5.45 Ammo Question

[martilyo 1]

I too am a Saiga 5.45 owner, Haven't fired it yet but this weekend it will be broken in.

My question has to do with ammo. I bought 600 rounds of military ammo real cheap, and later learned it's corrosive.

I read that I should soak the gun with Windex after shooting until I can get home and clean it.

Any input from you guys?

 

P.S. Thanks to the moderators for giving us 5.45ers a spot to talk!!

Edited August 29, 2009 by Martilyo

[nalioth 405]

*SIGH*

 

I do wish the windex myth would die.

 

Windex is a convenient source of H2O when you're at the range. There is nothing in windex the makes it a 'magic gun cleaner'. It's just a convenient source of water.

 

Black powder shooters (black powder is far more corrosive than modern corrosive ammo) squirt a few squirts down their barrels after a session and go home and give their guns a good cleaning.

 

You can achieve the same effect with a cheap spray bottle from wal-mart filled with tap water.

Edited August 29, 2009 by nalioth

[martilyo 1]

Thanks for the info. I have never purchased corrosive ammo before and I didn't want to let it collect dust. A squirt water bottle coming up!

[Krom 36]

[nalioth 405]

[U.S. Pratorean 1,234]

The whole issue with "corrosive" ammo is the salt compounds laid down as a result of primer detonation. There is no magic acid that is released. The corrosive primers are much more reliable especially in cold or subzero temps, hence their utilization. As stated, it is the hygroscopic properties of the compound that will cause rust. In other word WATER and oxygen causes rust on steel, SALTwater even more so. Oxygen itself is an extreme corrosive to carbon steel. Blueing on a gun is a CORROSIVE oxidizing process that protects the metal. Leave your finely blued Weatherby rifle outside over night, there will be a fine film of rust on it in the morning. The blueing attracts H2O. Nitrates, as in fertilizer do the same thing. Ever see your lawn fertilizer clump up after it sits around the garage? Ambient H2O is the cause. The remedy was to CHROME line the chambers and barrels to resist this corrosion. Which works very well. This is why all or most all Ak's have chrome lined chambers and barrels as well as flash hiders and gas blocks ( bulgys and other warsaw pact variants.) As H2O is attracted to the salts it will also easily remove them. All is needed is hot soapy dish detergent water or Ballistol spray. That is it. anything else is wasting your time. Finally, ammonia compounds react very negatively with the chromium compounds. Squirt that down your barrel and it will do worse damage than the corrosive primers will ever do.

Edited August 29, 2009 by U.S Praetorian

[Krom 36]

A+ explaination U.S. Paetorian. Thanks for clearing that up!

[Moe Zambeak 53]

Thanks for the very knowledgeable explanation U.S. Praetorian! That was very informative!

[Garys4598 1,065]

. . . As H2O is attracted to the salts it will also easily remove them. All is needed is hot soapy dish detergent water or Ballistol spray. That is it. anything else is wasting your time. Finally, ammonia compounds react very negatively with the chromium compounds. Squirt that down your barrel and it will do worse damage than the corrosive primers will ever do.

QUESTION: Since Ballistol liquid can be diluted with water (and since I just moments ago ordered four 16oz cans of this stuff for use with my new IZ-240)... would it be wiser or best to partially dilute Ballistol with distilled water versus tap water???

 

My guess would be one of the two types of H2O would be more ideal than the other. I'd really like to know.

 

Thanks ahead of time!

 

~Gary

[U.S. Pratorean 1,234]

. . . As H2O is attracted to the salts it will also easily remove them. All is needed is hot soapy dish detergent water or Ballistol spray. That is it. anything else is wasting your time. Finally, ammonia compounds react very negatively with the chromium compounds. Squirt that down your barrel and it will do worse damage than the corrosive primers will ever do.

QUESTION: Since Ballistol liquid can be diluted with water (and since I just moments ago ordered four 16oz cans of this stuff for use with my new IZ-240)... would it be wiser or best to partially dilute Ballistol with distilled water versus tap water???

 

My guess would be one of the two types of H2O would be more ideal than the other. I'd really like to know.

 

Thanks ahead of time!

 

~Gary

That I do not know. Distilled water is de-ionized water in other words the osmotic dissolved elements, calcium, sodium, etc have been removed. It will not conduct eletricity. It probably is inconsquential. Most, I think just use it undiluted. See the manufacturer's recommendations.

Edited August 30, 2009 by U.S Praetorian

[2336 0]

Just my two cents worth guys. If I'm shooting corrosive ammo, I get home, start boiling a pot of water and start stripping down the rifle. Once the water is boiling I take the pot and the rifle outside, pour hot water through the chamber out the muzzle and then the gas block then through the chamber again. Swing the rifle around a bit to sling out excess water then let it sit a few minutes allowing excess water to dry, then I clean as normal!

Edited September 7, 2009 by 2336

[TX-Zen 287]

I clean with CLP for the majority of the rifle, Hoppes #9 in the bore and rinse with the garden hose, relube with CLP and put away. I rarely clean the same day I get back from the range and it's not uncommon to go a few days or weeks without cleaning.

 

My SLR105 is 4 years old and 2200+ rounds, there are no signs of corrosive damage that I can see other than the usual rust in the brake. My Krink and SGL31 both get rust under the threads of the 4 piece booster and 74 brake even before I get home from the range but that's easy to clean using the same method. I gave up on Windex and other methods a long time ago after the boogyman effect wore off. Ballistol is a good product in my experience because it cleans and lubricates plus is mostly water which helps with the salts. I'm US Army trained on CLP and will probably never be able to switch away from it completely, probably because the smell brings back such fond memories.

 

 

Don't ignore the importance of flushing with water but don't buy the hype that corrosive is some kind of acidic monster that will melt your rifle as soon as you turn your back.

 

 

 

 

Z

Edited September 7, 2009 by TX-Zen

[martilyo 1]

Thanks for the inputs. I went to the range yesterday, shot the 'corrosive" ammo ($150 for 1,080 rounds I couldn't pass it up!) came home and rinsed the 545 with soapy water a few times, then cleaned as usual. So far so good!

[ironhead7544 35]

The black powder cleaners work fine for me. Clean up with the BP cleaner first and then coat with CLP. WD 40 will keep the brake from rusting until you can get it home.

[madmax4x4 68]

Hot water to get the salts off... Windex is low in ammonia and some windex has none.

 

Good sites for tips

http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews/copperout/index.asp

 

http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2006/al...esalt/index.asp