corrosive ammo questions???

[lugercollector]

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...

[AGE]

Lugercollector,

Be careful of foreign 9 mm. I have had good luck with Wolff ammo, but I quit using it after a reported (on the old forum) overloaded Russian 9 mm cartridge blew up a Luger. In any event corrosive ammo is rare, but its use does require immediate careful cleaning (using appropriate solvents, one which is hot water).

I switched to the Walmart Winchester 9 mm available for $10.95 per box of 100. Many others also use this ammo.

[Doubs]

To answer the original question: You may safely wait until you get home to clean the pistol. Several hours shouldn't be a problem. However, the corrosive properties (salts from the priming compound) begin work quickly and overnight is too long.

Hot, soapy water may be the best solution for neutralizing and flushing out the corrosive salts. Follow that with the usual nitro-solvent cleaning and after making sure all of the water has been removed, a light oiling.

If using hot water worries you, I've used Hoppe's No. 9 solvent for nearly half a century with good results. The label clearly states that it's good for corrosive priming. Others claim it doesn't work and there have been numerous arguments over it's value as a corrosive cleaning solvent.

However you decide to clean the bore, breechface and breech area, do it within two or three hours and you'll be fine.

[Kyrie]

[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

[Aaron]

In the late 40's we used to shoot a lot of corrosive GI 30-06 ammo in the N.Y. State Guard. I could not believe how our barrels rusted within three hours of returning from the range! There are no two ways about it, a thorough cleaning must be done immediately after shooting!

[lugercollector]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen...I shall be very careful about the ammo and the cleaning of the barrel from now on...!!!!

[AGE]

Lugercollector and others! I'm also posting this as a new topic.

WOW!!! IT HAPPENED TO ME TODAY. As I said above, there was an overpressure Russian ammo case discussed on the old forum and now I have my own.

I had bought some Wolff and Silver Bear ammo before reading of the overpressure case back about April or May. Anyway, I've been shooting this stuff up in my S&W 3914 since I didn't want to risk it in my Luger.

After about 30 uneventful rounds shooting the Silver Bear ammo the S&W locked up tight after firing without ejecting the case. I didn't notice a particularly loud round, but anyway I had a hard time clearing the gun. I had to pound a rod into the barrel (that was a loose fit in an empty case) while pulling hard on the slide. Finally, the case came out. The fired case was not ruptured, but would not go back into the chamber. It is much bigger in diameter than a normal fired case (maybe .007 to .010"), I don't have a micrometer handy at the moment.

WATCH OUT FOR PROBLEMS WITH RUSSIAN AMMO. My S&W doesn't seem to be damaged--the barrel looks OK under close examination after disassembly and cleaning. I'll test it out probably in a week or so with Walmart Winchester and then maybe some Federal hollowpoints.

[Edward Tinker]

Man and I see the prices for a 1,000 rounds and, kind of figure, ah what the hey.

But now no way!

Walmart and other ammo is the way to go, to many real stories from you guys on the russian rounds, Wolf? and I am sure 95% of it is okay, but my guns cost too much time on the job to risk for a few pennies....

[AGE]

Wolf was not the bad actor. Silver Bear is another Russian brand (maybe same manufacturer--who knows, but a different name).

[Thor]

This is very disturbing AGE, to hear more than a couple instances of overpressure loads from WOLF. I bought 1000 rds for the AK-47 and MAK-90 of 7.62x39 Wondering if I should put it all in file 13(trash can). I value my rifles more than the ammo. I am relieved to know you are okay! Thor

[Roadkill]

I've got a New England Firearms (Old H&R Co) single shot bull barrel .223. I also bought 1000 rounds of Wolf, about one in five will not eject cause of case sticking in chamber. Can't hurt this gun, locks down like a vault, but its got to be overpressure to lock up the cases in the chamber.
Won't shoot it in my AR. I've got a digital caliper, will measure next time I go shooting.

RK

[AGE]

Hey Guys,

Once again, it was Silver Bear, not Wolf ammo that gave me the problem.

I am on a several month vacation away from the home port. When I get back to FL I will mike the case and give another report.

[Heydrich]

I have heard nothing but bad things about all the Russian brand ammo. I’ll never touch it. I also have some 1954 Yugo FMJ 7.92mm ammo that I made the huge mistake of buying. The primers are real hard and sometimes it takes two pulls of the trigger to set them off. This is completely unacceptable. I’m thinking about putting it in file 13 like Thor does. As far as cleaning corrosive salts from a barrel, hot water with Tide or Windex do the trick great.

[AGE]

Guys,

I did think (finally) to look at the primer in the offending Silver Bear case. It is badly bulged and puckered up around the primer dent which is much deeper than normal. I didn't remember that the round was noisier or recoiled more than usual, but the primer looks like an overpressure round to me (although I normally don't shoot hot ammo).