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Shot corrosive now have rust

5K views 29 replies 18 participants last post by  win308 
#1 ·
Sorry for the long read and thanks in advance for any suggestions. I put this in Modern Day b/c the rifle is a SOCOM II.

so obviously still a nOOb and really thought I was getting better until recently after shooting maybe 200 rds or so of green boxed '82 Winchester on and off the past few months, I discovered some patches of rust in my gas system.

Specifically in the plug (STUBBORN - this I have worked on but cannot get most of it out), was able to clean up the brake (a little rust in the gas ports) piston (inside and out, and I buffed off surface rust with 0000 steel wool), gas cylinder (this wasnt bad - just some light rust and I think i got it all out by swabbing), and didn't notice any rust down the barrel chamber at either muzzle or chamber. I have attached a few pics - this is actually newer rust, I noticed rust first showing a couple weeks back on the brake, so I took everything apart, spray-dowsed the gas system, barrel etc with warm soapy water, and cleaned everything off good (just really the plug had some patches remaining I couldn't get out). But the rust just returned again after a couple of weeks of storage (these pics now). This time the piston was rusted shut in the cylinder and I had to slightly tap it loose (maybe b/c of the last water cleaning, and I didn't follow up with a very light oil on piston or cylinder??). Anyway I went through more hot soapy water today, followed by some Hoppes copper cleaner (I know it's corrosive - I figured it might help destroy the rust), drill bit routine (yes rust came out of inside piston) etc etc washed out grime, and I then just left everything oiled, and dissasembled, for now. Think I got it all off (again) except for inside the plug (again).









I always clean the gas system thoroughly with some gun scrubber and my sadlak drill bits, after couple hundred rounds or so, and bring the flame but I never knew to use hot water/soap after shooting corrosive. I didn't even know the stuff was corrosive, I never asked the shop but heard it here actually. I know, I know.. my first and last mistake with this ammo sorry

The rust took some time to develop way after I began shooting the Winchester ammo, and didn't even show until recently.

So, with my lesson learned, would it make sense to just replace piston and plug (wanted to upgrade these anyway - to Sadlak TiN and SEI SOCOM plug), and cylinder should now be clean enough (isn't it stainless - therefore "light" rust/corrosion/whatever comes off fairly easily??) SO please tell me this RUST will not come back if I stay away from the corrosive ammo?

Or, now that this $hit has started does it keep spreading like cancer or can it be stopped?? I'm worried

Thanks again very much for any help
 
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#3 ·
I used to shoot corrosive back in the 50s and 60s when it was real cheap "like 100 rounds for a buck"

What I would do is wash it in real hot soapy water rinse with boiling water get the metal as hot as you can.
it will cause the metal to dry before it has any chance to really rust.
Oil the parts up! or put some cold blue on the parts the oil them up and you will be good to go.
water is the neutralizer.
ed
 
#4 ·
Well, I think that after the rust has come it's too late to save the gas plug and piston. I would ditch them. I don't know what caused the rust cuz as far as I know Winchester green box shouldn't be corrosive. Anytime you do use soap and water to clean I would use WD40 (Water Displacing) to displace any water. It helps if you use REALLY hot water.
 
#5 · (Edited)
That is some ugly stuff right there! Might have been water left over? I have a collection of articles on this subject that I found while researching it , maybe this will help you or someone else. Its a long one! I am sure this belongs in Ammo Bunker, but the thread is here. Sorry!


The "corrosive" part of corrosive ammo isn't! The primer compound (a miniscule quantity BTW....less than 0.25 g/primer) leaves table salt's (NaCl) lighter cousin, potassium chloride (KCl) in the bore. In and of itself....it isn't "corrosive", but it IS highly hydrophilic, meaning that it'll draw water from ANYWHERE...the air, your body, and form an electrolytic solution that IS corrosive. That hydrophilic nature is also how you clean it.....it LOVES water, so you make sure it gets access to some! Old USGI bore-cleaner designed for corrosive primers was kinda "milky" and rusted it's way out of the metal containers it was stored in because it was an emulsion that contained a hefty percentage of water...old (and maybe new....I haven't checked the MSDS in a while) Hoppes had enough water in it to clear KCl out of a bore....I doubt Sweets has a drop of water! Plain old water is the key!

Red's suggestion of a little Windex is completely valid (it's mainly water with a little surfactant!). Failing that...the "cheaper alternative", is cheap automotive "blue-juice" windshield washer fluid. If you don't want to travel the "high-tech" road, then a patch or two of plain old tap-water (hot)....maybe with a TOUCH of dish-soap as a surfactant to make sure the water gets into all the nooks and crannies, and then dry-patching will do the trick!

Yes, its worth pointing out I also never shoot anything corrosive in an M1 or any gas gun, but in bolt guns no problem.


i don't mind shooting corrosive ammo in a bolt rifle but i don't think its a good idea in a semi auto if it can be avoided. (a complete dissassembly is mandatory). i find its always best to inspect a rifle a few days after cleaning. i'm always surprised at how dirty a 'clean' bore can become in a few days as is the case with gas systems.



How to properly clean after using corrosive ammo

This is how I do it... it's easy, it's fast, and it's effective. Best of all you can do it while still on the firing-line and thus not offend your significant other with the usually pungent stench of commercial cleaners in your home.

Dilute regular household ammonia (sudsy is best but regular is OK too) to 2/1 or 3/1 with water (it can be as much as 10/1 if the smell really gets to you). Keep in a small bottle to take with you to the range but label it well so you don't mistake it for contact-lens solution or something (yeeeowww!)

After you are done firing and while still at the range moisten (not dripping-wet, but sorta-soaked) a patch and run it down the bore and back once. This instantly will neutralize and dissolve the corrosive salt-compounds from the primers and start in on the copper and powder fouling with a vengeance.

Let stand for thirty seconds or so (just enough time to take off and throw away the ammonia-patch you just used and put a new, dry patch on your rod). Run the dry patch (or several) down the bore and you are most literally done.

DON'T OVERDO IT! More ISN'T better in this case...

You really don't want to slop ammonia (especially if heavily concentrated) all over the blued parts of the gun (as it will likely start to remove bluing after 30 minutes or so) and you also shouldn't leave the ammonia in the bore for an extended period of time (like hours, although I do know folks who do that anyway) as that may (not WILL, but MAY) cause "crazing" (microscopic pitting) of the metal. I also have to caution against slopping ammonia on the wooden parts of your rifle, as it will usually strip the finish down to bare-wood, BUT if you follow my advice on HOW MUCH ammonia to use (only enough to dampen, but not soak, a single patch per gun) you will not EVER experience ANY problems at all...

If you are worried about primer residue getting on the bolt-face you may want to quickly wipe it with the wet patch before throwing the thing away and quickly dry it. Same thing with the gas-tube in a semi-automatic rifle... don't go overboard, just wet it and dry it and get done with it.

As a final precaution (since the ammonia will also kill all lubricants and leave the metal very dry) you can run a patch of gun-oil down the bore and leave it like that for protection from the elements (just be sure to run a dry patch down the bore before shooting it again).

I've been cleaning guns this way (including *every* gun we sell) for nearly thirty years, and have never had rust form in any bore (even here in humid Florida).

However, if you are (like some folks I have met) completely obsessed about leaving traces of ANY powder or copper residue in the bore of your weapon, you can certainly follow up your "field-cleaning" with a detailed, strenuous, traditional cleaning once you are home (or in a week or month from then). But I warn you... your bore is much more be likely to be damaged from your over-enthusiastic scrubbing to get out that "last speck of copper" (which has no affect on the actual accuracy of your firearm) than it will with all the rounds you could possibly send down it during your lifetime.

Dennis Kroh

http://www.empirearms.com/
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CORROSIVE AMMO NEUTRALIZER
The original formula for the elimination of corrosive salts that are deposited on firearms when military style corrosive ammunition is used. No more "soap and water" treatment, introducing rust creating water to your firearm. Corrosive Ammo Neutralizer will remove the salts plus it will clean the burnt powders and dirt from your guns.8 oz. Jug $9.95

http://www.mg34.com/Misc.html
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The most important part of cleaning after corrosive ammo use is.....WATER.

You need to flush out those corrosive salts that will start the rusting process. Even better....Hot Water....even better... Hot Soapy Water.

Many ask why Windex? Windex is mostly water, comes in a handy-dandy easily portable spray bottle, and you get the added benefit of Ammonia and soap.

Again many ask why ammonia?, well ammonia (NH3) has a High pH (it is a base) and base solutions are good for steels. Industrial and Utility boilers for example are filled with water 24/7 and pH is maintained anywhere from 8.5 to 11. We run ours at 9 to 9.5 and the insides look like the day they were installed.

Ammonia also is deadly to yellow metals, it will disolve all admiralty metals (copper, brass, bronze etc.) over time, and is why ammonia based cleaning solvents are so good at removing copper fouling...note your patches coming out green!


The goal is to flush the salts out, or spray in or swab in enough windex to fully remove the salts. Without immediate treatment the salts just sitting in the bore will react with moisture in the air (humidity) and you will get a rusty bore pretty quick.Get them salts out!

Happened with my M-48 mauser that sat for just a day (summertime-high humidity) prior to cleaning, swabbed out a bit of rust starting to form...caught it quick so no damage done.

When I am shooting corrosive, when I am done, angle the rifle down, I spray down the bore from the chamber, soak patches on cleaning rods and swab a couple of patches through. Get home...normal cleaning.

Been doing this for years now and all the bores look like the day I bought them.
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Corrosive Ammo Cleaning
This is just a rundown on the reasons for cleaning your your barrel/lock/barrel extension and feedblock with hot water and soap.
First - the reason corrosive ammo corrodes is due to the deposition of strong oxidants in the barrel (Chlorates, usually) . These oxidants are inorganic salts, and in the presence of water will undergo a redox reaction with the steel of your barrel (without water both the steel and salts just sit there, dormant - as is demonstrated by leaving a 1919 barrel with 1400 rds of Turk 8mm uncleaned in AZ, no water, 3 months later, no rust).
How many remember their 101 chem, or organic chem class?? There is a term that is invaluable when running experiments in these classes "LIKE DISSOLVES LIKE." Inorganic salts are extremely POLAR (there are large + and - "ends" of the molecule) - water is also extremely POLAR (two positive hydrogens on one side, a big ol' oxygen on the other, with extra electrons, creating a negative side). Oils and solvents such as hexane/toluene are NON POLAR. They are usually a string of carbons with hydrogens spaced symmetrically around them (ie no unbalanced charge around any point). These non polar solvents cannot dissolve polar salts, and are not miscible in polar solvents (ie, if you already have water and salts in your barrel, washing them with non polar solvents will not remove either water nor salt).
I, being a chemist, and a gun nut, have done a bunch of reading on this stuff, I wanted to make a "Corrosive ammo cleaner" and looked up the solubility constants of these common oxidizing salts in various solvents. Guess what? None even come close to that of HOT WATER. There is absolutely no comparison between hot water and any other solvent. Add some soap to the hot water to cut through the grease (to help miscibility of oil and grease in water... want some background on micells?) - allow to dry, toss in the wife's oven (or buy a surplus oven and leave it in your garage, as I do... for moly coating, drying guns etc etc). Then clean the gun in exactly the same way you usually have (hoppes etc).
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Letter Re: Perpetuation of Corrosive Ammo Cleaning Mythology
Jim,
Please stop the perpetuation of dangerous [(to equipment)] mythology regarding cleaning firearms after shooting corrosive ammo. It's not magic. Not understanding how to clean your guns or why can seriously and dangerously corrode guns in a matter of hours.

The text from Mike's letter to SurvivalBlog is italicized:
Cleaning after corrosive ammo. It depends on how much moisture the gun is exposed to how quickly it needs cleaned. In my safes with “Golden Rod” heaters I have no trouble for one to two weeks. Sitting in the garage in Ohio’s notorious humidity, a few days seems the maximum. Of course, chrome lined barrels are far less of a problem.

No serious problems so far. Gun corrosion rates are directly related to ambient humidity.

If it may be a while before I can get my guns cleaned, I douse them in WD-40 (I buy it by the gallon can - cheaper).

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Cleaning corrosive residues from guns necessitates that the gun owner realizes that the corrosive residues are salts, most notably potassium chloride. Salts are ionic solids, and only dissolve in water. Just try dissolving a teaspoon of table salt (sodium chloride) in a glass of 100% alcohol or gasoline to see what I mean. (Granted, there are specialized organic solvents that will dissolve salts, but we're talking about gun owners, not laboratory chemists.) "Dousing" guns in WD-40 doesn't seem like it would do a whole lot. Rinsing them out with hot water definitely will.

To clean, I use one of several different methods. Hot soapy water is probably best. Immerse the muzzle in a bucket of it and brush in such a way as to really wash it out. If the water is hot enough, the gun will flash dry on it’s own.

I simply pour hot, nearly boiling water from my coffee maker carafe into the chamber and let it run out the muzzle. A quick brushing with a little soap removes the bulk of the powder fouling which may prevent occluded salt from being rinsed away the first time.

Apply oil to all parts exposed to the water as it removes all of the oil residue and rust is a certainty! I prefer LSA (available from Sarco, $6.95 per quart) or CLP (which I pick up at Knob Creek for about $10 per quart). If the hot soapy water is a problem I use Hoppe's Copper Solvent which contains ammonia, followed by Hoppe's #9 [bore cleaning solution], then oil. The ammonia helps rinse away the corrosive salts, not to mention removes some copper fouling.

I would recommend using a volatile, water-displacing solvent such as alcohol or acetone to remove traces of water, followed by a non-volatile gun cleaner - and then storing the gun horizontally, or at least muzzle-down until proper gun cleaning can be performed. In any event, store the gun in as dry an environment as possible.[JWR Adds: If using acetone, be very careful not to let it contact your skin. Wear disposable exam gloves, and work only in a well-ventilated area!]

There is a myth that ammonia somehow "breaks up" or "breaks down" the salts that are responsible for corrosion. This is a complete falsehood. It's the water that the ammonia is dissolved in that dissolves and rinses away the salt.

There is an excellent discussion of the probable origin of these myths in Hatcher's Notebook, by Julian S. Hatcher, on pages 334-360. It is a very scientific study and explanation of why guns corrode, and how to clean guns so they don't.

Most important, IMHO, is to inspect the gun every couple of days after cleaning and again a week or two later to make sure that you did not miss some odd spot and rust is developing. While I admit cleaning a PKM, Goryunov or AK gas system after corrosive ammo is a bit of a pain, the [low] price of the ammo certainly justifies it. Remember, when these guns were new and being used by the military, corrosive was the only kind of ammo available! A note on Hoppe's #9 – the older formula contained Benzene which worked very well at removing corrosive residue. Trouble is, the stuff is hazardous so it is not in the current formula. Hoppes still will clean a gun of corrosive residue but more effort is required! Same for some WWII / Korea era GI bore cleaner.
The Hoppe's original formula contained nitrobenzene, not benzene. This may or may not have helped to dissolve salts, but it still isn't anywhere nearly effective as water.

As a final note, make sure to clean the bolt face, action, and firing pin channel, since corrosive primer residues can build up on these areas and cause serious problems resulting in failures to feed or fire. - Virginia Gun Nut and "Patty"








On this subject....I saw a really effective alternative for clearing corrosive salts at Camp Perry today care of Sgt. Toby Tomlinson and the Army MTU! Hydrogen peroxide! The cheap OTC stuff you can buy at Wally World or Family Dollar for pocket change! The water will solubilize the salts while the decomp of the peroxide provides a foaming/scrubbing action to dig the salts out of the "nooks and crannies". Just a wet patch of it is enough, then a dry patch.

Another application for the peroxide....cancelling the potential corrosive effects of high-ammonia cleaners like Sweets. The effect is the same as with chlorate residue, except in this case, the peroxide is neutralizing any residual ammonia that can be TOUGH on stainless steel barrels.

This is a very good idea for effective bore-cleaning, with solid chemistry backing it up...and I never thought of it or heard of it in over 45 years of shooting!
 
#6 · (Edited)
Blown46,

I have to be honest, but it looks like you are waiting too long before cleaning after the range and are not coating everything with CLP to protect it before getting to it. Also, are you keeping the rifle in your case after the range? This traps moisture inside and collects on the carbon which breeds rust bugs who love the dark. Corrosive ammo only speeds up the process, but is not at fault, and makes the below procedures more critical.

Regardless of ammo, after I come off the range and get home I coat all metal surfaces with CLP. Take off the plug, piston, and soak in a puddle of Hoppes #9 solvent for a couple days. Turn the rifle upside down and punch bore with a heavy laden patch
of #9. Punch gas tube with patch of #9. Now I have a few days to procrastinate before I clean and dry the gas system, also the #9 is working for me to loosen up the carbon.

All metal is protected now.

I can relax.

When my lazy arse decides it's time, I go back over the rifle in the manly ritual of cleaning my weapon, like a savage with his spear, (he he) until not even one Qtip or patch shows darkness anywhere. Sometimes it takes me two or three hours and my back hurts, so I quit for the day and break up the time by coming back the next. Then put on a light coat of CLP everywhere and grease where appropriate. There is no better feeling than stepping up on the line, or crossing the final line of departure, with a spotless, locked and loaded, slicked up rifle in your hands.

To answer your question, you should replace those parts--they are now defective. Rust will come back on new parts unless the user is more loving with his rifle.
 
#7 ·
Go to the kitchen sink, put the stopper in, run some hot water in it, squirt a little dish washing soap in it and start tearing the rifle down.

If you did anything in either cleaning to remove the salts left by firing the corrosive ammo I must have missed it. Scrub the parts with a brass/nylon/stainless brush and hot soapy water, set them aside to dry. The hot water evaporates faster than cold water and the parts may be dry before you even start wiping them down with an oily rag to prevent further rust. The water removes/neutralizes the corrosive salts that absorb moisture from the air and cause your rifle/pistol to rust after firing corrosive ammo. Clean it two days in a row and then inspect it after a couple more days (and maybe clean it again). The reason for multiple cleanings is to make sure you don't miss anything and you can see why.

The "green box .308 Winchester" sounds like the corrosive Sellior & Bellot ammo being sold on the internet and in gun stores and gun shows as "good old .308 Winchester". Yes it's cheap, yes it shoots good, and yes it will corrode your rifle if you don't clean it quickly and correctly.

If it were me I'd clean up my parts and wipe them off with an oily rag and use them some more while waiting on the new parts to come in.

At home I use the kitchen sink method (be sure to clean it up to keep things quiet and peaceful with your wifeGI1). If I'm camping somewhere I use a black powder cleaner (which is also corrosive) called Black Off. I put it on patches and run through the barrel, I dunk a tooth brush in it and scrub the individual parts, I disassemble the rifle (gas system and all) and scrub the parts, spray them off with carb. or brake cleaner and then spray them with RemOil before wiping them down with an oily rag, lubing up the required parts with with grease and putting the rifle back together.

I don't remember the headstamp on that S&B ammo but it had a pretty red ring (of primer sealant) around the primer.
 
#8 ·
I use Blue Wonder to remove rust and then follow it up with Kroil penetrating oil.

Blue Wonder doesn't attack the bluing as quickly as some other rust removers. Heat is the key, I use a good blow dryer to heat up the metal both before and while the chemical is on the metal. Then use 0000 steel wool or a scratch pad for really badly rusted parts (scratch pads will remove bluing) and scrub the rust spots. After scrubbing coat liberally with Kroil and let the parts sit a for about 30 minutes or so and then remove any excess oil.

Since these are the gas cylinder parts I would ensure that all surface oil was removed before shooting again, the excess oil can cause the gas piston to stick. Kroil penetrates deeply in to the metal and will displace water. I always coat the metal parts with Kroil before I store my weapons, you would be amazed at how much crud will be pulled out of the metal during storage. Run a patch down your bore before firing and you will find that the Kroil will usually have pulled out crud while your weapon sat in storage.
 
#11 ·
That's the same stuff. What I bought a few years back had a light green tint to the cardboard boxes. I bought it by the case and it had a wooden crate around a wrapped interior of ammo boxes. The stuff went bang every time, shot decent scores on the range - and I cleaned my M1A every night before I went to bed. Then pulled it out a couple of days after the last range day and cleaned it again and found a small amount of "orange" tinting in the flash suppressor slots. A little steel wool with some "Black Off" took care of that.

I have wiped down the gas piston on my rifle for over 30 years with an oily rag after cleaning it. Its not soaked/dripping with oil, just a light coat like the other metal surfaces on my rifles, handguns, shotguns and never had an issue.
 
#10 ·
GI6I've shot corrosive ammo in just about everything for more years than I care to get into...the ammo is not actually corrosive, it deposits elements that absorb moisture from the air! That's where the rust comes in.
Another way rust comes in, that's overlooked by most is human sweat....if your drippin' while your cleaning...you may be canceling out your cleaning job!

I've either used GI bore cleaner and LSA or GI bore cleaner and CLP or just CLP , depending on when or where I was and have never had rust! The thing also is to do your chore within hours of shooting!

That's it, plain and simple! No magic here!dance2
 
#12 ·
Guys I really appreciate all the replies and there is a lot of great info here altogether for me to digest so thank you.

piston and new plug are ordered, will try the Blue Wonder and Kroil to further clean up the cylinder bore, plug threads there, etc

WILL NOT make the same mistake again.

thanks for the help!
 
#14 ·
ya know, it's zipped up tight in a Springfield padded case, but it is stored in a basement (unfurnished, clean, dry, typical storage) and at my parent's place (I'm in the city - otherwise it'd be under my bed) so I don't know how moist it really gets down there, but you're maybe right. Basements can be damper

Right now I am leaning towards having washed it out with soapy water (first time using water - a couple weeks back), and not properly oiling down after that, is maybe where I got most of this from. however, it did start in the first place from the ammo, and me not cleaning right away after the range, I think.

but thanks chomp
 
#20 · (Edited)
Gun Cases Not for Storage

ya know, it's zipped up tight in a Springfield padded case, but it is stored in a basement (unfurnished, clean, dry, typical storage) and at my parent's place (I'm in the city - otherwise it'd be under my bed) so I don't know how moist it really gets down there, but you're maybe right. Basements can be damper

Right now I am leaning towards having washed it out with soapy water (first time using water - a couple weeks back), and not properly oiling down after that, is maybe where I got most of this from. however, it did start in the first place from the ammo, and me not cleaning right away after the range, I think.

but thanks chomp
Never, ever keep a firearm in a case for more than a day or so!!!! Cases are intended for transportation, not storage. The foam and fabric in a soft case traps moisture and will severely rust a firearm in much less time than you think, especially in a damp climate. So, if the ammo was indeed corrosive, the situation would be compounded.

I had a clean blued revolver in a gun rug in San Diego, CA for about 2 weeks many years ago and to my dismay, found it was speckled with surface rust.

Good luck

NAV1
 
#15 ·
I shoot a little black powder and we mix up a solution called "Moose Milk" to clean out the corrosive powder residue. First flush with hot water, then swab out with Moose Milk, then a dry patch and finally swab lightly with oil like CLP before storage. Moose Milk is made with 2 parts water soluble oil, 1 part Dawn dish soap, 16 parts water and shake well. It stores for years.
 
#16 ·
Black powder is what crossed my mind, or cordite (ancient nasty stuff). To get accumulations of rust like the ones pictured, there's more going on chemically & metallurgically than post - WW I corrosive ammo components. Bores and bolt-faces that didn't get cleaned you'd look for pitting. But the growths in the photos look more like what I've seen a week or two after a gun was in a house that burned and got hosed by the FD. Or something else that can do it: Caution - those hard plastic or metal cases that have the foam lining material. That stuff will wick the moisture right out of the atmosphere. Get a sock or a soft case if you wanna protect your firearm while it's stowed.
 
#17 ·
yes thanks but no the case is a soft fabric and padded but not like that "egg crate" foam I think you are describing. yikes I have my AR in one of those (Bushmaster factory case)

if that rust is not directly from the ammo it had to have been from me washing everything out 2 weeks before hand, and not following up with light oil. the more I think about it the sicker I am getting ugh how damn stupid
 
#19 ·
I was experimenting with delayed cleaning on my S&W M&P15 after shooting Russian surplus (corrosive) ammo.

I'd gone for periods of a month or so between shooting and cleaning with no sign of rust/corrosion. Then, I shot it one rainy day in NC (I wasn't in the rain - covered firing line - but it was humid and extremely damp) and came home that night. I pulled it out of the case the next day to find orange "fungus" growing on the bolt inside the carrier and I had to "pound" the bolt rearward to get it unlocked. Rusty flash suppressor (more orange fungus), rusty bolt lugs, etc. I mean orange fungus, in less than 24 hours and I run my AR's sloppy wet with oil so it rusted in spite of the oil (which corrosive ammo will do - its not lack of lubrication that causes the rust, its the salt residues from the corrosive ammo sucking moisture out of the air and promoting rust where the salt deposit is sitting.

It wasn't surface rust, it was stuff growing out from one spot and when it was removed the bolt tail was left pitted. It didn't take long at all.
 
#22 ·
^^ never heard of Eezox, will look it up thanks. Just ordered some Kroil and Blue Wonder based on earlier post and recommendation so I will try this on the rust. I have so many damn chemicals now it's not even funny seriously some of you guys must have a flammables cabinet in your garages by now


funny but you say this but honestly I have shot this corrosive stuff many times before (always cleaned the gun immediately afterwards tho) and never hot water treatment (would just clean gas system good with gun scrubber), and never ever a problem. The last time I shot it before I had the rust start showing it a typical NY damn miserably humid hazy day. Maybe that weather with a combination of leaving it to sit longer than usual is what really happened in the beginning. And yes it looked exactly like orange fungus originally.

Never, ever keep a firearm in a case for more than a day or so!!!! Cases are intended for transportation, not storage. The foam and fabric in a soft case traps moisture and will severely rust a firearm in much less time than you think, especially in a damp climate. So, if the ammo was indeed corrosive, the situation would be compounded.

I had a clean blued revolver in a gun rug in San Diego, CA for about 2 weeks many years ago and to my dismay, found it was speckled with surface rust.

Good luck

NAV1
thanks never knew not to store them in the case, I don't have a safe yet, so what about putting one of those moisture absorbing paks in the case?
 
#21 ·
Maybe its just me....

but when I shoot, I don't wait to clean.. (besides cleaning my firearms is therapeutic)...

Learned a few years ago (darn didn't listen to the DI hard enough), after being "out" about 20 years, (out of service) that my #4 Enfield rusts easy when using WW-I ammo(cordite).. grin.

But, the M14 (or M1A) mostly have chrome lined barrels. corrosive won't hurt the chrome, pay attention,, when you get home from range, to the gas system (a little eezox works wonders) and the bolt face..

Doesn't take long to address those 2 areas and then one can come back later to clean thoroughly the rest of the weapon..

BTW, i've found Eezox to be a perfect cleaner/preservative/lubricant for the gas system.. It cleans well, dries,,lubricates when dry and... doesn't gum up the gas system (several thousand rounds experience with it) just once its dry on the piston, cylinder and gas plug and wipe down when reassembling. you're good to go.

And Eezox is the best corrosion preventative out there.

Just my 2 cents
 
#23 ·
I don't think that the moisture absorbing pack in the gun case would really help since once the case is closed up - there isn't any air circulation. The desicant packet would work in it's immediate area, but wouldn't protect the whole case and gun.

I too made the mistake of leaving a blued pistol in a hard plastic case for a couple of weeks. Rust spots all over it. Live and learn.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Open air helps. I lean one M14 on my headboard at night. Never got out of the habit from being a field Marine. The other is on a rifle stand on a spare table, similar to a samurai sword display. I have authentic carbon swords on the wall as well that will rust easily. My girl kind of digs them. In fact every girl I ever had over likes swords.
Because I see my guns and swords on the wall all the time and pick them up when I want to admire one, I generally do a spot cleaning and wipe it down after handling.
 
#26 ·
There is a chemical called Salt X that is used by boaters and saltwater fishermen. After an outing, the chemical is sprayed on reels, lures, rods, etc. It dissolves salt, and when dry, prevents further deposits of salt.
I use it sometimes when I am in a rush, or when I come home during the wee hours after a surf fishing outing and don't want to bother with the hose. I have never came back to find my tackle rusted. Penn also makes a similar product but I never have used it. Just another option.
 
#27 ·
Used rifle?

I confess I did not read every last word of the post, but the thought comes to mind that it may be a used rifle. Someone else may have fired the ChiCom or Czech corrosive, then sold the gun. Our unlucky buyer fires it, not knowing what rot has already been sown in the gun's guts. Once those salts are in that gas system the rust will progress, just give it time. I cannot imagine any amount of rust like that being generated by modern U.S. ammo.
 
#28 ·
It didn't appear to be US ammo. It looked like the S&B (Sellior & Bellot) ammo that's being sold as "corrosive", "mildly corrosive" or worst of all, no mention made of it being corrosive. The local gun store nearest me has boxes of it on the rack with no mention in the sign that its corrosive - even though I've told them it is. I no longer shop there as we've had other issues.
 
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