Almost really "blew it" with my Moisin Nagant.

[Wicked Pete]

As you MN shooters know, most 7.62 x 54R is corrosive. I have been trying to find alternatives to the toxic chemicals I was using. Tried Simple Green Industrial and lubed with Ballistol.

It's only been two months of (dry) storage, I looked in the barrel and had one of those "oh s**t" moments. Not shiny and wonderful, dull and brown; Rust! Immediately I got out the Hoppe's solvent and the brush, clean clean clean.
Patches came out brown then cleared up. Now barrel is bright, shiny and "good to go."

Ended with with a good coating of gun oil, was I lucky or what?

[NaughtyMonkey]

Perdy lucky I'd say. Good thing you caught it before it got really bad lol. I'm always checking mine. I shoot a lot of surplus so its something I Check a lot. In all my guns.

[Milsurp Collector]

This article tested various bore cleaners for salt removal ability http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2...salt/index.asp

After reading that all I do is pour almost-boiling water down the bore after shooting corrosive ammo, then clean as usual. Water is what removes the salt, including the water in Windex. Since I use a water-based cleaner (Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner) that did well in the salt removal test http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2...alt/index4.asp it should remove any corrosive salts that didn't get flushed out. Water and Blue Wonder are non-toxic. After cleaning with Blue Wonder I run patches with Break-Free CLP through the bore to prevent rust formation.

[Interloper]

People way over think the corrosive ammo thing. Normal cleaning with your favorite solvent works fine. It's the mechanical friction of a bronze brush that get's the salts loose, the solvents wash them out. A coat of oil blocks Oxygen and prevents corrosion.

[gunboat]

Interloper -- not so --- Water is the only simple solvent for the primer salt residue. --

[Interloper]

Interloper -- not so --- Water is the only simple solvent for the primer salt residue. --

I understand that. So use plain tap water. I'm saying that brushing will break the salts up and your normal cleaning regimen will carry away the residue. The critical part, as the OP discovered, is oiling the bore after cleaning.

I shoot nothing but surplus out of my Mosins and SKS's. Thousands of rounds a year, and I have no corrosion issues.

[knucklehead0202]

i use warm water and basic dish soap, then clean with hoppe's, then a patch with oil. all my bores are still beautiful.

[Dr. Pepper]

People way over think the corrosive ammo thing. Normal cleaning with your favorite solvent works fine. It's the mechanical friction of a bronze brush that get's the salts loose, the solvents wash them out. A coat of oil blocks Oxygen and prevents corrosion.

I would just like to call BS on the brass brush statement: before I knew to clean my barrel with windex and hot water, I had cleaned it thoroughly with conventional cleaner and a brass brush, and my barrel rusted later that week. However the coat of oil will stop the rust from forming.

[mycrstuff]

The barrels on these things seem to rust quickly if you don't lube the barrel. I have a couple that I have shot only NON-corrosive ammo in and the barrels rusted in about a week. After you clean and lube it put your rifle in a gun sock. They really do help keep the humidity away from your guns.

[Interloper]

I would just like to call BS on the brass brush statement: before I knew to clean my barrel with windex and hot water, I had cleaned it thoroughly with conventional cleaner and a brass brush, and my barrel rusted later that week. However the coat of oil will stop the rust from forming.

Thank you for disagreeing and agreeing with me in the same post.

[gunboat]

Your weapons, do as you like, use snake oil, cosmic brushs, garlic breath or whatever -- You can't change the fact that water is the chemical neutralizer for potassium salts. Check with your high school chemistry teacher --

[rojocorsa]

I always have wondered, when these milsurps were the rifles du jour along with corrosive primed military ammunition....

How did soldiers deal with corrosion out in the field? Or was it just a part of life back then?

[Milsurp Collector]

I always have wondered, when these milsurps were the rifles du jour along with corrosive primed military ammunition....

How did soldiers deal with corrosion out in the field? Or was it just a part of life back then?

GIs would have used this



and cleaned their rifles whenever they could,



even during the Battle of the Bulge



People still sell the USGI bore cleaner solution and it's supposed to do a good job removing corrosive salts http://cgi.ebay.com/US-GI-WWII-Corro...item35a9a7e03b

EDIT TO ADD: interesting that most World War II-era M1 Rifles, which used corrosive M2 ball or AP ammo, don't have their original barrels, while most M1 Carbines, which used non-corrosive ammo, do have their original barrels. The corrosive M2 ammo must have taken its toll on the Garand barrels, and most were replaced during the post-World War II armory rebuilding program, while most M1 Carbines barrels were judged by the armorers to be in usable shape after World War II and were not replaced.

[Scratch705]

this is why i end every session with my mosin with a quick fire of 5 shots, then douse with warm water (left bottle out in sun) then run a few dry patches to get as much water out, then a few patches of eezox. then do regular cleaning once i get home.

[Interloper]

Your weapons, do as you like, use snake oil, cosmic brushs, garlic breath or whatever -- You can't change the fact that water is the chemical neutralizer for potassium salts. Check with your high school chemistry teacher --

Dude. I've agreed with you on the water thing in every one of my posts. Now you're starting to get defensive and frankly, a bit boorish.