I did a quick web search to see if there was a new "wonder cleaner" for removing the salts left in the barrel and on the firearm after firing ammunition with corrosive primers, and found that not much has changed since the pre-internet days when I fired a lots of milsurp ammo. Basically flush the barrel and other components exposed to combustion gasses with Windex and hot water then clean as you would any other firearm.
What I did find that I thought was interesting were these images of a .50 BMG rifle that had not been properly maintained while shooting corrosive ammunition.
Warning these images are quite disturbing and may cause emotional distress.
Like I said, these images are not for everyone. To see a rifle that I desire but will most likely never be able to afford neglected like that is painful to say the least.
All it takes to prevent damage like that illustrated above is a little elbow grease and attention to detail.
A couple of good resource for information on how to clean a firearm after shooting corrosive ammunition through it can be found here and here.
8 comments:
Oh, the humanity!
The horror
The horror
Check the gun shows for Sellier & Bellot ammo in this cartridge. I'm pretty sure it's made with non-corrosive primers. They also make soft points more suitable for hunting.
Thanks Alan;
That old Bulgarian surplus was surprisingly accurate. USC clicked the sights up to the 400m mark and tagged a gas cylinder (painted orange and used as a target) at 440 yards.
Two things you can try, if you haven't before.
One is to use a 1:4 mix of ammonia & water, dampen a patch, push it through, repeat, dry patch, oil, done at the range when you're done.
The other is Ballistol & water. The stuff was intended to be able to clean corrosive-priming fouling. I hit the bore with a couple of damp patches, wipe the bolt face with one, dry and oil lightly when I'm done shooting. Or, if in a hurry, when I'm home use a couple of damp to flush out the bore, wipe the bolt with one, and then clean normally. So far it's worked great.
I tried all the tricks and found none to be more effective than repeated regular cleaning. I check the bore every day after shooting it for a week, and as the stuff that appears begins to appear less, I check it less. Living out here though, I still check my bores once a month or so.
It's really easy with a bore snake. Run it through a few times, check it against the light, and put it away. Check it again later, and repeat. No problem.
Just hose the barrel down with warm water. That removes the potassium left in the barrel from the berdan primers.
Take a bottle of spray bottle of windex and a bore snake to the
range. Squirt down the bore and
on the snake and a few pulls
before the trip home. Cleaning
after we GET home...obviously.
I was not as obsessed when I
shot MAK90's and SKS with the
chrome bore until I lost a nice
old Mosin 91 that was not. hard
lesson....sigh.
Post a Comment