Why is some ammo still corrosive?

[Moress]

All the 7.62x54r I buy in the form of spam cans is corrosive, but why? I thought everyone stopped using corrosive primers shortly after WWII, with the last hold outs being the Yugos. Isn't the 7.62x54r that you get in the spam cans being mad sometime in the 80s? They still use that round in many weapons, so why keep making it with the same corrosive primers that can damage your gun during long drawn out fights where you don't have the opurtunity to clean you weapon?

[jshoebot]

I don't think the Russkies really care about the quality of ammo used in their rifles. The majority of surplus 5.45x39 is corrosive, and they use that in their AK-74's today

[Moress]

Thats very odd, because all of the wolf, Brown Bear, and the other commercial ammo we buy is made in the same factories that make ammunition for Russian troops afaik.

The one thing about corrosive primers tho, I heard it was suppose to have a super long shelf life, thats why Ivan used them. They always had that "Just incase" mentality which caused them to stockpile all kinds of arms.

[jshoebot]

I've heard the same. I had an M44 rifle, and I had a few spam cans of x54r that was manufactured before WWII. Worked fine!

[23 Blast]

I've heard that in addition to the long shelf life of the corrosive primers, they were less susceptible to degradation due to weather - which in the Frozen North would be a major consideration.

If they got invaded again, I'm sure Ivan would find comfort in knowing that the ammo they're pulling out of non-climate-controlled warehouses, where it's been sitting for the last 40 years, will still go bang when needed.

[brianinca]

>>>
long shelf life
>>>

+Thermal stability, the potassium chlorate primers go bang even when it's cold.

80's Romanian 8mm and Yugo 762x39 and S&B 308/762x51 are examples of later mfg use of "stable" primers. I have early 40's vintage USGI M2 AP that still shoots decently and ALWAYS goes bang - that's pretty good shelf life. The pre-WW2 Turk 8mm is still out there, and 8x56R from the 30's and 40's still turns up now an again. The 8mm and 762x54R Yugo ammo is good stuff, I've got several Mausers that shoot the 8mm VERY well.

It was a big deal at the beginning of WW2 to use non-corrosive primers in the ammunition for the M1 Carbine - the design of the gas system required it. Despite this, the French still made ammo in the 50's for the Carbine that has corrosive primers - an important detail!

The successful adoption of non-corrosive priming compounds for the M1 Carbine round meant that US arsenals had transitioned to non-corrosive primers for M2 Ball etc by 52-53. There's at least a couple of tables showing dates/lots of transition.

The only "downside" to that ammo is the need to clean in a timely manner. Regular old BreakFree CLP or the foamy bore cleaners work just fine and are what I use anyway. It's not desirable to tear down a Garand's gas system more often than you MUST, so more modern ammo is what you want. For bolt guns, it's moot what you shoot - you should be cleaning your firearms anyway!

Regards,
Brian in CA