Cleaning your rifle after using corrosive ammo

S

Sturmgewehre

New member
One of the most commonly asked questions I get is "how do I clean my rifle after shooting corrosive ammo?"

Mostly this is centered around my AK's and the fact I use rail systems that prevent the user from easily removing the gas tube. So I put together a video that shows my method for cleaning a rifle after using corrosive ammo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcFKCTfKENc

Questions and comments are welcome.
 
Two issues
1. Ammonia, NH3, has a ph of 9.8 or there abouts. It is an Alkali, not an acid.

2. The use of petroleum products and compressed air is generally frowned upon due to the dieseling effect.

Nice AK...
 
Last edited:
I'll just stick with hot water down the barrel and cleaning normally afterwards. Worked for years.

When I clean my mosin nagants I brush the barrel with a bronze brush to loosed things up then pour hot water down the barrel. Clean the way I would clean any gun afterwards. Never had a rusted barrel in over 10yrs. You can use whatever you want but this way works.
 
Yes, ammonia is a base. The point I was trying to make, but failed to do apparently, is that ammonia can and will damage metal and finishes on both metal and wood if used in a concentration that's too strong. Some folks are so set on using ammonia, they figure Windex doesn't have enough so they buy their own and mix it with water. That's when you'll quickly approach the point of damaging your rifle and/or stocks.

The minute amount of ammonia in Windex does absolutely nothing for you, the water in the solution is what's breaking the salts down and flushing them away. There's also not enough ammonia in Windex to cause finish damage unless you spray it on and leave it over and over.

I've been using compressed air with firearms cleaning products all of my adult life (20 some years) and never had an issue with the "dieseling effect". I use 50psi, hardly enough to cause an explosion with CLP, WD-40 or even Gun Scrubber. I would say you're far more likely to be struck multiple times by lightening. We used compressed air in the Marines to dry our rifles. We had a compressor right next to the sonic cleaner in the armory. It's where I learned the method. My local gunsmith also uses compressed air for cleaning, he's one of the more respected gunsmiths in our area.

I'm surprised you didn't mention I should use safety glasses when using compressed air (I should have been).
 
Last edited:
Hot soapy water!

HOT SOAPY WATER! Worlds best cleaner just ask the B.P. shooters how they clean out the corrosive stuff in Black Powder. Then dry, oil and set aside 'till next time. I use it on all my guns that shoot corrosive stuff.

Mace
 
Yup, I use warm soapy water in my utility sink in my loading room to clean all my handguns and rifles as part of my standard cleaning process even when I don't shoot corrosive ammo.
 
Can you provide any concrete evidence of ammonia's corrosivity to carbon steel at any concentration? The only effect I have seen is that ammonia is a (weak) copper solvent.
 
Rifle Magazine (I think it was Rifle magazine, it might have been Precision Shooter) did some in-depth investigation of the effects of ammonia on barrel steels back in the 1990s.

Essentially, it tied in with the well known hydrogen embrittlement effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_embrittlement).

The higher the concentration of ammonia (NH3), the higher the probably of hydrogen in the ammonia reacting with the barrel steel, which could be made far worse by the heat and pressure of firing the gun. But, even low concentrations of ammonia can have an effect over time.

The late Dan Hackett spoke extensively about the effects of ammoniated solvents on barrels (hum.... that makes me think that it was Precision Shooter, as Dan was an accuracy wonk) over at the old Compuserve Firearms Forum.
 
Diesleing like it starts to run by itself?

Hmmm, new one to me, I use air tools with oil in them a lot, and never had one run on!
 
Compress a petroleum product and it can explode. No it won't run by itself but it may blow something back at you or someone in the immediate area, causing an injury. Next time you buy tires, ask one of the guys about the dangers of compressed air...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top