Shooting Corrosive Ammo - Cleaning Results

[TMan]

Ted Jeo did some tests with corrosive ammo and cleaners. There is a big article, but the results can be found at: www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2006/alittlesalt/index5.asp

Windex looks really good.

[MLB]

Got it. Keep your firearms in an easy bake oven, 100watt model.

Really though, looks as if humidity plays a major part in it. Makes a good case for a dehumidifier.

[5ontarget]

Ted is a pretty thorough guy. I corresponded with him several times during the course of the experiment/test. Ted is currently working on testing copper removal and powder fouling tests as well. He writes some pretty good articles. Kind of a crossover between hard science, and real life situations.

When I'm shooting some really dirty milsurp stuff, I'll brush and run a couple patches of water, or ammonia/water down, then clean with blue wonder or hoppe's elite. If it isn't too nasty, I'll just use blue wonder. A 0.5L water bottle works well for this, just put the muzzle in the opening of a 1/2 filled bottle. The bottle catches the spray as the brush comes out, and the water rinses the brush for the next couple passes.


MLB,

The easy bake oven was originally designed for cosmoline removal for those of us that want to remain married to the woman that tolerates guns, but not in the kitchen oven. It works really well. Mine is considerably lower tech, a tomato cage wrapped in aluminum foil with some utility and clamp light thrown in. Now that it is warmer, I can use the rear deck of my car. I wrap the gun and/or gunstock in a trash bag with kitty litter and let it cook for a couple days, rotating/repacking it a few times. I've also set it on the dashboard without the bag/litter, but I only do that when the car doesn't leave the driveway. I don't really want to explain to local law enforcement why I was wiping a WWII rifle on the dash of my car while driving home from work. Not to mention the attention it would get in parking lots.

Actually, I have a stock set to a Garand in my car now mmm I love the smell of cosmoline after work.

[MLB]

You've probably seen this, but it was new to me:

www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/cosmoline/index.asp

[TA]

That is really interesting. I always thought the magic ingredient was ammonia for removing the salts. I had heard that windex was excellent for this and it has ammonia. But, so does Butch's Bore Shine, Shooters Choice and I think even Hoppes #9 has a small amount. Must not be the ammonia.

The great thing about it is that Windex is about the least expensive cleaner in the list of tested products. Cheap and easy wins again!

[5ontarget]

Yeah, I initially thought it was the ammonia neutralizing the acidic salts. I got to talking to a few of my friends that actually paid attention in chemistry class in college, and they said that it was the water, not ammonia that was doing the cleaning.
Not a lot of internet believers out there that water is what was working, but Ted's trials have shown the water based cleaners generally did much better than the petroleum based cleaners.


Do I still shoot corrosive ammo? If I stopped now, I'd have to sell off over 10K rounds of corrosive ammo. I've got a lot of shooting to do this summmer/fall.

["DoubleAction"]

I came acroos an article today on corrosive ammo, where it addresses the investigations of one Dr. Wilbert J. Huff, lead scientist, in the research staff of the U.S. War Department' s Bureau of Mines. In 1918 the investigations were commissioned to the research staff to begin a comprehensive study on determining the cause of barrel corrosion. In 1922 findings were released, which concluded that potassium chrorate salt, from the primers, were responsible for the problem of bore corrosion. This was referred to as The Huff Report, which followed with the commercial adoption of non-corrosive priming compounds. In the meantime; The U.S. Military continued the use of corrrosive primers because it felt that corrosove primer was more stable with greater storage shelf life properties than that of non-corrosive primers of the time. This continued until 1947 when the M-1 carbine ammuntion began being loaded with non-corrosive ammunition.
The writier of this article was written by Holt Bodinson, in the November '96 issue of Guns Magazine, where he mentions beginning his cleaning regime by ( Quote)running a patch or two moistened with plain water ( the best solvent for salts ) through the bore. He then follows up with a solvent and preservative afterwards.