Corrosive or Not?

24 April 2003, 12:01

<stans>

LC 52 indicates the ammo was made at the Lake City ordnance plant in 1952. I think the U.S. began switching to non-corrosive primers in their ammo sometime around 1952. It is safest to assume your ammo is corrosive, so clean the gun thoroughly after firing this ammo.

24 April 2003, 14:38

craigster

When in doubt clean as if it's corrosive. Been there, done that.

24 April 2003, 15:24

nicshorse

the one time i tought something was not corrosive(older ammo) i lived to regret it.now if i'm not sure ,it gets the hot soapy water.

24 April 2003, 15:35

archer4

What is with the soapy water routine? Will normal solvents, i.e. hoppes, sweat's, not work to clean and neutralize?

24 April 2003, 15:49

nicshorse

soapy water(i mean boiling hot )will get out the corrosive salts and gets the barrel hot enough that it dries out almost immediately. then i follw up with hopps.

24 April 2003, 17:03

craigster

El cheapo window cleaner works great for removing the corrosive residue.

25 April 2003, 03:53

<eldeguello>

stans is right. The changeover to noncorrosive primers in .30/'06 ammo by U.S. arsenals started in 1951 and was completed about 1954. Any ammo marked '51, '52, '53, or '54 may or may not have corrosive primers. Play it safe. pretend that they are corrosive!! .30 Carbine ammo always used NC primers!!

Black powder solvents containing water MIGHT remove primer salts, but other solvents, like Hoppe's, etc., etc., will NOT take out corrosive primer residue. Hot soapy water is the best. In the Army, we used to put immersion heaters in clean trash cans, get the water boiling. add soap flakes, stir well, then immerse field stripped M1 barrelled receivers in this stuff for several minutes. Then take them out, scrub the bores with wet bore brushes, and next immerse them again in hot, CLEAN water. After thorough drying, they were oiled and reassembled. Operating rods and gas cylinders were also thoroughly scrubbed with the hot water. Regular GI corrosive ammo bore-cleaning solvent was OK for day-to-day cleaning when the rifles were being fired every day, but when they were to be stored for any length of time, they got the hot water treatment!!

[ 04-24-2003, 19:03: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

26 April 2003, 02:52

<stans>

quote:
.30 Carbine ammo always used NC primers!!

Acutually, I think some foreign made .30 Carbine ammo was corrosive primed. U.S. made .30 Carbine ammo was always non-corrosive.

26 April 2003, 04:37

BECoole

A good test is to drop some table salt in a sample of your proposed solvent. If it dissolves, the solvent is good for cleaning up after corrosive (chlorate primed) ammo. If it doesn't...well, as said above, water works just fine.

26 April 2003, 06:10

<eldeguello>

Yes, it is possible that some foreign-made .30 carbine ammo was corrosive. If so, don't use it at all!! It will ruin the gas system of a carbine in as little as one day!!

[ 04-25-2003, 21:11: Message edited by: eldeguello ]