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yet another rust question (YARQ)


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I've got a YARQ. I put a few rounds though my 5.45 this past Saturday afternoon. I didn't get to clean it until maybe two or three hours after shooting. I didn't think it would be a big deal since I live in the desert. However, when I removed the gas tube, I noticed a fine red powder sitting on top of the paint. I had to laugh a little because I had recently had a conversation with a buddy about corrosive primers. I told him I wasn't too worried because of where I lived, low humidity, etc, etc. Well the stuff dang near just fell out of the tube but I went a head and rinsed it with some water and dried it. Then cleaned/lubed as usual. The inside of the gas tube still looked black (with paint, not with carbon) and no pitting or anything. Was that just a lot of surface rust on top of the paint (seems strange to me) or something else?

 

There wasn't any other signs of rust anywhere else. I shined my flashlight on all surfaces and down the barrel. Looked shiny and new. I probably didn't clean it good enough two weeks ago when I put several hundred rounds through it. It took me FOREVER to change the gas piston's color from flat black back to shiny metal (even after it soaked in solvent) biggrin.png

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If you are shooting ammo with red sealer, that is what you are seeing. The gas system does NOT need to be shiny! Leave the piston black, you will do more damage getting it shiny, just clean off the crud.

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If you are shooting ammo with red sealer, that is what you are seeing. The gas system does NOT need to be shiny! Leave the piston black, you will do more damage getting it shiny, just clean off the crud.

Man! That must be it. Yeah this is the ammo with the red sealer. Thanks for the tip on leaving the piston black.

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If you are shooting ammo with red sealer, that is what you are seeing. The gas system does NOT need to be shiny! Leave the piston black, you will do more damage getting it shiny, just clean off the crud.

Man! That must be it. Yeah this is the ammo with the red sealer. Thanks for the tip on leaving the piston black.

 

I wipe the piston off with a paper towel, but that doesn't usually get it completely shiny (which I'm not worried about). I don't do anything else to it.

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If you are shooting ammo with red sealer, that is what you are seeing. The gas system does NOT need to be shiny! Leave the piston black, you will do more damage getting it shiny, just clean off the crud.

Man! That must be it. Yeah this is the ammo with the red sealer. Thanks for the tip on leaving the piston black.

 

I wipe the piston off with a paper towel, but that doesn't usually get it completely shiny (which I'm not worried about). I don't do anything else to it.

 

You just get the loose unburnt powder/carbon deposits and call it good? I wasn't taking a brush to the piston or anything. I just got the piston and piston arm doused with solvent and let it sit, then I wiped it. The top of the piston was still dark but the arm was shiny since the powder came off easier.

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If you are shooting ammo with red sealer, that is what you are seeing. The gas system does NOT need to be shiny! Leave the piston black, you will do more damage getting it shiny, just clean off the crud.

Man! That must be it. Yeah this is the ammo with the red sealer. Thanks for the tip on leaving the piston black.

 

I wipe the piston off with a paper towel, but that doesn't usually get it completely shiny (which I'm not worried about). I don't do anything else to it.

 

You just get the loose unburnt powder/carbon deposits and call it good?

Yep. The longer I shoot corrosive the more I simplify my cleaning system. My aim is to do the minimum necessary to avoid rust.

 

I wasn't taking a brush to the piston or anything. I just got the piston and piston arm doused with solvent and let it sit, then I wiped it. The top of the piston was still dark but the arm was shiny since the powder came off easier.

There's nothing wrong with this. I do give the rifle a more intensive cleaning every so often, but I also don't see any need to use a brush on the piston.

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