[ammolab]

You may have hit the nail on the head there. Immediate cleaning!
I always do a few patches at the range before I leave, take the rifle home with a "wet bore"
then finish cleaning at home.
Apart from anything else the "pumping from a bucket" won't work with many milsurps as they have wood to the muzzle!

View attachment 3817288

“Many Milsurps”? A whole world of nations who adopted something other than a #1 Lee Enfield makes that more like a “few milsurps”..😉

 

[Bob_The_Student]

I appreciate all the info and responses. I was just curious what maybe the "red line" is for time. I have a fluid situations with work and can be called in and wondered if I was out shooting and had to get into work what the damage would be if the gun sat for 12-16 hours. I have no intentions of leaving a gun sit when their is no good reason to clean it out/up.

 

[plonker]

I would at least wet patch out a few passes, dry patch a few more then oil no matter what.
More thorough can come later but I would never "just leave it overnight"

 

[bitrclngr]

Another tip. Some surplus ammo has leaky primers. 7.62x54r is notorious for this. Make sure you remove the salts from the bolt face if your ammo leaves a ring. I use water and a nylon brush. I apply clp after drying and have never had a problem.

 

[Ronbo6]

The speed with which corrosion will show up depends strongly on the humidity.

I had come home from the range on a 'cool-ish' (40's?) day several years ago and I was immediately called to work for an emergency that did not allow me to get home again for over 48 hours. I was unable to do anything to my rifles (which I HAD put corrosive ammunition through) before I reported to work, and this bothered me significantly while I was working.

Anyhow, I had put my rifles in my basement (with a working dehumidifier) which usually holds temperatures between 60 degrees (Winter) and 70 degrees (Summer) and the increased temperature in the basement along with the dehumidifier (which I cranked up) held the humidity in my basement to a low enough level that corrosion hadn't yet started by the time I got to them. I got lucky.

Before I retired, I was put in charge of 'laying up' a bunch of large, expensive equipment (boilers, turbines,generators, pumps, that sort of thing) that they did not intend to use for several years. In my research, I came across how the Navy lays up their inactive equipment. In the case of inactive ships, they seal up the external openings on the ship (leaving the passageway doors open inside) and arrange to circulate dehumidified air throughout the ship using large dehumidifiication equipment that they set up on the deck. According to the manufacturer, if you can keep the humidity below 50%, you will have no corrosion issues.

The circulating air dehumidifiers that the Navy uses can keep the atmosphere inside the ships to well under 25%, no matter what the weather.

 

[Bob_The_Student]

Another tip. Some surplus ammo has leaky primers. 7.62x54r is notorious for this. Make sure you remove the salts from the bolt face if your ammo leaves a ring. I use water and a nylon brush. I apply clp after drying and have never had a problem.

What are the known "leaky primer" culprits? If other calibers are known for leaky primers feel free to list.

 

[ole fred]

Even easier with most bolt actions: Heat 2” of water in a pan, add some dish soap. Put the muzzle in the water and from the breach use a patch on a cleaning rod to PUMP water up and out the bore several times. This wets the ENTIRE bore which pouring from the breach end may not. This heats the barrel so a new patch will dry it and you are ready to clean with a modern solvent.
You can start with dunking a bronze into the water pan if you wish.

Amen to this.

 

[plonker]

Would you believe .303 British?

 

[plonker]

In a pan yes I can see that. A bucket full not so much so, even with rifles having a bit of exposed barrel.

 

[bitrclngr]

What are the known "leaky primer" culprits? If other calibers are known for leaky primers feel free to list.

Off the top of my head .
50s Bulgarian 7.62x54R
1950s Yugo 8mm .
There are a few more I can't recall at this time.

 

[Super B]

I use brown USGI bore cleaner at the range with several wet patches, then patch, scrub, dry and oil at home. I try to clean the second day too. I was lucky and scored a whole crate of the brown bore cleaner, a lifetime supply.

 

[DocAV]

The following Cartridges show signs of Primer leakage: 7,62x54R Russian, Bulgarian, Chinese, ( all Brass cased); 8x56R Bulgarian Brass;
Some 6,5 Italian; 8mm Lebel ( some)
.303 British ( .250" Primer);
Others only occasionally, depending on age, climatic condition when fired ( pressure-related).
As a general rule, all corrosive ammo use should be followed by the warm water flush, and then swab out and lightly oil. Followed by thorough clean ( with ammonia base for metal fouling) and final pile
That includes Barrel Receiver Bolt, Gas system if present Magazine...ie, a full clean ( one hour at least!)...that way one can pick up any actual or potential problems...only do completely ALONE...
Lock out Wife, kids, girlfriends, etc. Only Dog and Classical Music....
It is both instructive and stress -relieving....
Doc AV
PS, don't forget to wash corrosive brass in Washing Soda and water...removes any corrosion salts and other residue...I reloadboth Boxer and Berdan...no stains on washed brass ( US Army instruction on once fired 30 cal and 45 cal up to 1920s ( ARegs)
Not only do the corrosive salts affect steel, but also brass.

Doc AV

 

[SAWMan]

The following Cartridges show signs of Primer leakage: 7,62x54R Russian, Bulgarian, Chinese, ( all Brass cased); 8x56R Bulgarian Brass;
Some 6,5 Italian; 8mm Lebel ( some)
.303 British ( .250" Primer);
Others only occasionally, depending on age, climatic condition when fired ( pressure-related).
As a general rule, all corrosive ammo use should be followed by the warm water flush, and then swab out and lightly oil. Followed by thorough clean ( with ammonia base for metal fouling) and final pile
That includes Barrel Receiver Bolt, Gas system if present Magazine...ie, a full clean ( one hour at least!)...that way one can pick up any actual or potential problems...only do completely ALONE...
Lock out Wife, kids, girlfriends, etc. Only Dog and Classical Music....
It is both instructive and stress -relieving....
Doc AV
PS, don't forget to wash corrosive brass in Washing Soda and water...removes any corrosion salts and other residue...I reloadboth Boxer and Berdan...no stains on washed brass ( US Army instruction on once fired 30 cal and 45 cal up to 1920s ( ARegs)
Not only do the corrosive salts affect steel, but also brass.

Doc AV

The following Cartridges show signs of Primer leakage: 7,62x54R Russian, Bulgarian, Chinese, ( all Brass cased); 8x56R Bulgarian Brass;
Some 6,5 Italian; 8mm Lebel ( some)
.303 British ( .250" Primer);
Others only occasionally, depending on age, climatic condition when fired ( pressure-related).
As a general rule, all corrosive ammo use should be followed by the warm water flush, and then swab out and lightly oil. Followed by thorough clean ( with ammonia base for metal fouling) and final pile
That includes Barrel Receiver Bolt, Gas system if present Magazine...ie, a full clean ( one hour at least!)...that way one can pick up any actual or potential problems...only do completely ALONE...
Lock out Wife, kids, girlfriends, etc. Only Dog and Classical Music....
It is both instructive and stress -relieving....
Doc AV
PS, don't forget to wash corrosive brass in Washing Soda and water...removes any corrosion salts and other residue...I reloadboth Boxer and Berdan...no stains on washed brass ( US Army instruction on once fired 30 cal and 45 cal up to 1920s ( ARegs)
Not only do the corrosive salts affect steel, but also brass.

Doc AV

My Father was in the US Army and later Army Air Force. When he joined the US Army and was in Basic Training in 1939 he was told to take his service rifle (1903 Springfield) to the showers with him when he took a shower. DI said to him "When you take a shower, your rifle takes a shower." It was then to be bore brushed,dried off, and oiled. Worked for them.

SAWMan