing out how fast the rust would get and that was a day later in the piston resting area.
 
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I am persuaded by the voices on this thread that corrosive vs. non-corrosive doesn't really matter as long as you are prepared to clean you gun after shooting. I kind of enjoy the process, so that doesn't bother me.

I do like the looks and history of the Russian guns, but I like the idea the Chinese ones have never been issued, so they are basically new. Shipping for either deal is about $100 give or take, which is a lot, considering the total cost. In the meantime, I have found a vendor on Vancouver Island that has never-issued laminated stock Russian SKS's for $250. At this point I am thinking that I will buy one of those, and wait for Canada Ammo to get more 7.62x39 ammo in stock (free shipping).

Too many choices!

Thanks,

Grey
 
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