Corrosive Ammo question

Oddway Otts · Sep 29, 2020

Say, for the sake of discussion that I have a WWI-WWII milsurp rifle that I want to use in a match. I have avoided corrosive ammo because the rifle is a pain in the butt to disassemble, and I don't like to use soap & water on a rifle that I can't take all apart. I don't have a large stockpile of good non-corrosive ammo, so I want to go a bit frugal.

So, suppose of the 34 rounds used in the match, I use corrosive for the first 20 rounds and non-corrosive for the balance. Will the use of the non-corrosive ammo clear out the effects on the corrosive primers a lot, a little or not at all. :rolleyes:

I usually use Hoppe's and CLP on the patches after a bronze brushing. :thumbsup:

I suppose that I should know the answer, but I'm old. :innocent0

AssMan · Sep 29, 2020

I have no evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, but I would say no. Residue/debris from the non-corrosive ammo will just sit on top of or mix in with the corrosive residue. I think you’ll still have to give it a good cleaning.

Just a guess though.

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TheOriginalMexicanBob · Sep 29, 2020

Clean it...clean it...clean it.

Doctor_M · Sep 29, 2020

I'm going to go with it needs to be cleaned for 100, Alex.

Art3 · Sep 29, 2020

Oddway Otts said:
Say, for the sake of discussion that I have a WWI-WWII milsurp rifle that I want to use in a match. I have avoided corrosive ammo because the rifle is a pain in the butt to disassemble, and I don't like to use soap & water on a rifle that I can't take all apart. I don't have a large stockpile of good non-corrosive ammo, so I want to go a bit frugal.
So, suppose of the 34 rounds used in the match, I use corrosive for the first 20 rounds and non-corrosive for the balance. Will the use of the non-corrosive ammo clear out the effects on the corrosive primers a lot, a little or not at all. I usually use Hoppe's and CLP on the patches after a bronze brushing.

I suppose that I should know the answer, but I'm old.

I would go the other way. Shoot the good ammo first, putting a layer of "clean" fouling and residue against the precious steel of your bore. Then shoot the corrosive ammo over that "protective" layer of normal crud. Then clean it (with patches soaked in a mixture of water and 10% Ballistol first, dry patches till they come clean, then a wet Ballistol patch...followed by another the day after).

Or... :tap:

...just bum some ammo off of your son and daugther-in-law who recently acquired 2 spam cans of M2 ball for 50 cents a round. :innocent0

davsco · Sep 29, 2020

just make sure the bullets aren't bi-metal, steel core or jacket or the like (attracted to a magnet) if the match has steel targets, pretty much never allowed.

GuitarmanNick · Sep 30, 2020

Not worth the potential damage. A little residue can do a lot of permanent damage over time. The only way to insure none remains is a good cleaning. A small price to pay for the enjoyment of shooting our surplus toys.

geda · Sep 30, 2020

I have dedicated 8mm and 30-06 beater riles for corrosive ammo plinking. They both cheap and ugly.

chooks9 · Sep 30, 2020

Clean it. When shooting anything corrosive, I use warm water or Windex through the bore on patches and a brush, then Hoppes (I am lucky enough to have a couple bottles of OLD Hoppe's so I use it only for corrosive ammo), and then pump spray CLP and then Preservative oil. Never had an issue with rust after thousands of rounds.

BlueFin · Sep 30, 2020

GuitarmanNick said:
Not worth the potential damage. A little residue can do a lot of permanent damage over time. The only way to insure none remains is a good cleaning. A small price to pay for the enjoyment of shooting our surplus toys.

I clean mine with hot water and wipe them dry when I get home from the range. I have a question of cleaning off the corrosive residue asap or else. Remember that almost all our guns used during the WWII run exclusivly on corrosive ammo. I cannot believe that our soldiers stop shooting for the day to clean thier guns. M1 Garands are still in use today here and in some countries. I don't know, might not be worth talking about.

Doctor_M · Sep 30, 2020

You can always pee down the barrel... but the range officer might not approve.

Jerry M · Sep 30, 2020

BlueFin said:
I clean mine with hot water and wipe them dry when I get home from the range. I have a question of cleaning off the corrosive residue asap or else. Remember that almost all our guns used during the WWII run exclusivly on corrosive ammo. I cannot believe that our soldiers stop shooting for the day to clean thier guns. M1 Garands are still in use today here and in some countries. I don't know, might not be worth talking about.

A lot of M1 Garands were also rebarrelled after WW II.

jimbobborg · Oct 1, 2020

When I used to shoot SASS, I used blackpowder ammunition. I'd clean all of my cartridge guns when I got home by pouring HOT water down the barrel and inside the action. Then I'd use Moose Milk, which is a 10% solution of Ballistol and 90% water. Including inside the action. I'd blow out excess MM and let air dry. No problems, no rust.

FTJoe · Oct 1, 2020

chooks9 said:
Clean it. When shooting anything corrosive, I use warm water or Windex through the bore on patches and a brush, then Hoppes (I am lucky enough to have a couple bottles of OLD Hoppe's so I use it only for corrosive ammo), and then pump spray CLP and then Preservative oil. Never had an issue with rust after thousands of rounds.

tell me more about "old" hoppe's vs new hoppe's for the old guns? what does old do better? what's missing in new hoppe's? when did the new formula get introduced?

Oddway Otts · Oct 2, 2020

Thanks for all the replies & information.

Since cleaning a rifle is lower than cleaning up the dog poo in the yards (poop patrol) on my list of things that I don't like to do, I think I'll forgo the corrosive ammo for the time being. :innocent0

Actually, it may all be for naught since I haven't been able to verify that the match is actually going to happen tomorrow. :sad20:

If it is, I'll be Russian to get my kit together. :lol:

Captain Waggles · Oct 2, 2020

My K98 and Hakim both prefer surplus corrosive yugo ammo so I keep a bottle of ammonia windex in the range bag when I go out with them. The Hakim also is a weird one that blows gunk all over with it's weird action and direct gas impingement operation. I run windex through everything before I leave the range and throughly clean them when I get home. The water in the windex will wash away some of the corrosive properties and the ammonia dries it up

JohnnyE · Oct 2, 2020

chooks9 said:
Clean it. When shooting anything corrosive, I use warm water or Windex through the bore on patches and a brush, then Hoppes (I am lucky enough to have a couple bottles of OLD Hoppe's so I use it only for corrosive ammo), and then pump spray CLP and then Preservative oil. Never had an issue with rust after thousands of rounds.

FTJoe said:
tell me more about "old" hoppe's vs new hoppe's for the old guns? what does old do better? what's missing in new hoppe's? when did the new formula get introduced?

I'd like to know what the differences are between the old vs. new Hoppe's, too. I've looked all over the Internet and never found a breakdown of their respective formulas.

I have some 1970's era Hoppe's sitting around. The two identical glass jars hold the same quantity of Hoppe's...new lighter colored Hoppe's on the left, and the old, much darker Hoppe's on the right. Smell different, too.

CraZ4GunZ · Feb 12, 2021

jimbobborg said:
When I used to shoot SASS, I used blackpowder ammunition. I'd clean all of my cartridge guns when I got home by pouring HOT water down the barrel and inside the action. Then I'd use Moose Milk, which is a 10% solution of Ballistol and 90% water. Including inside the action. I'd blow out excess MM and let air dry. No problems, no rust.

^^^THIS!!!
Ballistol is the 8th wonder of the world! ..and the 10% mix is perfect for corrosive ammo. :thumbsup:

Corrosive Ammo question

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