Classic Firearms Ammo Sale

[Longcolt44]

The main reason for boiling hot water is so it will flash off and not leave any residue.

[thughes]

I find hot/boiling water much more affordable than all of the other solutions for cleaning up after shooting corrosive ammo. YMMV

[Sonny]

I find hot/boiling water much more affordable than all of the other solutions for cleaning up after shooting corrosive ammo. YMMV

But G96 smells better than hot/boiling water..

[shooter99]

Awalker1829, thanks for the history lesson.

[joelvca]

OK, somebody has to say it.... You CANNOT neutralize the corrosive salts, they're as reacted (chemically) as they are going to get. You can only remove them physically, and the easiest and most effective way is by dissolving them in a polar solvent (water is probably the best and cheapest polar solvent available) and either flushing or wiping the dissolved salts out. Pouring through a bunch of hot or boiling water (or even a thermos of coffee or tea) is quick and easy, but cold water works with a bit more effort. Some patches with plain water will suffice for getting the salts out, and whatever method you use, you'll still need to patch it dry and use your regular solvent of choice to finish cleaning the bore. Both U.S. GI bore cleaner and the simple solvent (lye-water?) the Soviets used were alkaline aqueous solutions, although the GI was more complex and better at getting the other bore crud too. And, as well as doing the bore, don't forget to clean the salts off any surfaces of the chamber, bolt, receiver, and gas system (if any) that may have come into contact with primer/powder gasses before going on to the regular cleaning.

OK, I'll get off the soapbox now.

Regards,
Joel

[bunkysdad]

That is a good reminder Joel about the bolt and bolt face, firing pin, etc....

[Rongo]

I have never looked for non-corrosive. I shoot the snot out of surplus (corrosive) then clean my rifle, no harm no foul.

SA1911a1, Do you consistently clean your weapons the same day after shooting or have you been able to go longer? What's your method?

I clean mine as soon as I get home. I found if I didn't do it then I could find all kinds of reasons to put it off until later...not good.

As do I... It kinda sucks sometimes if the wife wants to spend time together after I get back shooting. But I don't mind if I have me time when I get home. I enjoy cleaning guns; I just hate it when I'm being rushed.

[Junk Yard Dog]

OK, somebody has to say it.... You CANNOT neutralize the corrosive salts, they're as reacted (chemically) as they are going to get. You can only remove them physically, and the easiest and most effective way is by dissolving them in a polar solvent (water is probably the best and cheapest polar solvent available) and either flushing or wiping the dissolved salts out. Pouring through a bunch of hot or boiling water (or even a thermos of coffee or tea) is quick and easy, but cold water works with a bit more effort. Some patches with plain water will suffice for getting the salts out, and whatever method you use, you'll still need to patch it dry and use your regular solvent of choice to finish cleaning the bore. Both U.S. GI bore cleaner and the simple solvent (lye-water?) the Soviets used were alkaline aqueous solutions, although the GI was more complex and better at getting the other bore crud too. And, as well as doing the bore, don't forget to clean the salts off any surfaces of the chamber, bolt, receiver, and gas system (if any) that may have come into contact with primer/powder gasses before going on to the regular cleaning.

OK, I'll get off the soapbox now.

Regards,
Joel

Very true, I keep a small electric tea pot for boiling the water I need to clean the salts. The tea pot spout makes it easy to pour right into the chamber and all over the bolt. 35-40 years and I have not had a rusty bore yet cleaning with water and then hitting it with Hoppes 9 and later oil.

[SA1911a1]

I have never looked for non-corrosive. I shoot the snot out of surplus (corrosive) then clean my rifle, no harm no foul.

SA1911a1, Do you consistently clean your weapons the same day after shooting or have you been able to go longer? What's your method?

I clean mine as soon as I get home. I found if I didn't do it then I could find all kinds of reasons to put it off until later...not good.

As do I... It kinda sucks sometimes if the wife wants to spend time together after I get back shooting. But I don't mind if I have me time when I get home. I enjoy cleaning guns; I just hate it when I'm being rushed.

I am with you 100%. I will always clean rifles that I shoot, shortly after I am home, corrosive ammo, questionable ammo or non-corrosive. I do not mind cleaning guns and I take pride in having all of my guns clean, properly lubricated and protected from the elements. To shoot a gun means you have left sweat, fingerprints and all manner of other contaminants on it, leaving it on takes a chance of damaging the finish.

The other good thing about dis-assembly and cleaning is that you get a chance to inspect all of the parts. Yesterday, I shot a rifle that is 126 years old. It doesn't hurt to make sure that nothing went south in the process.

I do use hot water and have a system that makes it convenient, simple and safe. After the water, with the barrel scalding hot, I finish cleaning with Hoppes and follow up with CLP. Speaking of CLP, if you use it, and are buying it in aerosol cans, you are wasting a lot of product. I use it in non-aerosol bottles and it last many times as long.

When you shoot old guns it makes you realize that you are but a temporary custodian of the piece. I would like to send my guns into the future as close to the condition that I received them as I can.

[locomotiveguy]

I have run a few patches of windex then some dry then clean with hoppes 9 and oil and never had a prob.

[Darryl]

Disclaimer: This is just one way to do the same thing 100's of different ways.

If you need something down the bore right away (and convenient).......use Windex (mostly water and the ammonia does little). It will clean the salts out good enough even for the most paranoid shooter of corrosive ammo.

Remember, these are battle rifles. They were fought with long and hard and only when it was safe to do so, they were cleaned. We here like to see people clean the rifle the same day (even if not corrosive ammo). It is good practice as you will certainly find excuses not to clean it if you put if off. Good practice is to clean ASAP. Water down the barrel ....then a good cleaning with any bore cleaner and then oil.

But here is a video done that disputes the use of water at all. I would ignore the Hoppe's guy (because of some of his comments about water down the barrel), but the Balistol guy is a little more believable. Never just run water down the barrel without a cleaner and oil afterwards.

[bbvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U1W-kTL2rU[/bbvideo]



Water, boilking water, Windex all will clean the salts out after firing corrosive ammo. But it will not clean the rest of the crap out, nor will it protect the metal from rusting. You need a cleaner and oil to do that.

.

[awalker1829]

I need to order a few more cans of Ballistol. Pretty good stuff all around. My practice is to clean immediately after use-scrub with GI bore cleaner to remove the corrosive residue, then clean with Hoppes and oil. Only time recently I've put cleaning off was my .22LR as I was only shooting that day to test the chronograph and was going to be shooting again the next day.