[quote]Originally posted by lugercollector:
<strong>I have seen allsorts of surplus european and russian 9mm ammo at gun shows....if it is corrosive and I fire it in my luger...how quickly does this stuff eat away the bore....do I have to clean the gun immediately or can I wait till I get home from the range...thanks...Peter...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Hi Peter,
What makes ammunition â??corrosiveâ?? is the priming compound used. Primers that leave behind salt (generally potassium chloride) are the culprit. The salt isnâ??t itself corrosive - but it attracts moisture out of the air and holds that moisture against the steel and that produces rust.
How soon one must clean after shooting ammunition made with corrosive primers to avoid any signs of rust depends on how much salt was left by the primers and how humid the air is. Lots of salt and high humidity can mean a blush of rust in a matter of hours. Little salt and close to zero humidity and we might not see rust for days or weeks.
On those rare occasions when I fire corrosive ammunition I clean immediately after the range, but that is just me being obsessive/compulsive.
The simplest and most effective way to clean out the salts left by corrosive priming is with boiling water. Get the water hot (and I mean a good roiling boil) and then flush any part that might have been in contact with the propellant gasses. For a Luger, this means the barrel, barrel extension, toggle train, and frame - in essence everything (just be sure to remove the grips!).
The key is to get the metal up to 100 degrees C (212 F) so all the water evaporates. Do that and the water will flush away the salt and then evaporate in seconds - no rust from corrosive ammunition! Iâ??ve used this technique for almost fifty years now and have never had any problem with corrosive ammunition and rust.
There are folks who use Windex, water with ammonia, and a host of foul smelling mixtures to clean up after corrosive priming. Some of these work as well as boiling water and some donâ??t. The downside to using this kind of stuff is it stinks, itâ??s mostly toxic, and itâ??s a sight more expensive than plain water. But to each his own :-)
Warm regards,
Kyrie
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