Corrosive or non-corrosive?

[0321jarhead]

Just curious but, how does one identify "corrosive" or "non-corrosive" ammo? I would always suspect that foreign mil-surp ammo "is corrosive" but perhaps some is not. So, how can you tell the difference?

[mosinnagantm9130]

If it's surplus, especially eastern bloc, assume it's corrosive until it's proven otherwise.

[0321jarhead]

For sure, I have and always will. But, to identify this issue, hypothectically speaking, do you poor some vinegar on the round and if it bubbles its corrosive?

[0321jarhead]

Here I have some Portuguese 7.62X51 (nato) and it is not corrosive, so said that I have read, and is Berdan primed.

[0321jarhead]

Well, perhaps somebody out there in CalGun Land can find the answer.

[Pofoo]

The only sure way that I know of is to pull a bullet and pour out the powder then load and fire the primed case at a clean piece of steel or iron. Compare the resulting rust spot with a modern name brand cartridge over a few days.

[Mssr. Eleganté]

There are two safe ways to find out if ammo is corrosive primed.

- Test the ammo yourself by doing the popped primer on bare steel test.
- Ask around on all of the C&R gun forums about the particular lot of ammo.

Every country switched to non-corrosive at different times. Military and commercial ammo changed at different times within each country. Some militaries switched different calibers at different times.

[Nitro Express!]

Headstamps are a good indicator. Researching those rounds is a good idea.

[0321jarhead]

The answere you guys are giving are good. Answeres that I found long ago. I just thought that there might be another way. As for the vinegar, it was just hypothectical. This is a good reference site...http://cartridgecollectors.org/

[Vlad 11]

Yea, there is no concrete way to determine corrosive/non-corrosive by casual glance.

Just assume any east bloc surplus is. And of course most modern Berdan primed like the Wolf line. Silverbears, Barnauls , Tula etc are non-corrosive.

You can test if youre unsure ... google The "Brite Nail Test"

The best test ive seen posted is from the Finnish guy CH on gunboards.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?191918-7-62mm-ammunition-primer-corrosivity-test

And no WD-40 doesn't neutralize any salts, but it does the WD (Water Displacement) good. No moisture no rust. Gets you home from the range untill you can clean it right

[Bobby Ricigliano]

I assume all 7.62x54R spam can ammo is corrosive. MONA's get cleaned ASAP.

I assume Wolf and Tula are not corrosive. The AK's and SKS's get cleaned when I get around to it.

Er, I don't have anything else that eats milsurp ammo

There's my .00002

[JKB1957]

There are a lot of methods for cleaning rifles after firing corrosive ammo listed on various web sites. Just pick one that will work for you, follow it, and have fun shooting. When in doubt clean it. I use a method listed on the Empire Arms site. I bring a cleaning patch dipped in a solution of 1 part ammonia 3 parts water. I run it down the barrel after I finish shotting to neutralize the corrosive salts and then run 3-4 patched to dry the barrel. When I get home I clean the gun as normal. No issues so far.

[NOTABIKER]

most of the Mosins we own today went weeks after shooting before cleaning. no time out in WAR. i buy the spam can bullets and i spray a mix of amonia and water down the barrel after shooting. then a clean it at home. it never got treated this nice by IVAN

[TRAP55]

This is the chart for 30/06, .45acp, and .50 BMG.

[Justin Case]

Cool thread, OP. I learned something this morning