third world corrosion..?

curvy

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ok, here's a question. i've seen firsthand how surplus corrosive ammo can rust up an sks; how do ALL those people using AKs, etc ALL over the third world, etc in all kinds of crazy conditions keep their rifles from corroding into useless junk? i dont get the impression that all those ragged people in bush wars all over the place and freedom fighter/terrorist camps in the jungle, desert, etc put much time/effort into maintenance. are they NOT using the corrosive primered military ammo or what?

just wondering.
 
them that don't keep them reasonably clean and in working order will probably have them
fail when they need them and will wind up dead. This being a good incentive to the rest
to keep their's clean.
 
ya, but do you think they fastidiously clean them after EVERY use like we do? maybe they do, i dunno. just seems unlikely. especially cuz you have to do the warm water thing first, before the solvent. i mean i'm sure it's possible, and maybe that's common knowledge that gets passed around. but i guess i'd just be surprised based on looking at the pictures and footage i've seen. looks pretty un-maintained. and another point is they always talk about how great AKs are for that kind of thing because they're loose tolerance and low maintenance. just sort of adds to my impression that they wouldn't be religiously cleaned. i guess there's always the 'urinate down the barrel' thing.
 
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Well I imagine that they have to stop and rest after a battle just like any other army.
They have to cook food and boil water etc. so they pour some down the barrel and
clean them best they can. They have to resupply from somewhere ammo, spare parts
etc. If they can't they won't be a very effective fighting force.
 
In dry climates it's not a problem......Middle east, Africa etc. The corrosive salts attract moisture, no humidity, no worries.
That, and an AK goes for about $3 over there, so if you bunk your's up, sell a goat and buy another one :)
 
ok, here's a question. i've seen firsthand how surplus corrosive ammo can rust up an sks; how do ALL those people using AKs, etc ALL over the third world, etc in all kinds of crazy conditions keep their rifles from corroding into useless junk? i dont get the impression that all those ragged people in bush wars all over the place and freedom fighter/terrorist camps in the jungle, desert, etc put much time/effort into maintenance. are they NOT using the corrosive primered military ammo or what?

just wondering.

Becuase the corrosiveness of corrosive ammo is highly overrated.

I've left my SKS for a month without cleaning in my closet and when I cleaned it up two nights ago there was some cosmetic rust on the end of the barrel near the muzzle, the shaft of the piston and that was it.
Chrome bores, like the one in my SKS, do not have issues with corrosive ammo.

Some countries are using guns that don't have chrome bores, like original russian sks's and yes, they're going to experience rust on the lands and grooves.
A bad bore can still shoot good groups however, and I knew a guy with a bulge in his friggen barrel that was still shooting great groups lol.

Keep in mind to that these guys have lots of guns, and the minute a gun gets bad where it's no longer useable then they just grab another.
Finally places like africa where militia forces use corrosive all the time, are shooting targets within 100 meters as most of the combat takes place in the urban or jungle areas, where over 100 meters is not likely going to happen.
Point being if the crown of the rifle is rusted out, it wouldn't really matter, as they are still hitting man sized targets, even if it is minute of pie plate.

food for thought.
 
ok, here's a question. i've seen firsthand how surplus corrosive ammo can rust up an sks; how do ALL those people using AKs, etc ALL over the third world, etc in all kinds of crazy conditions keep their rifles from corroding into useless junk? i dont get the impression that all those ragged people in bush wars all over the place and freedom fighter/terrorist camps in the jungle, desert, etc put much time/effort into maintenance. are they NOT using the corrosive primered military ammo or what?

just wondering.

I spend 2 years between 1984-86 in East European army and I cant remember to use for cleaning AK anything than army gun oil.
 
Also keep note of the african with a gun thread.... seems an awful lot of the untrained ones don't aim anyways, so a corroded bore is probably the least of their worries.
 
I think the difference is how we view guns. To us ANY rust is a cancer to be dealt with IMMEDIATLY before it ruins a good toy. To them (by them, I mean those other guys, the ones that shoot guns at moving targets), a gun is a tool, a little rust wont kill it, wipe it off when you notice it, after all, you're carrying the damn thing all day, it's not like you won't notice it before it affects its performance...
 
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maybe they do, i dunno. just seems unlikely. especially cuz you have to do the warm water thing first, before the solvent.

Windex. I used to carry it in a small spray bottle filled with the stuff I bought at the dollar store. After you shoot immediately spray down the rifle with windex and run a windex soaked patch through the bore. It negates the effects of the corrosive salts. Then spray with G96, clean everything out with Qtips and rags, run a solvent soaked bore snake down the barrel and your gun is clean. I live in one of the wettest climates in Canada and have never had a problem with rust in any SKS or VZ I've owned.
 
It's funny you say that, because I've been using windex up until recently. Never had a problem. People here have convinced me to switch to hot water, idea being that the ammonia in windex cleaned residue, but not the salts. Hot water apparently is needed to free up the salts. I've had this confirmed to me by a local gunsmith that served with the brits for many moons. Having said this, I've noticed that the time I thought I saved using water disappeared trying to dry off and oil more bits than I was getting wet with windex. Go figure.
 
thanks, but i wasnt asking how to clean an sks. i was asking how third world warriors in much more sketchy, rougher scenarios deal with corrosive ammo, if at all. i don't think the guys in the congo are walking thru the jungle with windex...lol. buy hey, maybe they are! never say never, i suppose! maybe they'll even read our thread and go straight to the dollar store.

sorry..good natured sarcasm.. thanks for answering anyway.
 
I think the difference is how we view guns. To us ANY rust is a cancer to be dealt with IMMEDIATLY before it ruins a good toy. To them (by them, I mean those other guys, the ones that shoot guns at moving targets), a gun is a tool, a little rust wont kill it, wipe it off when you notice it, after all, you're carrying the damn thing all day, it's not like you won't notice it before it affects its performance...

I still think this is your answer.
 
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