Corrosive 303 ammo

[metalcruncher]

Years ago I bought 400 rounds of surplus Brittish .303 corrosive ammo from Midway USA. I've read of some techniques of shooting and cleaning Enfields after shooting corrosive ammo. But I would like to see if anyone here has input about their experiences and recommendations using corrosive ammo. Thanks in advance.

[Rogerbutthead]

These guys have a lot of experience with that problem. https://forums.gunboards.com/showthr...corrosive-ammo

[smle-man]

Years ago I bought 400 rounds of surplus Brittish .303 corrosive ammo from Midway USA. I've read of some techniques of shooting and cleaning Enfields after shooting corrosive ammo. But I would like to see if anyone here has input about their experiences and recommendations using corrosive ammo. Thanks in advance.

Sluicing boiling water from the chamber through the barrel and out the muzzle is the most effective way. Don't forget the bolt face and the chamber, wipe them down with a wet patch. Dry and then clean with your favorite solvent.

I use WW2 USGI bore cleaner also. Not the orange smelly stuff but the white stuff that looks like milk. It dissolves the corrosive salts so they can be wiped out with a patch.

For the boiling water method I ran a piece of clear plastic tubing into the mouth of a funnel and then used a tea kettle to pour the water into the funnel. Be wary of the steam from the boiling water and that it softens the tubing. I made a cradle to hold my rifles with a muzzle down angle so the water drained into a bucket.

another method is to submerge the muzzle into a bucket of water and use a patch and rod like a pump to draw water into the bore and up through the barrel. Pump it back and forth and watch the water turn black from the crud pushed out. Dry both inside and out and follow with a water chasing fluid to make sure no water remains in the bore.

[BlueOvalBandit]

I only have a SKS that gets shot with corrosive yugo ammo, but I flush and clean with soapy water first since the salts are water soluble. Then wipe down and dry before liberally oiling/relubing with your favorite gun oil/preservative. Do final wipe down with a dry patches/cloth to remove excess oil before placing back into hibernation in the safe. I do pretty much the same with my black powder muzzleloaders and they're all rust free.

You'll probably get mixed feelings on whether the water needs to be hot or not. I've heard some say hot water will evaporate and cause flash rust. I've done both hot and cold and never had problems. Just be aware of water getting under the stock wood line.

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[TooFewGuns]

My only experience with corrosive ammo has been through sks, mosin, and mauser. I personally never used a special method other than just pouring water(plain water, room temperature) down barrel or chamber and wiping other parts that come in contact with gasses with a wet patch. I would then run a few dry patches down the bore until it came out dry and wipe down the rest of the parts dry. Then I would just clean and lubricate like normal.

[Mustang]

You might try one of these British gun cleaning funnels...



Sold here:

https://www.brpguns.com/british-military-funnel-original/

[Lurch762]

I use Ballistol & water to clean my rifles after shooting corrosive ammo.

[Cato]

I've shot lots of corrosive ammo. I've always just cleaned my rifles well after a range session like I always do - which means when I get home. Never had any problem.

I believe a problem only arises if you shoot your guns and put them away for years without cleaning them.

[emcon5]

Some people seem to think that "corrosive" primed ammo is caustic and will damage the gun, and this is not true. It is only corrosive because of salts in the priming compound, which will attract water, and therefore lead to rust if the salts are not removed. All this means, is if you shoot corrosive ammo, you just need to clean the gun shortly thereafter. You can clean at the range if you want, but it is not necessary. Just clean it before the end of the day and you will probably my be fine.

I live in the desert, with so little humidity here, I could probably get away with waiting a few days (weeks?) but I never leave it that long.

In reality, every round fired through almost all military surplus rifles up to the point they ended up in the hands of a collector, was corrosive.

All you need to do it remove the salts, and that is really easy, as salt is water soluble. I pour hot water down the barrel, but a wet patches will also work.

Here is what I do, this is only to neutralize the salts. I don't bother with actually cleaning every time I shoot, I think that is a waste of time, generally.

With military rifles it is easy, fix bayonet, stab the Earth. Pour hot water down the bore. Boiling is best, because it evaporates quickly. I let the water go into the ground.

At this point, I put plastic bin with a couple paper towels to catch the chemicals. Follow with WD-40, because of what the "WD" stands for. Spray it in the chamber until it drips out the muzzle. Run a patch through, then do the same thing with Break Free/CLP. Run a patch through. Put the rifle in the safe.

[BrokerB]

Pretty much above. I shoot only corrosive in my Finns and Pu sniper.

I follow Dennis techniques from Empire Arms. Straight forward and no bs dancing around boiling water vats.

https://www.empirearms.com/clean.htm

[Grendl]

Of more concern is what the cordite is doing to the throat of your rifle. My understanding is that cordite causes throat erosion to occur significantly faster than modern powders.

For that reason, I've transitioned away from shooting it much, although I LOVE the smell and the look on the faces of the people around me sniffing the air.

[THBailey]

Pretty much above. I shoot only corrosive in my Finns and Pu sniper.

I follow Dennis techniques from Empire Arms. Straight forward and no bs dancing around boiling water vats.

https://www.empirearms.com/clean.htm

X2!

[aghauler]

I've shot lots of corrosive ammo. I've always just cleaned my rifles well after a range session like I always do - which means when I get home. Never had any problem.

I believe a problem only arises if you shoot your guns and put them away for years without cleaning them.

Actually days, the corrosive rust in the bore can appear in just a SHORT time, please don't ask how I know
Well, ok, found out the hard way with a Garand. Shot a Garand with surplus ammo, didn't know it was corrosive, didn't clean it as soon as I got home. Several day later I took in to my Garandsmith friend in Reno, when he pulled it out of the case and checked the bore, I got the super stink eye, it was all red and fuzzy, lesson learned!

That was before I learned to take a large thermos of boiling water to the range and flushed any firearm with the hot water, bolt action or semi auto.

[NoHeavyHitter]

I generally look for corrosive ammo since it frightens so many people and is typically a lot cheaper to buy as a result. I run lots of ammo over a chronograph, and the old 1944-45 British was always very uniform in speed. It was pretty clear that ammo had been stored properly and is likely why it performed so well.

I used to do a little quick clean-up with Windex while the gun was still warm at the range. Now I just use a few baby-wipes and fully clean the rifle at home. One thing I always do is to re-inspect guns I've fired corrosive ammo through a week later to ensure that I didn't miss any spots.

[metalcruncher]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I have learned a lot. One member said to stick the bayonet in the sand and pour water down the barrel. One member had the photo of the British water funnel that inserts from the breech forward. Neither bathe the bolt head in water. But aside from that, any other parts of the action that could be damaged from corrosive ammo?