Corrosive Ammo Damage 

Remember what the old timers tell you about cleaning guns, a lesson they learned when corrosive ammo was the only type of ammo available; "never let the sun set on a dirty gun".

You also have to take into consideration the amount of moisture in the environment. I live in Florida and I shot some corrosive ammo through my mosin and within three days it was syarting to rust pretty badly.

Nice AK. I have a Saiga 7.62 that I fire Yugo surp. M67 ammo only. As you know, it is known to have a corrosive berdan primer. All I used to clean it with before was CLP, everywhere. Now, I use a few drops of regular dish soap and warm water. I dip a .30 cal mop in warm solution and run it down the barrel to neutralize the salts, let sit. Followed by .30 cal bore brush, jag and patches. For the gas tube and gas block, same thing but use a 20 or 28 gauge shotgun mop and bore brush. One thing to

make sure your turning it the right way aks usually have left hand thread

Thanks for this video. It gives us a good idea of exactly what parts are subjected to the salt that makes corrosive ammo corrosive. And it's the primer that is the corrosive part of corrosive ammo.

Thank you for posting this video. It was very insightful to see the actual results of not cleaning immediately after shooting 7n6.

Thanks for posting this. Helps put somethings into perspective regarding corrosive ammo.

Your piston has a cavity! :o One trick I learned from boiler work is to heat up the joint with a torch (little propane torch is fine), hit it with penetrating oil and let it cool back down. Then crank it. If it doesnt work repeat until it works.....only once was the task actually impossible in my relatively short HVAC career

Awesome video all around. Interesting to listen to and good information. I was concerned about corrosive ammo, but with how well I maintain my guns I am not worried now.

I fired a chinese SKS with corrosive ammo and forgot to clean the gas system. The piston (non-chromed) had rusted completely within a week. It looked like a spruce. I had to sandpaper the heck out of it.

Thank you for your service.

AK-47, and AKM, are left hand threaded. the AK-74 is right hand thread

Adding to what everyone else has said to get the muzzle brake off-liberally spray CLP, ballistol, or maybe pb blaster in the threads under muzzle brake and wipe excess off/bag the end - get rifle cold by putting in fridge, freezer, backyard or garage in winter, ac in summer, etc for a few hours-use heat source such as heat gun, hair dryer, blowtorch ( not direct contact with flame),etc on muzzle brake only-press in or free up muzzle brake detent-put large screwdriver, rebar, or similar solid metal rod through the opening on the muzzle brake and turn-make sure you turn the right way and don't burn yourself

If the ballistol does not work, try Kroil. Let it sit overnight and then the next day put the rifle in a well padded vice by the front sight block. Slip an appropriate sized 1' rod through the brake, hold down the locking tab and with enough force, it'll come loose. If you have to put a 1/2" gas pipe over the rod for extra leverage, use that too. We've used 2 vices, one for the sight block and the other to support the receiver section of the rifle. Both well padded. Good luck.

I used anti-rust/anti corrosion polish on the bore, bolt face, and all internal parts of the bolt of a Mosin Nagant, and I never had a problem, not a speck of rust to speak of when shooting milsurp. Plus, it cleans up the exterior nicely. I picked up an Interarms AK74 recently and I intend to do the same with it.

@domnikoli Windex supposedly neutralizes the corrosive salts from the primers. After the Windex treatmen, lubricate with gun oil.

Corrosive ammo is fine as long as you clean your gun soon after shooting, the same day at the longest. I spray some soapy water down the barrel of my Mosin right after shooting when the gun is still hot, then clean within a few hours. I also clean the bolt face with soapy water, and make sure to dry it off well.

Corrosive ammo is no biggie. I have an AR in 5.45x39. Originally I had a Nordic components brake on it, though later decided that it would be a good idea to move to the russian 74 brake, because of the chrome and ease of removal for cleaning. Yup, that Nordic brake was rust welded to the muzzle, though I was able to remove it without too much trouble. The chromed 74 brake is great, and I haven't had a problem with rust since.

I'm glad you made it home.

Corrosive ammo, just from my limited experience with metallurgy, will probably have a greater negative effect if you life in an area with higher average humidity. I.E. Oregon vs. Arizona.

Nice vid..thanks for sharing your experience. I have gotten away without cleaning my rifle for a week after shooting corrosive ammo and had no damage but would NOT suggest that this is a good idea. Defiantly...clean it the day you shoot it.

Thanks for your Service Bro, You are a true American Hero !!

The only time I personally ever got burned on corrosive ammo was on 30carbine ammo made by S&B they labeled as noncorrosive. Well, corrosive is actually what it was. Fortunately no damage to my M1 carbine, so that was handy. I bought a whole bunch of that ammo, so I just clean for corrosive when I shoot S&B.

Take a MAP torch to the break and heat it up so the metal will expand, then try wrenching the break off. If that doesn't work, heat again, then quench in oil or water, and try unscrewing it. I was tasked with completely dismantling a double barrel H&R shotgun from the early 20s, most of the screws were rusted solid and this help with much of them (a few had to drilled out). This method won't damage the temper of the steel.

had the same exact problem with the brake on my sgl31. soaked in Pb( shit reaks) for a day still nada. Im looking into finding a vice and torching the sucker till the rust breaks loose. Good luck man!

I got a mosin nagant the previous owner shot corrosive in and didn't trouble himself to clean it. The barrel was full of rust, but cleaned up to where it was only dark. The bolt has rust on it, but I don't know if that was from the ammo, or something else. I don't particularly like corrosive, but it is cheap, and so is ammonia, so I still shoot it.

@steve001968. I have to use corrosive Yugo because it is the cheapest *non-magnetic* ammo for my AR15 that I can shoot at the State rifle ranges here in Southern California. The thinking is that magnetic ammo like the Tula or Wolf steel can cause a spark and start a fire. You have the Range Masters checkng your ammo with a magnet and confiscate all magnetic ammo. Otherwise you are correct, the Russian non-corrosive ammo is just as cheap. I use magnetic non-corrosive ammo in private ranges.

the chrome lining certainly saved you from more pitting damage, AK's are tough as nails that gun is just fine. I shoot corrosive out of several of mine all the time, but had never left it uncleaned for more than a few days at most. How many rounds had you shot beforehand?

@wild50gunner Dang I can't relly tell...I did see come green deposits just at the lip on the gas tube whihc wiped off easy. Then I used a really thin Q-tip I had (from a computer cleaning kit for a IBM UNIX server) and did a internal wipe of the tube but it didn't show anything. I figure that it would be cheap to replace the tube. The cleaning of the AR is no biggie. I'm just more meticulous after each shoot.I have had the gun for close to a year and the bore still looks like new.

Great video! I shot corrosive ammo through my Polish Tantal and the muzzle break is rusted on like yours. I learned to clean my guns better after that.

Thanks, I am not afraid now to use this type of ammo. First I will need to get me a 5.45 ak or 7.62 ak. For now I will enjoy my .223 ak.. Your video was very informative and helpful.

@Whitey77318 and yet it still runs flawlessly and has no noteworthy damage PS my rifle was built by the "gypsies" at the Izmash arms plant in Russia the people at arsenal just ad new furniture and triger group to make it legal/awsome

Ammonia doesn't really do anything to dissolve the corrosive salts. The best way to clean after shooting corrosive ammo is to flush the barrel, gas block, gas tube, piston, etc. with hot water, scrub and repeat until clean. The hot water will dissolve the salts and flush them out. I use compressed air to blow all the excess water out and then lightly coat those areas with oil for storage.

Guys the best stuff I ever used for corrosive ammo is windex and CLP. The barrel, bolt, gas tube, piston, chamber I windex it all. Let it sit for ab 60 seconds after you soakit and then scrub it. Wipe it off, lightly coat with CLP put it in the closet. Before you shoot it wipe off the CLP and add FROG LUBE to the moving parts. When finished shooting repeat above steps (ONLY) for corrosive ammo. Other wise use normal solvents and lubes.

Its not Ammonia that gets rid of the rust its water that neutralizes the Salts in the Primer. So clean with water then make sure you get it nice and dry then oil it for storage protection.

Mine AK 47 muzzle break was stuck too.... I heat muzzle break on gas stove for two minutes and then turn it with wrench. Its worked and I manage to took off muzzle break without any damages......God bless all of you.

@semiautoriflelover1 Out of what kind of weapon? and how bad was it? if you dont mind my asking.

@c762x39 Im a little new to the maintenince of weapons, what exactly does windex do? Act as a rust remover?

@semiautoriflelover1 I generaly belive that the AK is a lot easier to clean than the AR which is not to say that it will not get dirty but rather pretty much all of it is rather easy to get at as opposed to the AR where if you want to get the star chamber clean or the inside of the gas tube (assuming this is a DI AR) you are going to need a good deal of time and pipe cleaners where as the AK I can clean off the locking lugs and gas tube by hand quite easily.

The addition of hard chrome to the inside of a barrel is measured in microns. It will have no effect on the weapon at all.

It would be insightful to know how the rifle was stored.

hey with the muzzle break try using a torch where the threads are ate. heat it for a little then vice it. it usually helps and will break up some of the gunk thats binding it. just my 2 cents

The debate over keeping better is pretty moot. Soldium Chlorate did store slightly better than mercury fulminate. But it was really just cheaper to make. It's still cheaper than lead styphnate used today. But modern primers offer better burn and reliability. That transfers to better inherent consistency per round. We dealt with corrosive primers in WWII because they were cheap and cleaning was highly stressed.

@c762x39 any problems with corrosion in the ARs gas tube? I was just wondering because I had never used corrosive ammo in a DI AR and it seems like it would be a bitch to clean

the reason why its corrosive is because of the primers, some but not all berdan primed ammo is corrosive, some surplus berdan primed is corrosive, but if you get the tulammo or wolf etc is has the non corrosive berdan primers. the reason for the berdan primers is because they will almost always fire in very cold climates i.e russia, i dont know exactly why they work better in cold climates but from what ive read and heard thats why they use them

is it possible to blue or chrome the inside of a barrel if you plan on shooting a lot of corrosive ammo?

I used Yugo on my Ar15 chambered in 7.62x39 and after each shoot at the range dowsed it it Windex and a total clean. After about 4 months I started to have feeding problems on the last 2 rounds of every mag. I investigated and found my mag springs where rusting. A simply wipe with a cloth showed rust stains.. I will cleaned them with Windex and lubricated them with spray lube. After that it all work fine and the failure to feed went away. !

but thank you for your concern

You could just replace the barrel,if you have the money.Ketchup packets last preatty long because the all the salt in it kills bacteria(or something like that) so i guess its would be good for long term storage.Thanks for the info. Thankyou for serving our country and take care.

try using balistol..spray it behind the brake and let it sit over night..oil will creep into the threads and disolve the rust....balistol creeps...

Oops, I wasn't done with the novel. For the muzzle break, check for a drop of weld on a seam. If no weld, try some type of penetrating oil or WD40 and let sit overnight. Once ready, make sure to depress the detent on front of the front sight block, looks like a pin and is spring loaded. If that doesn't work, there might be red Loctite. To release Loctite, apply heat via heat gun or propane torch to approximately 500f. Good luck and good shooting!

@luxordeathbed your welcome.

Try some kroil or pb on the threads over night then vise it again and crank on it, if its still stuck try adding heat with a torch but not too hot to where it changes the tensil of the metal, sometimes it helps to try and turn it in the direction of tightening it first I think that's right hand threads on your brake. Good luck

how do you know if there's pits in the barrel? and what would it look like?

my ak has like this layer of grit inside and I had shot corrosive ammo but tried to clean it best i could... is this from that ammo and how can I get it off? I cant get it out of the nooks and cranies!?

PB Blaster, then a very in-depth cleaning and oiling

Great accidental test! I just ordered some 7N6 and although I've prepared to clean it, I wasn't sure how much I should obsessively worry about possible damage to the rifle. This puts my mind at ease.

while you could blue the inside of your barrel firing the weapon would almost certainly strip it off I supose you could get the inside of your barrel chromed though that would shrink the internal diamiter of the bore so that seems like a bad idea. That being said most modern millitary style rifles (AKs ARs etc) already come with chrome lined barrels to protect them against corrosion anyway.

the "green crap" in the barrel is most likely coper fouling (a little bit of the bullets copper jacket is rubbed off by the barrel as it is fired) that has corrodid from the humididty copper turns green when it oxidizes if the steel of the rifle was corroding it would be red or brown (rust). you should be fine just clean out the copper residue and it should be good as new.

did you ever try PBnutblaster on that break?

have you tried kroil oil on the muzzle brake?

Its a little risky but if controlled then heating the barrel a little in order to get the muzzle break off may work. If you try it then tell me what happened.

That is the only Arsenal brake that isn't chrome lined. You can get several different Arsenal made (922r compliant) Soviet style 74 brakes from KVAR.

@semiautoriflelover1 and I assume it still works

I clean my Mosin after every time I shoot it. Almost learned the hard way. Shot it one day and did not get around to being able to clean it until two days later,,,the bolt, the ejection port and part of the chamber were rusted out. never again!

Use some AeroKroil to penetrate the rust on the threads, stick a metal bar though the break for leverage and crank it off.

did u try to remove the muzzle break by letting sit in vinegar, if not, try it for about 24 hours....

P B blaster overnight then a little heat in the morning and that brake should come right off

Agreed all that is the copper residue inside the barrel. You're ok.

Try using WD-40 or PB blast and a hand torch to heat it up. That's what I used to do to car parts that were rusted together.

Can you mount the PSL scope on that 74?

i shoot nothing but 7n6 in mine and that is all i shoot, i feel that it is the best ammo to run in a 74 just have to clean it , alot of people blow it way out of proportion def. agree with everything you said look a at the mosins they have shot CA for 60 plus years there alright...

Heat the brake with a torch (lightly) and spray the end of the barrel with an upside-down can of air duster (cold!), then crack that sumbitch. Bet it comes right off.

have you tried Kroil ... it's supposed to loosen anything

just making sure.... you do know aks are left hand thread right?

yeah mosins dont have chrome lined barrels like russian AKs so you realy need to make sure you clean them as soon as practical.

I got my muzzle brake off with a really good strap wrench and lots of muscle! It was really hard but it finally came off. I put on a bulgarian muzzle brake version.. Also the requirement of having America made parts 922 compliance only applies to firearms made in other countries. Yours was made in Las Vegas NV. So it doesn't apply to you.. You can get the bulgarian chrome lined muzzle brake with no problems..

Have you heated it with a torch?

have you tried soaking in penetrating oil or in KROIL. just a suggestion. try someone with a lathe to unscrew that badboy.

how do you get the pistol so shiny ???

I just bought a M91, with a nice and bright Finnish barrel , shot 20 rounds of the "good noncorrosive Winchester 762x54 , didn't clean it for a week and had that green crap looking into the end of the barrel, I'm in so cal, yea they wouldn't shoot my surp ammo, had to buy the winchester there for $30! had my windex with me , but figured i didn't need it, winchesters supposed to be non corrosive isn't it?

@leadslinky true but "Perfectly Maintained Rifle Functions Without Issue" wouldent make nearly as educational or intiresting video

Ok. I figure out how to get the muzzle brake off.. You will need 2 people, Strap wrench, and a metal rod that you tape up to prevent metal contact etc. One person uses the strap wrench and the other person puts the metal insulated rod in between the holes in the muzzle break. Both people at the same time turn right at the same time hard.. It will come off. It worked for me without breaking anything, however if you decide to do it then do it at your own risk..

The gas piston isnt chrome lined.

Might wanna try a can of PB also.

I would still avoid corrosive ammo. I have a SA-93. I have never fired so much as 1 round of corrosive ammo through any gun I have owned, just didn't need it. I haven't driven a model T either. Nevertheless, I clean all my guns ASAP, within 3 to 6 hours.

WHAT KIND OF AMMO WAS IT?

you can soak the tip over night in penetrating oil.

how's humidity where you live?

Use a blow touch and it will break the bond that the rust has. Do not over heat it

who you go to afghan with? I was 4-4

you just look down the barrel if it looks smooth and shiny then it isn't coroded if it is dark and uneaven looking then you might have some problems.

If that popped into my mind during deployment I would be calling everyone and their mother to get my guns and clean it lmaoooo…. Thank you for your service

..It *supposedly* neutralizes the corrosive salts that the primer is composed of. This is what I have read from all the websites regarding this subject. I cannot confirm that this is the truth or a myth but this seems the current logic.

@Whitey77318 This man just served time overseas, and all you have to say to him is "Are you on dope?" A nice "Thanks for your service" would have sufficed. If all you have to do is leave critical comments, the go elsewhere.

i know how it is. i shot corrosive through my SGL and cleaned it a week later and it took a crap load of force with a strap wrench to get that muzzle brake off

Get some kroil (Or any rust eating penetrating lube) and soak the tip in it for a few days...Take a hot gun and heat up the tip/threads. Put in vice and Place a piece of wood through the mbreak alot and tap in the right direction. (Repeat) The heat and cold, vibration and chemicals should break the mb free. If it does break free spray more kroil down threads. Work the mb by hand back and forth doing this will break more crap away without damaging threads ( just dont start cranking the thing off)...If nothing... resoak and repeat. Once off and cleaned use a a spark plug anti s lube on the threads so it dont happen again.

To get the brake off get a jug fill it up with transmission fluid and lstand the gun in it where the fluid is obver the top of the sight. Let it sit in it for 24 hours and id bet money it comes off. If that just so happens not to work soak it in sea foam deep creep

I don't shoot any corrosive ammo out of my weapons. Corrosive 7.62x39 not very much cheaper than the non corrosive stuff.

heat the break or do a couple mag dumps then try to break it loose