Corrosives cleaning?

[Jack Owens]

Dear Friends,

Quite a few years ago I had a 1917 American Enfield rebarreled by Douglas and shot corrosive ammunition in it with the belief that if I cleaned it thoroughly with soap and boiling water for two or three days afterward I would avoid any damage to the bore.

After several uses and cleanings I noticed what seemed to be stains at the muzzle-end of the rifle (where I could get a good right-angle look at the bore). I have a microscope and with some fancy maneuvering I was able to get the muzzle end of the rifle in a position where I could get a view of the stains and found that they were microscopic pits that had started to form.

Since then I've sworn off using any corrosive ammunition in a firearm if I can possibly get non-corrosive ammunition for it. In other words, I doubt that it is possible to avoid the erosive effects of such ammunition completely. You may not see any rust, but I believe you'll get gradual pitting/erosion.

Regards,
Jack