I imagine they would have a cleaning routine, but I doubt it utilized boiling water. Water is a precious commodity on a battlefield, and wasting fuel to bring the water to a boil would be silly. They'd clean the gun with the tools provided and lube with the oil bottle provided. If the corrosive primers tended to rust the gun out, oh well. Probably why they chromed the barrels...in order to withstand the rigours of war.
My SKS and Corrosive Ammo
- Thread starter joe_canadian
- Start date
I imagine they would have a cleaning routine, but I doubt it utilized boiling water. Water is a precious commodity on a battlefield, and wasting fuel to bring the water to a boil would be silly. They'd clean the gun with the tools provided and lube with the oil bottle provided. If the corrosive primers tended to rust the gun out, oh well. Probably why they chromed the barrels...in order to withstand the rigours of war.
Russian troops probably cleaned their SKS rifles with the tools provided and the oil bottle or some engine oil.
I doubt they lubricated the working parts, as the SKS doesn't need it's working parts to be lubricated in order for it to function well. I would hope that they at least did some maintenance on the gas system, but who knows?
I doubt they lubricated the working parts, as the SKS doesn't need it's working parts to be lubricated in order for it to function well. I would hope that they at least did some maintenance on the gas system, but who knows?
About water vs oil to clean your SKS...
I'm not a gun expert by a long shot, but I do know a thing or two about chemistry. Apparently corrosive rounds, when firing, generate a potassium chloride residue (a cousin of table salt). Have you ever try dissolving salt with oil? It doesn't work very well. Oil is very good as a lubricant, or to protect metal from oxygen and moisture, but it won't do much to dissolve and remove potassium chloride.
I'm not a gun expert by a long shot, but I do know a thing or two about chemistry. Apparently corrosive rounds, when firing, generate a potassium chloride residue (a cousin of table salt). Have you ever try dissolving salt with oil? It doesn't work very well. Oil is very good as a lubricant, or to protect metal from oxygen and moisture, but it won't do much to dissolve and remove potassium chloride.
Indeed, oil won't dissolve the salts. And those salts do indeed need to be dissolved sooner or later. Sooner rather than later, in my opinion.
I use boiling water and in thousands upon thousands of rounds out of five SKS's I've never had a spot of rust on any of them. To those who seem leery about pouring boiling water on your rifle: Well, of course it'll rust if you don't wipe it off. Most of the water I pour on mine evaporates within a few seconds and I wipe the excess off with a towel, then clean and oil the whole rifle as normal. As I mentioned, never had a problem with rust.
I use an old dishwasher hose connected to the basement set tub faucet. Pours straight down the bore and flushes well. Also flush the gas tube and piston with hot water as well. The hot water seems to do the trick so far. That's followed up by multiple passes with a bronze bore brush, and flushings with copious amounts of Ed's Red. About 30 strokes. Gets patched with CLP-22 and then swabbed with a bore mop. About 30 more strokes. An oiled patch will then clean the bore absolutely spotless. The SKS bolt and carrier get Ed's Red and toothbrushed, as do the gas piston and tube.
I do the same to my CZ527 Carbine in 7.62x39 as I use the cheap Chinese surplus rounds in her too. Only the barrel though as the bolt never gets even a hint of dirt on it.
From disassembly to putting the trigger locks back on both guns takes about 40 minutes. If I don't go shooting in the next two days I'll pass another patch or two down the bores.
The intention is to keep the guns in good shape until my EOL. Then the grandchildren can have them.
I do the same to my CZ527 Carbine in 7.62x39 as I use the cheap Chinese surplus rounds in her too. Only the barrel though as the bolt never gets even a hint of dirt on it.
From disassembly to putting the trigger locks back on both guns takes about 40 minutes. If I don't go shooting in the next two days I'll pass another patch or two down the bores.
The intention is to keep the guns in good shape until my EOL. Then the grandchildren can have them.
I'm gonna let you all in on a ancient chinese secret. I haven't cleaned my CZ 858 in 5 days now and no rust is forming in the barrel or action. Why though? Its corrosive ammo? It should emplode into a pile of rust if you don't clean it right away? The truth is, if you do a ####ty job cleaning the gun, then it will rust over night. If you just leave it, there is no moisture to start the rust from even happening. It will start to rust eventually so i've never let if sit for more than a week. I'm just feed up with cleaning the damn gun now. Might be why I don't shoot it that much anymore. If you even do see rust start, It will just be surface rust on the crown. My CZ 858 gets the same 4 inch 10 shot groups at 100yards when it was new so i'm not worried.
Lobster_pot
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- On the shores of the Bay of Fundy
I find here in nova scotia the humidity is high. Last time I shot corrosive thru my Sks I let it set for 3 hours and I could see it starting on gas rod. I use the boiling water method it works great. Evaporates in seconds. Normal clean after that. Like stated above. I haven't shot my Sks in months. I know a travesty but been busy fishing on break now and a fresh case of ammo so. Anyway I check it every so often because I was worried it might start rusting but everything looks like it did when I got done cleaning it. The metal heats up from boiling water so hot there is no way moisture would last very long.
It's been quite humid here in NS lately, indeed. I clean and store my rifles in a cool but dry basement so it's not too bad, but I'm certainly careful to clean my rifle quickly.
I'm not so sure about that. Lots of standing water; doesn't need to be potable. Lots of snow to melt. Fires burning continually to keep warm. They likely had to boil water for drinking at times as well; so they were already set up for it.
You imagine Russian being mostly desert? Its very much a temperate climate; lots of moisture for the most part. Particularly the western regions where the SKS was first put to use in warfare.
Not Russia necessarily, but the USSR and its former southern satellite states are certainly arid. Most of the ...stans are desert or desert like. Afghanistan is an example. A Soviet soldier wouldn't be wasting water down there, and a fire would draw...fire, pardon the pun.
The introduction of chrome barrels during 1951 and later years was an answer to this. Besides, who wants to be caught with a disassembled rifle when the surprise firefight starts. Shove a patch with some solvent down the barrel during a lull in activity and continue shooting. No disassembly required and takes 30 seconds...max.
Disassembly would certainly have been necessary back then, just as it is today. Its not very useful to be standing on the battlefield with your firing pin bunged up. Why else would the Soviet army issue a manual for the SKS that shows how to disassemble the rifle? In case troops needed something to light fires with? Sure, not every time you fired. But it would have been routine enough.
I use the windex method on my 1953 SKS which was brand new from the Tula arsenal by the markings on it. Got lucky as I don;t think it was ever issued or rebuilt at any time. I have gone thru a case of around 1200 rounds so far of the military ammo and have only cleaned it twice. I still have about 80 rounds left which I will fire off and then clean it again. I have checked all aspects of this gun and have absolutely NO rust issues or any other problems at all with it. Gor me the windex works very well with the No.9 afterwards.
Clobbersauras
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Waaay out west.
G96 is all you need.
I've shot thousands and thousands of rounds through too many VZ 58's and SKS to mention and I've never had corrosion in any of them. I used to use the windex method followed by lubrication with G96. Now I just use G96 and I have never had any corrosion issues on any of my firearms, and I live on one of the wettest climates in Canada. I've also had no corrosion on any of the after market muzzle devices I've used, which are notorious for corrosion with surplus ammo.
I've shot thousands and thousands of rounds through too many VZ 58's and SKS to mention and I've never had corrosion in any of them. I used to use the windex method followed by lubrication with G96. Now I just use G96 and I have never had any corrosion issues on any of my firearms, and I live on one of the wettest climates in Canada. I've also had no corrosion on any of the after market muzzle devices I've used, which are notorious for corrosion with surplus ammo.
I saw a picture of an old british enfield guide and it showed a picture of soldiers standing around a big boiling pot with funnels pouring water down the barrels and it had right in the manual to do this to flush out the corrosive salts.
From what i have read it was standard practise for all guns before they started using non corrosive ammo
As many times as there are new users. Everytime the question is asked an angel gets his wings. Its all good.
