A reader has graciously furnished us with a great tip for those of you out there who are using old military surplus rifles that use corrosive ammo. Here's his tip!
gott_cha said...
PS probably preaching to the choir here with this tidbit, but hey...
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If they shoot old military rifles, make sure to have on hand a bottle of "Windex" or ammonia-water spray cleaner to squirt down the barrel after the last shot. The ammonia neutralizes the corrosive acids in old military surplus corrosive ammo. And it makes the final clean up much easier and quicker.
And for inquiring minds,...yes in a pinch you can pee down the barrel for the same effect.
During the Second World War as the battle of the Argonne forest dragged on and on,..resupply was hard to come by...the British troops would pee down the barrels of their Enfield rifles and follow up with scalding water to clean them. Most Enfield rifles today are in very good shape as far as rust pitting goes,...far cry from the Soviet troops who only cleaned with Diesel fuel and lubed with light machine oil,...no ammonia to clean with.....they didn’t think ahead I guess.
I learned that trick a few years ago when I had a C&R license and started collecting ”Old" rifles.
Thanks gott cha!
Staying above the water line!
Riverwalker
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Ahhhhh.... Good stuff for my Mosin! Hopefully I'll get to try it out this weekend.
To: mayberry
I was thinking the same thing after reading about you going out on a limb and getting the Mosin. I haven't decided on one for myself as yet. So many guns - so little money.
RW
I heard of this tip right after getting my Mosin M44 in late July, and have used it after each of my three range trips with the Mosin since. First thing after I'm done shooting, I run a couple of windex soaked patches thru the bore several times each, wipe down the chamber area, upper mag area and bolt face, then proceed with the regular gun cleaning steps. Those patches pick up a lot of crap, more so than the Gunzilla I follow them with.
I'm definitely sold.
To: scott
gott_cha is a personal friend and is always up to speed on the best tips and tricks out there. He doesn't miss much and apparently neither do you. Thanks for the vote of confidence for this tip.
Riverwalker
Riverwalker,..you are too kind my friend.
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Ive tried this before,.....went to the range with several guns..7 or 8!
After shooting my Enfields and Mosins for the last time of the day,...I will take used ear plugs and stop up the breach end,..then squirt the windex in,....shake it around then plug the muzzle with an ear plug or cork . Reason is,..when you have to clean that many guns some of them have to sit for a while. Its usually well after dark when we gt back and the cleaning chore can take many hours if done correctly. The Plugged barrels can and will wait until the next day to be cleaned by doing this.
Mayberry,...you better show us some pics of it when you get it hoss! Might send ya a cpl of mine also.
To: gott_cha
It's great to have friends with experience in different areas.
If I knew everything I'd run for office!
RW
The ammonia doesn't do anything to the salt, actually. It will take care of copper fouling quite well, but it's the water that deals with the salts: It absorbs the salts and flushes them away if enough is used.
With the use of older military rifles, we should be wary on its conditions, even right after firing a round, which is why it is essential to know about the capabilities and what are the safety precautions we must follow to prolong its lifespan.
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