Corrosive Ammo Cleaning Procedures

[JDeko]

Tokarev ammo has shot up a good 50% in cost and I could save $0.06 a round buying corrosive milsurp stuff. If I just wipe my Tokarev down with Windex after is that what needs to be done? Any specific places to focus on? Places it's safe to not wipe down?

I'd prefer to no have to take the wood grips off but I'd rather have to then let one of my 3 most treasured guns rust out on me.

[Preacherboy]

Windex never hurt any of my rifles. Spray, wipe dry, then clean with regular gun oil as usual. Always worked for me

[04JRB]

Same as Preacherboy, I use Windex then clean with traditional cleaners and oil.

[Roundballer]

Just a note:

Everybody is saying Windex. Generally speaking that is a good choice. Just be aware that not all Windex products contain Ammonia. It is the Ammonia that is the key to everything. A regular ammonia glass cleaner is better than Windex that does not have ammonia.

[BMT85]

Never used Windex, always used hot soapy water. IIRC, it's the water that dissolves the corrosive salts, ammonia doesn't do much.

[Tyro]

Never used Windex, always used hot soapy water. IIRC, it's the water that dissolves the corrosive salts, ammonia doesn't do much.

As BMT85 said, it is the salts from the primers that causes the corrosion, and water is the solvent you need. I use Balistol and water for corrosive ammo; works great. Just don't wait too long after shooting to clean your gun.

[Roundballer]

Believe what ever you want to believe.

Fulminate of Mercury is formed by dissolving mercury in nitric acid. These "salts" that are left behind are an acidic derivative of the nitric acid. There is also a brownish colored residue that is insoluble in water (an oxidized form of Cinnabar), and it traps those acidic salts. Ammonia, a weak base that neutralizes those salts and helps dissolve that insoluble residue, yet won't damage the steel and finishes as a strong base like sodium hydroxide (oven cleaner) would.

[BMT85]

From what I can find, most corrosive primers since the 50’s and 60’s were potassium based. So for the Tokarev, specifically, it might depend on the year of the ammo. Potassium based primers only need water to dissolve the salts. Not ammonium. With that said, any corrosive ammo I’ve shot (not Tokarev) hasn’t been pre 1970. All I have used was hot soapy water. Soap to help cleaning, nothing to do with primers. Never had an issue.

Believe what you want.

[JDeko]

From what I can find, most corrosive primers since the 50’s and 60’s were potassium based. So for the Tokarev, specifically, it might depend on the year of the ammo. Potassium based primers only need water to dissolve the salts. Not ammonium. With that said, any corrosive ammo I’ve shot (not Tokarev) hasn’t been pre 1970. All I have used was hot soapy water. Soap to help cleaning, nothing to do with primers. Never had an issue.

Believe what you want.

These are supposedly from the 70s, old Yugo ammo for M57s [which is what my Tok is]

[Preacherboy]

Pretty sure there's water in glass cleaner.