Ive noticed that when buying bulk military ammo alot of says corrosive. What does this mean?

Question

Is the powder literally corrosive to metals? And does cleaning need to be taken more seriously when firing these rounds?

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

What this means is that the priming compound in the primer is corrosive. If you clean your rifle or pistol thoroughly after each firing session you can expect no damage to occur to your firearm from the corrosive compound. If you use military bore cleaner or hot soapy water to clean the bore of your firearm then dry and oil the barrel you should have no problems with corrosion.

Good luck.

Answer 2

The primers are actually what are corrosive.

The chemicals in old primers included nasties like mercuric acid, and other corrosive chemicals.

When fired, residue from the primer enters the barrel and if its a gas-op semi, the gas system. Over time, without maintenance, the chemicals in mercuric/corrosive primers will begin to corrode and pit the metal parts.

If you want to preserve the life and condition of your firearm, you should clean it after firing corrosive ammunition. Hot soapy water or ammonia will remove the residue from the barrel - if you have a gas-operated semi (SKS, M1 Garand, etc.) you should take apart the gas system and clean all those parts with soapy water or ammonia as well. Make sure you dry everything well before regular cleaning, oiling, and re-assembly.

If you can avoid corrosive ammo, it would be a good idea to do so.

Answer 3

There's no such thing as corrosive brass. It is in fact the primer that is corrosive and the gun needs to be cleaned very well after each use or the barrel will develop pits in it, much like rust pits. If you're shooting a pistol that can be taken down, then take the barrel out and wash it with soapy water, then dry throughly. Wash every other part that comes in contact with the gunpowder as well. It does need to be cleaned more seriously than it would with new ammunition.

Answer 4

It's the primers used in the ammo that is corrosive. It doesn't mean that your barrel will wind up full of holes if you don't clean the weapon immediately after use. If you live in a moist climate you do need to clean the gun, and oil it, more frequently than I have to here in Wyoming. If you feed your gun a steady diet of corrosive ammo you will have to clean it more often.

By the way, There is no such thing as "corrosive brass".

Answer 5

The primers in those rounds contain mercury. Most of them are also berdan-primed, which is trouble for a reloader (reloaders use boxer-primed shell casings). "Non-corrosive" and "non-mecuric priming" are two ways of stating that shells do not have corrosive priming. The last US corrosive ammuntion was used in the Korean War and maybe some years after. If you use corrosive ammuntion, you are supposed to clean the breech-face and barrel with hot soap and water before using anyhting else. During WW II, for example, soldiers armed with 1911 pistols had a soft bore brush (Springfield Armory used to include the genuine article with their models back in the 80s and 90s) and powdered soap to clean their gun. I would not bother with corrosive if you can avoid it.

Answer 6

The primers are corrosive on much old military ammo. If you use such shells, clean the bore of your gun out thouroughly with soapy water after a shooting session as one does with black powder. The usual cleaning is insufficient. I used some years ago. It was cheap enough to be worth extra trouble in cleaning.

Answer 7

Yes. Usually the primer is corrosive, not the powder. You will find this in military ammo from places like Russia or China. We all know that you should clean all your guns right after shooting but with comercial ammo made in the USA letting your gun sit a few days won;t hurt. When I shoot my sks with russian ammo I always clean the same day.

Answer 8

It means that the primer will leave corrosive residue in your gun when fired. Which means you should clean your gun immediately (or as soon as reasonably possible) after using to avoid damage.

If possible, avoid using corrosive ammo. Mercuric compounds used in the primer are also toxic which means you shouldn't use it in an indoor range either. The berdan primers used with corrosive ammo make the brass useless for reloading.

Get something a little friendlier to your guns, you and the environment.

H

Answer 9

If you clean the barrel thoroughly right after use, it should be OK. I've heard that pouring HOT water and ammonia mix down the barrel washes a lot of the corrosive salts out but a good cleaning is still needed. Don't put silicone spray on the metal. It looks good for a short while but promotes rust. Hoppes No. 9 solvent does a good job.

Answer 10

Go Clean your Gun now if you've been shooting this ammo and just putting the gun up. Yes it will damage your bore and barrell if you leave it. Esp if you shoot it a good bit and then just put it up and leave it for a period of time. It will help if shoot some non corrosive ammo behind the corrosive.