This is the question: I have old ammo that I am pretty sure it has old mercuric primers...
If I fire this ammo...what is the recommended or
correct method to clean the barrel properly
afterwards? I'm sure someone has either knowledge
or reference to this. I know someone will advise me not to fire it to begin with, but I have my reasons to test it. "How to clean using Mercuric Primers is the question...& what was the reason they were so bad, salt attraction, etc?
Sorry about the oldie type question, I never have found answers to this, and of course its
outdated stuff too. Thanks for input, Tom

I have fired some older military ammo with "corrosive" primers.....I assume Mecuric... and cleaned the bore with several things to be sure.....one was mops drenched in alcohol, then in soapy water, then in Hoppes #9 and at the end a dry mop and then a patch with a touch of RemOil. I also used a phosphor bronze brush at every stage.


Prabably overkill but it worked.

Mercury attacks the brass so It may not be a good idea to reuse the brass. In any case inspect the brass carefully for cracks.

quote:

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Originally posted by vapodog:
I have fired some older military ammo with "corrosive" primers.....I assume Mecuric... and cleaned the bore with several things to be sure.....one was mops drenched in alcohol, then in soapy water, then in Hoppes #9 and at the end a dry mop and then a patch with a touch of RemOil. I also used a phosphor bronze brush at every stage.


Prabably overkill but it worked.

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Generally, the old corrosive military primers were NOT mercuric. There were some European (Swiss??) makes that were, but ours weren't. It is true that mercuric primers ruins brass, but corrosive primers do not - all they ruin is barrels, if water or equivalent is not used to clean the bore!

Thanks for those who replied re. Mercuric Primers...in answer to the replies...my brass was not military, but commercial from Western when they used Mercuric Primers.
The other items: I know Mercuric Primers weaken brass...from an amalgamam but after
fired, when the mercury from the primer blasts inside the brass. It may also be possible to rinse or treat the brass after first firing to remove mercury effects too,
but so much of this knowledge is outdated apparently not much retained about it. I'm
also at a loss to find old info. regarding this topic from reference or research, so is
why I'd hoped I'd find some authoritative info or reference...
Thanks again, I'll keep trying!
Tom

bisonland,

It has been reported that mercuric priming had a shelf life of maybe 10 years at the most after which point in time the primers pretty much no longer functioned.

My experience with old mercuric primered ammunition in .22 W.C.F., .30 W.C.F & .44 W.C.F. calibers pretty much proves that out.
I have tried several rounds of each and none fired.

I have since pulled the bullets, replaced the primers and used the original powder and bullets with satisfying results.

In a late 1800's Winchester Ammunition brochure, they highly recommended against reloading smokeless cartridges with smokeless powder due to cartridge case failure. Washing the cartridge cases did nothing to prevent the failures. However, mercuric primed black powder cartridges could be reloaded over and over again.... with black powder ...with no problems whatsoever, the black powder apparently absorbing the mercury not allowing it to leech into the brass.

What caliber ammunition are you working with?

w30wcf

Hello Jack: I have a box of original Western .30 Newton cartridges...I was thinking of shooting them, then cleaning the rifle & cases...I have original .30 Newton cases as well as some made up from parent brass.
I may just try 1 or 2 to see if fireable...and see what they chronograph...pull
the bullets from the rest, deprime & use the brass for reloading. But maybe. I'll pull
all the bullets & deprime them.
Also, I'm not sure if they are mercuric or not...my reference material I've been able to find says some were & some weren't. Where the line is drawn I don't know. I think the vintage should be 1938 or earlier.
Best Regards, Tom