How to tell if ammo is corrosive ?
- Thread starter coltfan
- Start date
I suppose you could fire a few rounds in a gas system semi, then spray Windex down the bore, as some people here claim to do, ALL THE WHILE FORGETTING TO CLEAN THE GAS SYSTEM. Check back in a few days. You'll know for sure whether it was corrosive or not
coltfan said:
Because I had a warehouse full of it and virtually all combloc X39 surplus is corrosive. I spoke directly to S&B and as far as they are concerned all M43 ammo they made until 1989 is corrosive. I suppose there may be the odd batch, but none of the Czech stuff selling in Canada right now is NC.
coltfan said:
I don't blame them for not stating it. The word corrosive to newbies means just opening the box will rust their gun. It is just salt in the residue, no big deal, but the industry uses "corrosive" so that's the way it is.
CanAm said:
As Chris says, its no big deal, you just have to clean both the bore and any part of the gas system with boiling water, to cook out the salts.
I'm a cheap prick, so I bought lots of cheap corrosive surplus from the US back when we still could. Doesn't scare me at all to fire it, I just have the opinion that if I am going to spend 30 minutes cleaning the gun, I should spend at least that firing it. I cant see shooting only 10 or 20 rounds of corrosive, then all the time to clean it after.
- Location
- Downtown Vancouver, BC
In the description it says Berdan primed. That's your key right there. Anytime it says Berdan, think corrosive.
- Location
- Downtown Vancouver, BC
My whole life has been a LIE!
One very easy way to determine if ammo is corrosive;
Take a smal piece of mild steel plate, clean a small area with steel wool or sandpaper.
Wipe the cleaned area with some paper towl wet with solvent (Ethanol)
Now take apart the round in question using either a kinetic hammer or a bullet puller, safely dispose of the powder.
Take the EMPTY primed case and chamber it in your firearm, place muzzle a couple inches from the plate, pull trigger.
You should have a stain on the clean area of your plate, if need be repeat the operation.
Plut the plate in adamp area, outside but not in the rain, wait couple of days, if rust appears in the cleaned area, it's corrosive.
John
Take a smal piece of mild steel plate, clean a small area with steel wool or sandpaper.
Wipe the cleaned area with some paper towl wet with solvent (Ethanol)
Now take apart the round in question using either a kinetic hammer or a bullet puller, safely dispose of the powder.
Take the EMPTY primed case and chamber it in your firearm, place muzzle a couple inches from the plate, pull trigger.
You should have a stain on the clean area of your plate, if need be repeat the operation.
Plut the plate in adamp area, outside but not in the rain, wait couple of days, if rust appears in the cleaned area, it's corrosive.
John
