The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

Has anyone shot corrosive ammo in their P-64?

I shoot it all the time in my Mosin and my SKS, and with proper cleaning the weapons don't seem to suffer.

I am wondering about shooting this stuff in a handgun though....

Will it damage the gun, and how much of a mess is it to clean up?

Thanks, fritzhund

I have shot some in the P-64. The B-West, and some of the old East German.

Corrosive is not problem. I get a pan of water boiling, take off the slide and recoil spring, and pour the boiling water over the frame, spring and slide. Then hit the works with a hair dryer. Boiling water just about evaporates on it's own but the hair dryer is insurance. Then clean and oil.

Thanks again nbender!

I appreciate the replies.

fritzhund

That's a great cleaning routine, and I would recommend it after any corrosive ammo.

The chrome lining of the barrel should also reduce the impact of corrosive ammo--certainly better off than the older rifles. (In fact, I think corrosive primers is the reason they chromed them--correct me if I am wrong.)

In any case, no firearm should be a problem, provided you clean it promptly.

-Kempin

Take a spray bottle of windex with you and spray it on the barrel and action before you leave the range. It sure cuts down on the corsive salts & clean-up at home is a lot easier.

+1 with Gray,

The amonia in Windex will cut/neutralize the salts, then at home use ultra hot or boiling water, then just clean and oil like normal

We haven't had a corrosive cleaning discussion on this forum that I can remember. But I've sure been involved with them on various forums, especially the cowboy shooter forums (I watch those because of my new passion for Single Action Army pistols).

Grayfox and volfandan are shooters of reknown and I'm not disputing what they say here. But I'll make a case for just clean water, without using Windex or ammonia cleaners.

The salts deposited by corrosive primers or black powder are hygroscopic, in that they attract water and then form acids from the residues. Keeping your weapon dry until you are ready to clean it is paramount, and you have to clean it before the moisture from the atmosphere can form acids. So I'm not sure that spraying it at the range and cleaning later is a safe procedure.

Also, I don't think ammonia does anything chemically with corrosive salts. It does not form a stable bond of some sort. The goal is to dissolve the salts and rinse them away. Windex works because of the water in the solution.

And, ammonia can be harmful on some types of bluing and on some types of plastic grips.

With all that in mind, you will also read that many shooters have success using Windex or a water/ammonia solution. Personally I believe it is the water in the solution that works because water dissolves the corrosive salts. Some people use a mild soap in the water, but many many people, including the shooters from the Civil and Indian Wars, have used plain water. I think it's the safest, most reliable method to combat corrosive salts and residues.

nbender,

I hear what you're saying, and actually agree. Windex is mainly water, and the ammonia content is actually very minuscule. I've just taken the advice from so many Windex advocates from other milsurp sites....and kinda just decided to use it at the range as "a head start" because it's hard to get to boiling water at the range. And, I feel that the quicker you start on those salts....well, it can't hurt.

That being said, water truly is probably the only thing that will neutralize the corrosive salts. Another option is the old WWII GI bore cleaner. It was made for cleaning corrosive ammo, and many swear by it. You can still find it at gunshows and Ebay, but I've honestly never tried it.

I have also heard many milsurp shooters that routinely shoot corrosive swear by "Ed's Red" home brew cleaner. I keep meaning to make some of it.....but I think I'd only use it on guns that I shoot non-corrosive out of, and just stick with water or (if I ever get some) the WWII Bore cleaner.

Like volfandan, I picked up the windex idea from a lot of forums/black powder shooters. I have also taken my guns home from the range before doing anything...doesn't seem to make a lot of diff. I think the main thing is to clean them...and if the ww1&2 vets could go days without cleaning, I,m sure one day at the range won't turn the gun into junk. The windex idea just makes me look " smart" to the unknown shooters,.

Good topic, and +1 with nbender. I have been on both sides the fence on this one. For quite some time I too took Windex to the range when shooting milisrup ammo, [corrosive] and after shooting squirted windex down the bbl to flush out the corrosive salts, but when I got home I ran soapy water down the bbl before cleaning with bore cleaner and then oil. About 5 years ago I asked my brother who is a analytical chemist for a national firm and has a PhD in chemistry, blah blah blah, about the use of windex to flush out the corrosive salts from the bbls of my rifles and pistols. In short, he said I was wasting my money, as nbender previously said, windex is mostly water, and my brother said that the salts in the corrosive primers where hygroscopic also, meaning that they retain moisture, so I would be better off waiting till I got home and then flushed out the salts with plain water then dry with patches and then treat with bore cleaner and oil. So again as nbender brought out, its better to keep the bbl dry till cleaning is possible. Volfandan's point of WWI & II makes sense because they didn't have the option of cleaning after use for several days sometimes. I have been shooting corrosive ammo for years and have not had any problems what so every, I still shoot ammo with corrosive primers in my .303, 8mm, .30-06, 7.62x54r rifles, and .45acp in my some of my .45's, and looking at the amount of milsurp ammo I have I will be shooting it for some time to come.



papabear

1920 rounds $255.00 shipped.

Russian Corrosive.

Awaiting delivery. Will post range report.

fritzhund

Well after reading all the post, I'll leave mama's windex under the sink and clean my guns when I get home. An old dog can still learn.

Nice buy Fritz! and thanks for the info Nbender

ok all you old people... does anyone one remember in basic training taking the rifles into the shower to clean em.

That TULA stuff is really good stuff. I paid $2.00 a box locally for 16. No problems with corrosive. I just use BLACK POWER CLEANER.