How often should a SKS be cleaned after firing Corrosive ammunition?

after firing corrosive ammo the gun should be cleaned within 12 hours

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RE:

How often should a SKS be cleaned after firing Corrosive ammunition?

I want to get some ammunition for my SKS, but I notice pretty well all milsurp is corrosively primed. If I were going to shoot just corrosive ammo, how long should I wait to clean it? I know it can sit a day or two without being touched without any damage, but just a guide on how long I can wait so...

It is best to do it ASAP. Depending on geography if you live in more humid areas you might want to do that immediately. But if you live in a more forgiving environment like the southwest than you have a larger window. If you do do it at the range be sure it is dry. Everyone has their own methods. Whether it be windex, soapy water, special solvents or just pouring really really hot water down the bore. They all do the same thing, diluting the salts away. I use a turkey baster and really hot water personally. It's worked for me since I've used corrosive ammo. Some people say ammonia but windex is only 5% ammonia so you don't really need a lot, and a high ammonia mixture ratio can hurt the steel if left to sit. Just be sure to dry it well and oil after normal cleaning. Besides its the water that does the job to neutralize the salts. Ammonia is there to remove some copper fouling. Some people say you need to take down the entire bolt. They are incorrect. But it is a good idea to know how to take that apart and back together in the dark like I can. I have learned all you really need to clean is the bolt head and top part of the pin. Wipe a wet towel over it. Now you would have to take the bolt apart and soak it in water if you peirced a primer but if you did you would know by the hot gases hitting you in the face.

You should clean the rifle ASAP after firing corrosively primed ammo. If there is enough humidity in the air, corrosion will start very shortly. And when I say very shortly, I mean a matter of hours, not a day or two. If you don't want to clean constantly, buy Wolf or Brown Bear. They do not currently use corrosive primers, and the ammo is still quite inexpensive.

I can speak from the experience of a friend of mine. We went to the rifle range to shoot on a Satruday afternoon. He brought his SKS along and shot the corrosive primed ammo. We decided to go back the next day, Sunday, to continue shooting. He figured he would wait until Sunday night, after doing all of his shooting, to clean his SKS.

So we arrived at the range at 1 PM on a Sunday, when it opened. He pulled the SKS out of the gun case and attempted to open the action. It was fused shut. Would not budge. We both tried for a full 45 minutes. Nope. The gun had simply rusted shut.

After firing the corrosive ammo, you need to clean fieldstrip and clean the entire rifle. The SKS is a gas operated rifle (just like the AK47) and the gas tube, pistol and rod will all be contaminated by the highly corrosive substances in the priming material of the cartridges.

In summary...you need to clean all parts of the rifle within about 6 hours of shooting it.

You do not want the firing pin on a SKS to freeze up. I have never had a slam fire because I clean mine often and always make sure the firing pin floats freely.

corrosive primers are bad on the bolt face and I never use them at all. I stay in a jam as far as money goes,but had rather do without something else before I let my life`s blood go.

Like Greg said, run a patch through it before you put it away then do a thourough cleaning when you get hpome.

Keep in mind corrosive ammo produces salt, which causes the rust. Oils will not remove salts. Just ;like black powder use windex to clean the gun then lube it with Remoil

Clean it every time you shoot it and do so as soon as possible after firing corrosive ammunition. I wouldn't think there would be very much corrosive ammo in 7.62 Soviet out there anymore.

It's the primers that are generally corrosive. Clean the rifle as soon as possible. Switch to commercially produced ammunition. Corrosive primers or not, the rifle should be cleaned anyway after firing it at the range.

Two parter:

First, I agree with everyone who says "right away". I swab with Windex before leaving the range, and then do a thorough cleaning when I get home.

And MACK makes a good point about firing pins. Early SKSs had a firing pin spring that help avoid slam fires, but this was discontinued after about two or three years. Aftermarket firing pin springs are available for later SKSs, and they are a great safety feature.

As soon as a corrosive primer is fired in a firearm, corrosion of the steel starts. I would say within a couple of hours at MOST, unless you are one of those people that run around with bumpers on your car flopping in the breeze, sheet metal or plastic missing from your car, and 4 different size tires on your car.