neutralizing corrosive residue

[pizzapaiute]

What is the best substance to clean a rifle after firing corrosive Turkish 8mm
Ammo?

[kraigwy]

water

[Vergeltung]

I have heard soap and water. pref hot water. since it's so messy and winter time here in the NE USA, I am just doing a heavy version of a regular cleaning.

[aeonrevolution]

I've got a question regarding corrosion.

I have a huge chunk of Silica Gel in my gun case at all times.

Even if I'm not cleaning my rifles as well as I should the Silica should prevent any damage from corrosion. Correct?

[HAWKIN]

If Silica gel gets loose and touches the metal it will eat through it like few things on earth. Cased weapons are not suited for silica use as their is no air circulation and if it dusts out you will be heart broken!

Clean em up, use these and you are done for years.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/z-corr_bags.htm

http://www.polygunbag.com/gunbags.html

[aeonrevolution]

Errr yeah I didn't mean I just had a big lump of it sitting there :D

I have a box of the stuff specially made for gun cases.

[Chris_B]

I've been told Windex is good, because of the ammonia

[BillCA]

What is the best substance to clean a rifle after firing corrosive Turkish 8mm Ammo?

Hot water. Preferrably hot, soapy water, but plain water will do. If hot water isn't available, cold water works, but you need more water.

In the 40's, during WW-II, G.I.'s were taught to clean their rifles after each range session. This was to remove corrosive salts from the barrel & chamber. Water should be hot, but not boiling. Flush the barrel, muzzle down, by pouring the hot water through a funnel. A helmet full of water would be followed by up to 10 strokes with a brush, followed by more hot water. Then use a bore cleaner and lubricant as normal.

Hot water was recommended because it evaporated faster off the metal and there would be less chance of corrosion.

Even if I'm not cleaning my rifles as well as I should the Silica should prevent any damage from corrosion. Correct?

No.

The corrosion is caused by corrosive salts formed as a byproduct of shooting corrosive ammo. These salts lodge in the barrel, especially in the grooves. They are microscopic and embed in rough spots in the metal. They will remain there and any moisture at all can cause corrosion. Water dissolve these salts (like table salt) and flushes them away.

Solution: Take a full U.S.G.I. canteen to the range and put it in the sun when you shoot corrosive ammo. When done shooting, use a funnel and pour the warm water down the barrel fast enough to fill the bore (you can put the muzzle on your toe so the bore fills up) then release the water from the barrel. Run one or two dry patches thru the bore to dry and lubricate well with gun oil. If you add soap to the water then (a) bring 2 quarts to flush out the soap and (b)mark the canteen that holds soapy water to avoid drinking from it!

[pizzapaiute]

Sounds pretty much like the procedure for black powder. Thanks to all.

[lipadj46]

I've been told Windex is good, because of the ammonia

Funny this goes around and around. Windex brand cleaner does not have ammonia any longer in the formula and ammonia only helps to clean the grime from the powder residue.

Windex works well because of the major ingredient WATER to dissolve the corrosive salts. Also people like it because it evaporates faster due to the slight alcohol content. So long story short save yourself some money use hot water add some soap or ammonia to aid in removing grime if you want. If you want it to evaporate faster add 5-10% rubbing alcohol. And you can even add blue food coloring if you think it will help.

[dm1333]

BillCa,

Why is boiling water not recommended? Besides the obvious "Crap, I burned my hand again!" Yes, I've stopped using boiling water for exactly that reason, I'm just curious if there is another reason for not using it.:D

[lipadj46]

Boiling water would be the best thing to use because the hotter a solvent the more solute (corrosive salts) it can dissolve but yes it is more dangerous due to the "[color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color] I just poured boiling water all over my leg" factor.

[Chris_B]

Funny this goes around and around. Windex brand cleaner does not have ammonia any longer in the formula and ammonia only helps to clean the grime from the powder residue.

Windex works well because of the major ingredient WATER. Also people like it because it evaporates faster due to the slight alcohol content. So long story short save yourself some money use hot water add some soap or ammonia to aid in removing grime if you want. If you want it to evaporate faster add 5-10% rubbing alcohol. And you can even add blue food coloring if you think it will help.

No more ammonia?!

Maybe that's why Windex streaks so bad nowadays! :D

[Tidewater_Kid]

The bottle I'm holding in my hand has ammonia in it. I was told that the ammonia helps remove the copper fouling, but it's the water that does the job. I keep a small bottle in my range bag and spray at the range. Then spray again when I get home and clean as normal.

TK

[lipadj46]

The bottle I'm holding in my hand has ammonia in it. I was told that the ammonia helps remove the copper fouling, but it's the water that does the job. I keep a small bottle in my range bag and spray at the range. Then spray again when I get home and clean as normal.

It's not Windex then, maybe generic window cleaner (or maybe a real old bottle). Windex lists ingredients as:

Chemical
Isopropanol 1-5%
2-Butoxyethanol 0.5-1.5%
Ethylene glycol n-hexyl ether 0.1-1.0%
Water 90-95%

[Mike Irwin]

Ammonia is good because it helps remove any trace amounts of oil in the barrel that might hide corrosive fouling from being washed away by the water.

I THINK that if the ambient humidity falls below about 28% the potassium chloride won't be able to pull any moisture from the air. That's why a bowl of salt will quickly become a swimming pool in the summer, but it will stay nice and dry in the winter when the ambient humidity is a lot lower.

The old GI bore cleaner contained a LOT of water, plus it was very alkaline, which helped it remove any trace oil in the gun.

[lipadj46]

That is why some recommend soapy water the soap helps cut the grease and wash away other non water soluble organics as well as anything else.

[publius]

I clean using very warm soapy water. fill a small bucket or pot with warm water and a healthy amount of dawn dish liquid. run a couple of patches of this down the bore. next take another wet patch and squirt a bunch of the dawn on it, run it down the barrel. work a bore brush down the bore 10 times. run 2 more water patches through & repeat proccess until desired results are achieved. When you have it where you want it run several patches down with clean water (not the soapy solution) then pour a small pot of boiling water down the bore, this will help all the water evaporate. Run dry patches torough till dry. dry all other metal parts and oil.

[lipadj46]

Dish soap is good to use because it "cuts grease" like they say in the commercials.

[vranasaurus]

Soap and water

[TheManHimself]

Sounds pretty much like the procedure for black powder. Thanks to all.

That's because the corrosive primer residue is very similar (though much less in volume) to black powder residue. Both leave hygroscopic salts in their residue, which then absorb moisture from the air and cause rusting. Also like black powder guns, you'll see the corrosion occur much faster in humid or temperate environments than arid desert conditions.

[pizzapaiute]

I know some dish soaps have acids in them (citric). It's not recommended for use on aluminum alloy like that found on an older British bike. A soap made to wash cars with might be safer for exposed metals. It's probably a good idea to flush well with water.

[Mike Irwin]

"It's not recommended for use on aluminum alloy like that found on an older British bike."

But Pledge is so gentle I'm soaking in it!

I wouldn't think that would be too much of a problem if you're not washing the frame of say a handgun that you've shot with corrosive ammo.

[BillCA]

Why is boiling water not recommended? Besides the obvious "Crap, I burned my hand again!" Yes, I've stopped using boiling water for exactly that reason, I'm just curious if there is another reason for not using it.

For two reasons - first you don't need water to be that hot (212°F) so it's a waste of heating fuel (about 180°F is fine) and second is that accidental contact can cause burns -- or worse from the drill instructor's view, it can cause you to jerk, drop the rifle :eek: and then dump hot water all over the wood stock :eek: which requires a tear down to prevent corrosion.

But Pledge is so gentle I'm soaking in it!
Yer slipping ol' buddy. Pledge is a furniture wax, not detergent.
You're thinking of Palmolive detergent -- the one "Madge" at the beauty parlor used to soak her client's nails in. ;)Yes, I'm a certifiable old phart!

[Mike Irwin]

Pledge, Palmolive...

Close enough for government work. :D

[pizzapaiute]

You're soaking in it? LOL I think we're starting to split hairs on this.;)