JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Messages
136
Reactions
123
I am fairly new to the AK platform, have only been using them for about a year. I was shooting inside so I was forced to use brass cased arsenal ammo in the past. I'm now shooting outdoors and have been shooting a mixture of different steel cased ammo. On my last trip I was shooting a lot of wolf polyformance ammo. When cleaning right after shooting I noticed a lot of the patches were coming up brown colored after I got rid of all of the black carbon. I have no experience with rust on any of my firearms so I'm not sure what I was looking at. There was absolutely no visible surface rust on any parts of the gun, but the patches were coming up really brown. Is this just due to the ammo being dirty, or is this rust on my gun from shooting this kind of ammo? like I said absolutely no visible surface rust, just brown cleaning patches. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I should have thought to take some. Next time I go I'll be sure to take some. I'm fairly OCD and want to care for my guns properly. I've been using ballistol to clean post shooting. Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to put my worries to rest.
 
Sounds like it might be the lacquer on the steel case of the ammo.
Or the brown may be copper fouling* ... in that case a cleaner that removes copper could be in order.
Just two guesses while the coffee kicks in....
Andy
*I know copper fouling is mostly green.
 
Thanks for the input. unfortunately the ammo isn't lacquered so that rules that out... and this was definitely a brown brown, definitely not any green tint to it whatsoever. If anything I would say reddish brown, but really just brown. I should have taken a picture :-/
 
I dug through the trash and was able to find one of the patches if this helps

IMG_0883.JPG IMG_0887.JPG
 
What! You clean your AK? But, But it's an AK they never need cleaning!


Just kidding.


Unless you got some real old Wolf ammo they stopped using lacquer on their ammo some time ago and now use a Teflon type coating on the cases but the copper jacket is not of US quality and I would guess it is that and the power being used. In fact I am not even sure on some of the ammo that they use copper but more of a copper washed tin coating and that is the reason for the discoloration.

I have shoot a lot of wolf through my AK and I get the same stuff so it is normal, maybe not right but normal.

Do you know if you have a chrome lined barrel because if you do I do not recommend using a strong ammonia based copper cleaner as it can harm or weaken the chrome from what I understand just clean with regular cleaner. I use CLP on everything.

Hope this helps.
 
What! You clean your AK? But, But it's an AK they never need cleaning!


Just kidding.


Unless you got some real old Wolf ammo they stopped using lacquer on their ammo some time ago and now use a Teflon type coating on the cases but the copper jacket is not of US quality and I would guess it is that and the power being used. In fact I am not even sure on some of the ammo that they use copper but more of a copper washed tin coating and that is the reason for the discoloration.

I have shoot a lot of wolf through my AK and I get the same stuff so it is normal, maybe not right but normal.

Do you know if you have a chrome lined barrel because if you do I do not recommend using a strong ammonia based copper cleaner as it can harm or weaken the chrome from what I understand just clean with regular cleaner. I use CLP on everything.

Hope this helps.

It is chrome lined. I just use ballistol to clean my AK's and slip2000 ewl to lubricate. Awesome, thank you for the input. You've put my worries to rest. Wolf actually does have some new production lacquer coated and sealed ammo actually, its in a green box but it's not widely available. Sgammo carries it, but I haven't tried it yet. I've been burning through my wolf polyformance and military classic reserves
 
It is a newer US made AK or one of the COM block ones. If that came from the trigger group it is most likely packing grease they use for shipping and you will get it for several more cleanings before it totally goes away.
 
I have used modern steel cased ammo labeled non-corrosive.
But it still was. It may have been just the primers. But it was rusting my Mini-14 barrel hours after shooting.

Some soap and water removes the salts. Then dry and oil.
So give it a good bubble bath and see if it still bleeds brown. ;)

Now my AR's and AK's have chrome barrels. So there less prone to corrosion. But they still need a good soapy bath to protect all the non-chrome parts after shooting corrosive ammo.
 
I am fairly new to the AK platform, have only been using them for about a year. I was shooting inside so I was forced to use brass cased arsenal ammo in the past. I'm now shooting outdoors and have been shooting a mixture of different steel cased ammo. On my last trip I was shooting a lot of wolf polyformance ammo. When cleaning right after shooting I noticed a lot of the patches were coming up brown colored after I got rid of all of the black carbon. I have no experience with rust on any of my firearms so I'm not sure what I was looking at. There was absolutely no visible surface rust on any parts of the gun, but the patches were coming up really brown. Is this just due to the ammo being dirty, or is this rust on my gun from shooting this kind of ammo? like I said absolutely no visible surface rust, just brown cleaning patches. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I should have thought to take some. Next time I go I'll be sure to take some. I'm fairly OCD and want to care for my guns properly. I've been using ballistol to clean post shooting. Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to put my worries to rest.

Clean it till it's not coming out colored.

Run a couple dry patches down to verify no color and to dry your cleaner.

Run a well oiled patch down it and get it nice and wet.

Run a dry patch down it before you shoot it.

That's what I would do.
 
Clean it till it's not coming out colored.

Run a couple dry patches down to verify no color and to dry your cleaner.

Run a well oiled patch down it and get it nice and wet.

Run a dry patch down it before you shoot it.

That's what I would do.

Ah! But the problem with salt is it's water soluble.

Putting oil over it just leaves it there to do it's nasty work.
You need to wash it out first with soap and warm water.

Then dry and lube it up. ;)
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top