The Truth About Corrosive Ammo?

[Joeywhat]

OK...I have read up A LOT about corrosive ammo and how/what to clean after shooting it. Most of what I see is people saying to "CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN!!!". No real mention of what to clean...some say the barrel and chamber, others the gas tub and piston...some seem to pretty much soak the whole damn thing in windex.

So what I want to know is, what do I REALLY need to clean? DO I need to sit down for an hour and detail clean everything? Or is a quick borensnake through the bbl all that is needed?

FWIW I shot 60 rounds of corrosive the other day, and ONLY used a boresnake. That was last Friday, and I still haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. I just want to make sure that I don't have a pile of rust in a month. I figured if there was something that needed to be cleaned, it would've shown by now.

[DanTheEldest]

Subscribing. I'm familiar with what to do with my Mosins, but I need an AK edumacation.

[nothingness]

I will wait for info on this too.

The AK-Yoda Einheit will teach us his ways hopefully.

[chupacabrachus]

I spray everything with h20 and ammonia mix and thoroughly coat everything. I then wipe it all off and proceed cleaning as normal.

[einheit 13]

To clean an AK after the use of corrosive propellant ammo....

Remove mag and clear chamber to ensure that it is empty....leave it cocked, safety off after its cleared.

Strip it down...remove the top cover, scrub it with what ever you want to use [I use a little Dawn/water-nice and sudsy]

Remove bolt carrier and bolt-separate them and drop the bolt into a container of 'cleaner'. Shake it around so the 'cleaner' gets into the firing pin channel. Scrub with a tooth brush where a rag won't reach with what ever you want to use [ I use a little Dawn/water-nice and sudsy]. Make sure to wipe doen the gas piston, especially in the grooves and where the pin locks it into the carrier.

Remove gas tube. I use a rag with 'cleaner' soaked in it and push it through three times nice and slow. On the third pass I twist it around as I push it through, rinsing the rag after every pass.

Remove muzzle device if equipped, drop it in the 'cleaner' for a to get it nice and wet, then scrub it clean with a bore brush and a tooth brush. Use what ever you want to use [I use a little Dawn/water-nice and sudsy].

Remove cleaning rod, set it aside.

Remove lower hand guard, wipe out the inside till no 'dirt' shows on the rag. Wipe down the barrel and at all attachments to the barrel. Use what ever you want to use [I use a little Dawn/water-nice and sudsy].

Now clean the inside of the receiver and the bore. Use a tooth brush/pipe cleaners inside the receiver as best as you can. Pay extra attention at the front trunnion and breech face. Also get into the rails really well. On chrome lined bores, a bore snake with Hopp's is just fine. For unlined barrels, use a water based cleaner to stop the reaction on the naked steel, use what ever you want to use [I use a little Dawn/water-nice and sudsy]. Don't forget about the gas port/block on the barrel, use a pipe cleaner to get in there.

now dry everything as best as you can and go over it at least one time with your standard cleaner/scrubber and oil the snot out of everything. Use your own judgment on the amount of lube. DO NOT lube the gas tube-one pass with an oily patch is enough-its shaped like a star inside so the gas piston only touches about 1/5 of the surface area. Don't forget about the recoil spring assembly either, use some Hopp's/your favorite cleaner and some oil.

This is an 'extreme' clean, you don't have to go so in depth every time, just make sure that you flush the gun with some kind of water based cleanser to neutralize the corrosive. Its just a small step, like 'pre-rinse' on a dish washer-it'll take an extra 6 minutes (nothing takes 5 minutes) to do. Just make sure that the bare minimum you clean is the bolt and bore/chamber.

And don't forget about the mags, they need some cleaning too since they are exposed to the gasses.....

Remember, you asked how to do it-this is what I do regardless of how 'cheap' the weapon is....

[blefferd]

just use hot water and soap to clean everything. or shoot a few rounds of non corrosive after shooting corrosive ammo. then clean everything with hot water and soap.

what you are really trying to get out is the corrosive salts from the primers. corrosive ammo is corrosive ammo its not any differnt from an AK to a Mosin... the ak just has a few more things to clean out.

[Joeywhat]

So how long until all this needs to be done? Say I'm away for a week and throw a considerable amount of lead downrange on Monday, and won't be coming home until Saturday...can it wait that long?

[einheit 13]

Originally Posted by Joeywhat

So how long until all this needs to be done? Say I'm away for a week and throw a considerable amount of lead downrange on Monday, and won't be coming home until Saturday...can it wait that long?

Sometimes yes, it all depends on how well the finish is and the general condition of the gun. I have one AKS-74 that I have yet to clean, it has over 5K rounds by me, all I have used is corrosive ammo. The outside of the barrel shows some surface rust, but that the only place. Its a good idea to try to clean it within 24hrs...but hey, its your gun and your money...I look at it this way, if your dog shytes in the house, you gonna wait a week to clean it up??

[Joeywhat]

Well, what's a good alternative to a thorough cleaning while in the woods, for example? I don't mind bringing some oil and solvent, but bunch of soap and basin for water seems like overkill.

[Joeywhat]

Well, considering I found some Wolf MC for only about $30 more per 1000...I might just start using that.

I'll keep the Bulgarian for a rainy day