What will corrosive ammo do to a firearm if not cleaned properly?

[PiccoloPlayer]

I'm thinking about buying an ak74. I know alot of the ammo for these is corrosive. I wanted to know what I should look for to see if the ak74 has not been cleaned properly after shooting corrosive ammo. Will the barrel be pitted? and is there anything else I should be looking for?

 

[Prometheus]

Short issues? Rust. Long term, yes pitting.

Don't forget to clean the entire rifle, including the gas tube.

 

[Shootin'IN]

If you shoot corrosive ammo through your AK you will need to field strip it and wash off all the metal parts. Then clean as you normally would.
Here is a link to an article about the way to clean after shooting corrosive ammo.
Collecting and Shooting the Military Surplus Rifle - Cleaning After Shooting Corrosive Ammunition

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Also, don't listen to anyone who tells you to use windex / glass cleaner / ammonia to clean the firearm.

Water water water water.

Dry / displace the water.

Lube & reassemble.

 

[swmp9jrm]

Also, don't listen to anyone who tells you to use windex / glass cleaner / ammonia to clean the firearm.

Water water water water.

Dry / displace the water.

Lube & reassemble.

This.

 

[johntheplinker]

Also, don't listen to anyone who tells you to use windex / glass cleaner / ammonia to clean the firearm.

Water water water water.

Dry / displace the water.

Lube & reassemble.

This times 2!
In a nutshell, corrosive primers contain potassium chlorate. When fired, this becomes potassium chloride and is carried by the gases and deposited on every surface the gas comes into contact with. If that salt isn't removed in a short period of time, it will draw moisture out of the air and rust. In a dry climate it can take months for rust to form, if it is humid it can occur in a matter of hours.
The absolute best solvent for KCl is water. period. Hot water with a little soap will dry quicker while the soap breaks the surface tension on the water and helps it get into the little nooks and crannies better. Windex is app. 95% water, the rest being soap, color, fragrance, and ammonia.
What to look for? Check the barrel for a grey hazy look. That dullness is caused by small pits left by minor rusting. Since most (imported) AK barrels are chrome lined, if it lools like that it has seen some serious neglect. Also pop the top cover and remove the bolt, and remove the gas tube, check for obvious corrosion or even active rust on all internal surfaces.
O.k., so it was a coconut nutshell.

 

[TheFireArmorer]

if it is humid it can occur in a matter of hours.

This is no joke and in Indiana we get to deal with plenty of humidity.

Was shooting with a buddy last summer. We put about 60 rounds of surplus ammo through his Mosin. After we finished with it, we shot a few different guns, picked up our spent casings, cleaned up the area (all this took about 2 hours after we were done shooting the mosin). And to both our surprise when we took the guns in to clean them, there was visible rust formed on the muzzle. Looked down the barrel and a light coating was spread about.

It all came off just fine with little effort, but up until that point I had no idea it could start rusting that fast. I've shot corrosive ammo through my own mosin and plenty through my ak, but i've always cleaned them directly after shooting, so i've never experienced this. Lesson learned.

 

[LarryC]

There are other methods besides water. For several years I have cleaned my firearms with WW2 Army issued cleaner. It was formulated to clean rifles that fired corrosive ammo. I know it works well as I shoot corrosive ammo in my Russian Mosins, Mausers, Enfield, SKS, AK, and Eddystone plus some in handguns. None have had any rust or corrosion problems in well over 20 years of shooting. I always clean the same day before putting the guns away. The cleaner is pretty poison, and is not longer made, but still found at GS's.

I have also read (not used) that there are a few new Water based cleaners made just for the corrosive ammo. Any water based cleaner will dissolve the Potassium and Sodium Chlorides left by the corrosive primers. The advantage of the Army cleaner is that it also contains some protective agents, although I always oil my guns after cleaning using CLP or similar.

 

[Mgderf]

I'm thinking about buying an ak74. I know alot of the ammo for these is corrosive. I wanted to know what I should look for to see if the ak74 has not been cleaned properly after shooting corrosive ammo. Will the barrel be pitted? and is there anything else I should be looking for?

Merriam-Webster

CORROSIVE-

cor-ro-sive - adjective

1: tending or having the power to corrode<corrosive acids>


Short answer- If you don't take care of it, it will rot away.

 

[223 Gunner]

Just buy non-corrosive ammo and don't worry about it.
That's what I did with my '74, it's a little more expensive, but then you don't have to clean it right away. Wolf and Silver Bear both make ammo that is non-corrosive.

 

[Prometheus]

Just buy non-corrosive ammo and don't worry about it.
That's what I did with my '74, it's a little more expensive, but then you don't have to clean it right away. Wolf and Silver Bear both make ammo that is non-corrosive.

The surplus 74 ammo is great stuff. Very accurate and devastating ballistics. Not to mention prior to a year ago it was dirt cheap at about 10 cents a round. Long term storage ready... you can't go wrong with it.

There was a window where current production, both wolf and silver bear as well as barnaul was running 3 cents per round more and I bought a few cases of it, if I was going out to shoot just a few mags, I'd use it as to spare myself the routine of a full cleaning.

As to windex, it won't hurt anything and if it actually has ammonia in it in theory that could help if you can't clean it for a day or two In any case flushing with water is the best way to neutralize the salts.

 

[Indy 1911]

How do you know if it is corrosive for sure? Is Tulammo corrosive?

 

[Mgderf]

How do you know if it is corrosive for sure? Is Tulammo corrosive?

If you don't know for sure, just assume it is corrosive. Clean with water and dry each time. Same routine as with a muzzle loader. It's not that hard to do, and WELL worth the effort.
Just wait until you see one that's been left uncleaned too long.

 

[Prometheus]

How do you know if it is corrosive for sure? Is Tulammo corrosive?

Current production Tulammo is not corrosive.

 

[johntheplinker]

There are other methods besides water. For several years I have cleaned my firearms with WW2 Army issued cleaner. It was formulated to clean rifles that fired corrosive ammo. I know it works well as I shoot corrosive ammo in my Russian Mosins, Mausers, Enfield, SKS, AK, and Eddystone plus some in handguns. None have had any rust or corrosion problems in well over 20 years of shooting. I always clean the same day before putting the guns away. The cleaner is pretty poison, and is not longer made, but still found at GS's.

I have also read (not used) that there are a few new Water based cleaners made just for the corrosive ammo. Any water based cleaner will dissolve the Potassium and Sodium Chlorides left by the corrosive primers. The advantage of the Army cleaner is that it also contains some protective agents, although I always oil my guns after cleaning using CLP or similar.

Yeah, that G.I. stuff is nasty. Unfortunately, there is a reason the government stopped using it and went to safer stuff. The one advantage to it is its a step process. I'll pass, there are other things that work as well if not better and are not hazardous. Most of the newer solvents are just water and soap with some other stuff that doesn't really do anything as far as cleaning corrosive residues. Water is the key, it is the best solvent for KCl by a large margin.

As to windex, it won't hurt anything and if it actually has ammonia in it in theory that could help if you can't clean it for a day or two In any case flushing with water is the best way to neutralize the salts.

True using Windex won't hurt anything. The ammonia in Windex has absolutely nothing to do with cleaning corrosive residue. It is the water in the Windex that does the work. About the only advantage to using Windex is that the ammonia in it may (and that is a big may) have enough of a concentration to start working on copper fouling. So, if you use Windex, you're using colored, scented, soapy water. At least your bore will be free of streaking.

 

[johntheplinker]

How do you know if it is corrosive for sure? Is Tulammo corrosive?

If you don't know for sure, just assume it is corrosive. Clean with water and dry each time. Same routine as with a muzzle loader. It's not that hard to do, and WELL worth the effort.
Just wait until you see one that's been left uncleaned too long.

Current production Tulammo is not corrosive.

Don't assume that because it is new commercial production that is is non-corrosive. Just recently there was some Klimosk x39 imported that used military primers in some lots. Yep, it was corrosive.

 

[Prometheus]

Don't assume that because it is new commercial production that is is non-corrosive. Just recently there was some Klimosk x39 imported that used military primers in some lots. Yep, it was corrosive.

Did you quote me by accident? He asked about a specific brand of ammunition and I gave him a specific answer.

 

[edporch]

I'm thinking about buying an ak74. I know alot of the ammo for these is corrosive. I wanted to know what I should look for to see if the ak74 has not been cleaned properly after shooting corrosive ammo. Will the barrel be pitted? and is there anything else I should be looking for?

I have a friend who had an AK47 and he shot corrosive ammo in it and didn't clean it.

A week or so later, he got it out to show somebody, and the bolt was frozen in place.

He called Polytech and asked if he could sent it in to them.

They told him all they would do is to bang the bolt handle down on the edge of a workbench til it broke free and send it back to him, so he as well do it himself.

That's what he did and it worked fine after that.

Course it took quite a while for him to live down us giving him a hard time over shooting corrosive ammo and not cleaning it.

 

[lmyer]

This times 2!
In a nutshell, corrosive primers contain potassium chlorate. When fired, this becomes potassium chloride and is carried by the gases and deposited on every surface the gas comes into contact with. If that salt isn't removed in a short period of time, it will draw moisture out of the air and rust. In a dry climate it can take months for rust to form, if it is humid it can occur in a matter of hours.
The absolute best solvent for KCl is water. period. Hot water with a little soap will dry quicker while the soap breaks the surface tension on the water and helps it get into the little nooks and crannies better. Windex is app. 95% water, the rest being soap, color, fragrance, and ammonia.

Excellent explanation!!! (and all very true)

Les

 

[lmyer]

As to windex, it won't hurt anything and if it actually has ammonia in it in theory that could help if you can't clean it for a day or two In any case flushing with water is the best way to neutralize the salts.

As a chemist, I'm interested in the topics in red above. Please explain further.

Another solution to removing KCl residue from a bore is a normal bore solvent like Hoppes (KCl insoluble) and friction using a tight patch on a jag. KCl doesn't have to be dissolved to be removed.

My solution to the corrosive ammo problem is to handload with modern primers almost all of the time.

Thanks,

Les