2aHawaii
General Topics => General Discussion => Topic started by: drck1000 on May 11, 2017, 08:08:18 PM
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Starting a thread about AK ammo discussion. I'm thinking 7.62x39, but 5.45x39 as well.
Figured this discussion could use it's own thread. That and didn't want Stang's AR build thread to go too far sideways.
Anyways, the AK ammo that I currently have:
WPA Polyformance 123 gr HP
Norinco China Sports Soft Point and Lead Core (FMJ)
All are steel cased, berdan primed and boxes indicate non-corrosive. In another thread, the discussion was berdan primers can be corrosive. From what I've read (not that much) so far is that berdan primers can be corrosive, but many say that recent production ammo is fine.
I have about 200+ rounds through my Arsenal AK with a mixture of WPA Polyformance and Silver Bear. All steel cased and berdan primed. I just took a quick look and no rust on chamber, muzzle device, piston rod, etc. I did clean the gun after each shooting session. Minimum was a boresnake. I'm not saying that says to me that my ammo is fine, but just seems fine so far. I also read that some AKs seem to be more susceptible to rusting as well.
I've also read that many believe early 70's and older ammo is likely corrosive. Not sure how old the Norinco ammo that I have is since I picked it up with an AK that was in an estate sale. From my research so far, it seems like the ammo is early to mid 80s production, but not sure either way. I have about 400 rounds of a mix of lead core and soft points. I was really looking forward to testing the soft point ammo out on sections of 4x4 and see difference between that and the lead core. The owner of the gun had the ammo "preset" in an alternating pattern of soft point and lead core.
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170512/597432614f1189cc73258e4c8a2bfa2d.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170512/4c4acd731541683a20a8919c9f15a6b1.jpg)
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I only shot Win white box 7.62X39 brass cased thru my Arsenal cause I was too lazy to do a thorough cleaning in case my non-corrosive marked steel cased ammo was corrosive. I have Wolf, Tula, Brown bear and Silver bear steel cased mostly ball and some SP ammo for my stash. In reality, around the world I don't see the fighters that use AKs daily, soaking the barrel, gas tubes and other parts to get rid of corrosive salts like American gun owners. But until the SHTF and I gotta use my stash, I'll soak with Ballistol or other water based solvent to remove "perceived" corrosive prioducts, if I use some steel cased Russian ammo :geekdanc:
My AK is a backup to the backup simply cause I got more 5.56/.223 and not deep in AK mags.
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Not really super concerned about the corrosiveness of the recent production ammo that I have. That said, I do want to take care of my guns. They are tools and all my guns are shooters and want to shoot and train with them. They definitely aren't babied. But I also don't want to pick them up one day and see rust all over with pitting.
The second AK that I bought through the estate sale was meant to be a project and beater gun. As it turns out, it may have collector value, so don't want to start on modifying it just yet.
I have seen a bunch of other shooter friends AKs with light surface rust on the bolt carrier and other external exposed parts. I had assumed it was just cheap metal corroding. Never thought about corrosive ammo.
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For my Molot VEPR x39, I bought Tulammo HP at OGC when I picked up the rifle last December (yeah rapeback!). This ammo has .308" bullets. My understanding is that domestic AKs are .308 and overseas AKs are .310 bore. I bought brass cases and 900 of the Hornady Vmax .310 bullets from TooFewPews with the last of my H335. Both are accurate at 50 yards but disappointing at 100 yards. I was told to try a boattail but only have that in .308. I also have Speer .311 and Hornady .312 bullets to use. I haven't tried my RL7 or the CFEBLK powders yet.
I was having trouble with the brass hitting the dust cover causing gouges in the brass. They of course mostly flatten out when FL sizing and chamber firing. Eventually, it eats up the brass so I bought car door bumpers and glued them on to the dust cover. No more dents. The first time lasted about 150 rounds before it fell off, so we'll see how long the second try lasts.
Another problem I have is recovering my brass because they tend to go flying into the grass and I have a difficult time finding them with my red/green color blindness. I use the screens that KSC has available which mostly works as long as I use the clamp to deflect the brass down into the bench. I could buy a Caldwell brass catcher or I might try the laundry basket trick. I see a lot of people at the range who make their own.
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For my Molot VEPR x39, I bought Tulammo HP at OGC when I picked up the rifle last December (yeah rapeback!). This ammo has .308" bullets. My understanding is that domestic AKs are .308 and overseas AKs are .310 bore. I bought brass cases and 900 of the Hornady Vmax .310 bullets from TooFewPews with the last of my H335. Both are accurate at 50 yards but disappointing at 100 yards. I was told to try a boattail but only have that in .308. I also have Speer .311 and Hornady .312 bullets to use. I haven't tried my RL7 or the CFEBLK powders yet.
I was having trouble with the brass hitting the dust cover causing gouges in the brass. They of course mostly flatten out when FL sizing and chamber firing. Eventually, it eats up the brass so I bought car door bumpers and glued them on to the dust cover. No more dents. The first time lasted about 150 rounds before it fell off, so we'll see how long the second try lasts.
Another problem I have is recovering my brass because they tend to go flying into the grass and I have a difficult time finding them with my red/green color blindness. I use the screens that KSC has available which mostly works as long as I use the clamp to deflect the brass down into the bench. I could buy a Caldwell brass catcher or I might try the laundry basket trick. I see a lot of people at the range who make their own.
Have you tried a brass magnet? They were made specifically for recovering spent brass in the dirt and grass without having to bend down. :thumbsup:
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Have you tried a brass magnet? They were made specifically for recovering spent brass in the dirt and grass without having to bend down. :thumbsup:
Right... :rofl: I think you meant this.
https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/525094/caldwell-brass-retriever-with-roll-cage-separator-aluminum
The slope outside of the KSC tables is covered in steel AK cases. It's getting to be a slip hazard in some spots. I should borrow one of those rolling nail magnets that my client has and try to remove some of the spent steel cases.
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That roller thing is bleh. Good at picking up casings, but also good at picking up rocks.
I have this net. It's pricey, but works really well. You handy folks can prob make one just as good or better, but I don't have the time nor inclination.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/942827/ctk-precision-universal-brass-catcher
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That roller thing is bleh. Good at picking up casings, but also good at picking up rocks.
I have this net. It's pricey, but works really well. You handy folks can prob make one just as good or better, but I don't have the time nor inclination.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/942827/ctk-precision-universal-brass-catcher
Yeah for the price, I'll stick with the KSC nets as long as other people stop ripping the netting. I do hear they have cheap netting at Home Depot and plan to check it out someday.
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I use a laundry hamper from Wal-Mart $5 and clamp it to the table. Works great.
Back OT
I've had my arsenal for a few years and wasr for a few years
Have only used steel case ammo. Tula and silver bear.
No signs of any rust whatsoever. But I am very good about cleaning them thoroughly after every use.
I've only shot 300 through the arsenal and 200 through the wasr so that's not a lot.
I'll be testing a new ar upper in 7.62x39 soon with various ammo
Have wolf but haven't opened the case yet.
Just bought some AE brass ammo to test also
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My comments about Norinco ammo in this thread:
https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=21858.msg244109#msg244109
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not AK ammo, but...
I got some Tulammo in 45acp and 357 mag recently
the 45 acp worked well in my semiauto and in my revolver, but the 357 mag got stuck in the cylinder of my revolver every time. blazer aluminum works fine in the 357
I had to use a allen wrench to push out the spent steel casings. I could have used anything but I just had some allen wrenches handy at the time. it wasn't very hard to push out, but significantly harder than brass casings
I think the 45acp just didn't have enough pressure to expand it enough
if I waited a minute or so, then I could use the extractor to push out the casings in the revolver
I read somewhere that steel is harder to expand and takes longer to shrink vs brass. maybe the waiting a minute was enough time for it to shrink enough for me to push it out. it was still kind of stuck but I was able to push it out much easier than if I didn't wait a minute
tulammo: not good for self defense in 357 revolver if you have to reload
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Have you tried a brass magnet? They were made specifically for recovering spent brass in the dirt and grass without having to bend down. :thumbsup:
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Works great! You guys seen my video before. Pictures don't lie.
https://youtu.be/U-A2t7Knu1s
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I thought the purpose of an AK was that it can shoot all day, every day? So no worries about any rust.
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I have a thought or two regarding the Chinese ammo made by Norinco. Back in the early to mid 90's I was buying cases of Norinco 9mm ammo. Most of it was headstamped 91-93. All brass cased, boxer primed, reloadable in some cases, and non corrosive. Obviously it was fresh as it was usually headstampped only a year or so before I bought it. When I was buying it, it was cheap and delivered via UPS to my front door. It is literally some of the best commercially made ammo I have ever bought. It is as accurate as anything I was reloading at the time. And cheaper, so I bought 15,000 rounds of it. Only complaint I had at the time was that it was loaded to what feels like +P velocities. And it is not marked as such. Now that I have had it for over 20 years I have two more complaints and that is that it is starting to corrode a little bit. I only have 800 or so rounds left so I'll shoot it up long before it goes bad. And it is really not reloadable as the primer pockets are inconsistent in size ranging from to small to too large in diameter between rounds.
If anyone would like to try some just PM me and I will be happy to work out a trade with you.
I can't say that the ammo you have for your AK is as good as what I have for my 9mm but from my experience, it should be.
Never thought to get the headstamp on the Norinco ammo. From what I've read, it's supposed to be decent to good ammo. It's AK ammo. It if functions reliably and is somewhat accurate, that's great.
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changemyoil. Most AK's use older style finishes like parkerizing or bluing. Which will rust pretty bad if not cared for (especially tapco g2 triggers). And pretty much all the parts are steel. Unlike the AR where lots of parts are aluminum. So from what I have seen, AK's rust worse than AR's. Just they have looser tolerances and can function with the rust.
More modern and small shops are jumping on board making AK's with nitride finishes and KG gunkote. So those type of AK's should be able to handle rust better. Pretty much all modern AK ammo is non-corrosive, unless it specifically says corrosive on it. Still a good idea to clean it after shooting.
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I use a laundry hamper from Wal-Mart $5 and clamp it to the table. Works great.
Back OT
I've had my arsenal for a few years and wasr for a few years
Have only used steel case ammo. Tula and silver bear.
No signs of any rust whatsoever. But I am very good about cleaning them thoroughly after every use.
I've only shot 300 through the arsenal and 200 through the wasr so that's not a lot.
I'll be testing a new ar upper in 7.62x39 soon with various ammo
Have wolf but haven't opened the case yet.
Just bought some AE brass ammo to test also
What is your cleaning routine?
I also haven't shot my Arsenal much. One time I just wiped down everything with a cleaning rag, ran boresnake, and then greased up. Another time, I ran bore brushes and patches, but don't think that's something I would do often. I did clean and inspect the piston rod, but also something that I don't envision doing very often.
not AK ammo, but...
I got some Tulammo in 45acp and 357 mag recently
the 45 acp worked well in my semiauto and in my revolver, but the 357 mag got stuck in the cylinder of my revolver every time. blazer aluminum works fine in the 357
I had to use a allen wrench to push out the spent steel casings. I could have used anything but I just had some allen wrenches handy at the time. it wasn't very hard to push out, but significantly harder than brass casings
I think the 45acp just didn't have enough pressure to expand it enough
if I waited a minute or so, then I could use the extractor to push out the casings in the revolver
I read somewhere that steel is harder to expand and takes longer to shrink vs brass. maybe the waiting a minute was enough time for it to shrink enough for me to push it out. it was still kind of stuck but I was able to push it out much easier than if I didn't wait a minute
tulammo: not good for self defense in 357 revolver if you have to reload
I've shot lots of Tula steel cased 9 mm and to me, that stuff is awesome. Cheap, functioned well, etc. Maybe it would be hard on say an extractor, but I didn't notice any ill effects. And an extractor can be easily replaced.
Sucks that the .357 Mag seemed to have problems.
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I thought the purpose of an AK was that it can shoot all day, every day? So no worries about any rust.
All of my guns are shooters (as in no collectors items or wall trophies). That said, yeah, my AKs don't get nearly as much time spent on cleaning them as other guns, like ARs or Rem 700 and I bought it with the thinking that it was a low maintenance gun. However, I still want to take care of my guns and don't want to pick one up later and have it all rusted. Surface rusting is fine, but I don't want pitting and other stuff, even if it functions fine. I mean, if it functions fine, that's the main thing, but I would rather my guns be well maintained.
Yeah, I get that people want to have beater guns that they are proud of how much use and abuse they take without cleaning? While I am not a clean freak and definitely don't baby my guns, that doesn't mean that I will totally neglect them.
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All of my guns are shooters (as in no collectors items or wall trophies). That said, yeah, my AKs don't get nearly as much time spent on cleaning them as other guns, like ARs or Rem 700 and I bought it with the thinking that it was a low maintenance gun. However, I still want to take care of my guns and don't want to pick one up later and have it all rusted. Surface rusting is fine, but I don't want pitting and other stuff, even if it functions fine. I mean, if it functions fine, that's the main thing, but I would rather my guns be well maintained.
Yeah, I get that people want to have beater guns that they are proud of how much use and abuse they take without cleaning? While I am not a clean freak and definitely don't baby my guns, that doesn't mean that I will totally neglect them.
I always wanted an AK for the purpose of dooms day where cleaning is not done regularly.
Saw a story on the military channel where there was a mass grave found in Vietnam in the 60's. Bodies were buried there for at least 6 months with their weapons. A general who was there saw the AK in the grave and told his men " this is how a rifle is supposed to work". He took the mag out, shook the rifle, then reinserted the mag. The AK fired.
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I always wanted an AK for the purpose of dooms day where cleaning is not done regularly.
Saw a story on the military channel where there was a mass grave found in Vietnam in the 60's. Bodies were buried there for at least 6 months with their weapons. A general who was there saw the AK in the grave and told his men " this is how a rifle is supposed to work". He took the mag out, shook the rifle, then reinserted the mag. The AK fired.
If you don't already have one, you should get one. The market for them is awesome right now. I just with ammo prices would go down, but it's not like ammo is expensive now. Just not what it was. If it wasn't for RapBack, I would likely have another stamped Arsenal as a project gun right now.
Yeah, I got ya. My primary reason for getting an AK was to learn the platform and just become familiar and hopefully eventually proficient in it. That and ammo cost and low maintenance were also things that made me go for an AK.
I mean even with rust, unless moving parts are fused shut, I would think that the gun would function with a good amount of rust. Still not that I would want that for my personal gun, but I would think that they would tolerate quite a bit of abuse and still function reliably.
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That Norinco ammo most likely has collector value...
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170512/a94060d2ce5d1191f62d6a2f5b3d6a7e.jpg)
These steel cored rounds sell for a premium.
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Gee, maybe I should sell it for its collector value? This is what mine looks like:
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That Norinco ammo most likely has collector value...
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170512/a94060d2ce5d1191f62d6a2f5b3d6a7e.jpg)
These steel cored rounds sell for a premium.
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I'll check the headstamp. But the "profile" pic of the ammo looks like what I have, at least for the lead core ones. I recall the red ring around the boolit.
From what I read, 0.50 per round was the going rate for steel core in 2010 and range of 0.62-1.20 per round in some threads dating back to 2012. That's pretty pricey for AK ammo.
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I'll check the headstamp. But the "profile" pic of the ammo looks like what I have, at least for the lead core ones. I recall the red ring around the boolit.
From what I read, 0.50 per round was the going rate for steel core in 2010 and range of 0.62-1.20 per round in some threads dating back to 2012. That's pretty pricey for AK ammo.
There is a green ring around the primer as well.
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There is a green ring around the primer as well.
I think I recall the green ring as well.
I was really looking forward to testing out the soft points. In all my 5.56/.223 or 7.62x39 ammo, I have mostly FMJ and some HP in 7.62x39. I have some BTHP 5.56, but haven't shot that much yet and if so, only on paper. I really want to test the SP on 4x4 blocks to start. I recall that 193 will zip clean through 4x4s, but soft points, even seeming cheap stuff will dump all sorts of energy into the 4x4. I would thing that the combination of heavier 122-123 gr 7.62x39 and soft point would be pretty effective for defensive use.
That said, the more I am reading about this Norinco ammo, I am growing more interested in the lead core. I've been reading how the steel core stuff is almost revered, but a big part of that is availability and collector type value as opposed to performance. Still though, that lead core ammo seems intriguing to me.
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I think I recall the green ring as well.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I was really looking forward to testing out the soft points. In all my 5.56/.223 or 7.62x39 ammo, I have mostly FMJ and some HP in 7.62x39. I have some BTHP 5.56, but haven't shot that much yet and if so, only on paper. I really want to test the SP on 4x4 blocks to start. I recall that 193 will zip clean through 4x4s, but soft points, even seeming cheap stuff will dump all sorts of energy into the 4x4. I would thing that the combination of heavier 122-123 gr 7.62x39 and soft point would be pretty effective for defensive use.
That said, the more I am reading about this Norinco ammo, I am growing more interested in the lead core. I've been reading how the steel core stuff is almost revered, but a big part of that is availability and collector type value as opposed to performance. Still though, that lead core ammo seems intriguing to me.
I think your thoughts on the SP ammo is correct. It would make a great self defense round. Definitely much better than any handgun ammo.
Yes, Googling the Norinco ammo brings up a lot of great feedback about the ammo. If Walmart could bring some in I would buy more and not reload for 9mm. :thumbsup:
If you want some to try, just let me know. I can arrange for you to get some 9mm.
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Soft point (correction) on left. Head stamp "351 93"
Lead core on right. Head stamp "31 93"
Guess this ammo is only about 24 years old from early 90s and not 80s.
The lead core has a green ring around the boolit. I thought I saw some with red ring. Maybe it was on some of the rounds that were on these plastic panels that were like stripper clips.
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Lead core on left. Head stamp "351 93"
Lead core on right. Head stamp "31 93"
Guess this ammo is only about 24 years old from early 90s and not 80s.
The lead core has a green ring around the boolit. I thought I saw some with red ring. Maybe it was on some of the rounds that were on these plastic panels that were like stripper clips.
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I bought my 9mm over about a year period so the headstamps varied. The manufactures marks stayed the same but the date went from 91-93. The first 14k rounds were not reloadable. And the last 1k I bought says reloadable in big letters but it is almost as non reloadable as the previous rounds. At the price I was paying at the time I didn't care if I could reuse the cases. If my memory is correct I was buying 2k round for $200 delivered and 1k rounds for $125 delivered.
Let me know if the brass for the AK ammo is easily reloadable. In this day and age of picking up once fired brass at the range from those who don't reload Is so common these days it doesn't even pay to save brass that has been reloaded more than a few times.
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Forgot to post the pic.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170513/09de3a9550060fefa53db288007f2c9b.jpg)
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I bought my 9mm over about a year period so the headstamps varied. The manufactures marks stayed the same but the date went from 91-93. The first 14k rounds were not reloadable. And the last 1k I bought says reloadable in big letters but it is almost as non reloadable as the previous rounds. At the price I was paying at the time I didn't care if I could reuse the cases. If my memory is correct I was buying 2k round for $200 delivered and 1k rounds for $125 delivered.
Let me know if the brass for the AK ammo is easily reloadable. In this day and age of picking up once fired brass at the range from those who don't reload Is so common these days it doesn't even pay to save brass that has been reloaded more than a few times.
I only shoot steel cases AK ammo. Brass too pricey for me. :(
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I only shoot steel cases AK ammo. Brass too pricey for me. :(
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Really? AK brass is pricey? Probably steel case is so cheap that brass is not common?
Sometimes while at the range I will see someone shooting brass AK ammo. I guess I should have been asking to pick it up? I could sell it off or trade.
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Really? AK brass is pricey? Probably steel case is so cheap that brass is not common?
Sometimes while at the range I will see someone shooting brass AK ammo. I guess I should have been asking to pick it up? I could sell it off or trade.
From the discussion in Stang's AR build thread, I saw something like 0.50-1.00 per round. I want AK ammo in the 0.2-0.3 per round range. Cheaper than 5.56 or it loses some "value", at least in my mind as cheap ammo.
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I just picked up some AE brass 7.62x39 for $18/20 rounds
Federal lead tip was $30/20 rounds
I heard some people say that tula and wolf are the same. Is that true?
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170514/5ff1e8c63daf9f3d3b697dbd832f40c1.jpg)
Two offerings from Wolf on the left only says made in Russia, Tula in the middle and Brown Bear on the right.
Correction brown bear not silver bear.
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What is your cleaning routine?
I also haven't shot my Arsenal much. One time I just wiped down everything with a cleaning rag, ran boresnake, and then greased up. Another time, I ran bore brushes and patches, but don't think that's something I would do often. I did clean and inspect the piston rod, but also something that I don't envision doing very often.
I've shot lots of Tula steel cased 9 mm and to me, that stuff is awesome. Cheap, functioned well, etc. Maybe it would be hard on say an extractor, but I didn't notice any ill effects. And an extractor can be easily replaced.
Sucks that the .357 Mag seemed to have problems.
my AK cleaning routine isn't anything special. I clean it like any other rifle after I get home from the range, or the day after at the latest if I have to rush off to do something right after. in such case i'll soak parts in ballistol till I get to it
i'll disassemble everything down to the bolt, spring, piston rod. do the patches wet and dry and bore brush until its clean, maybe 3-6 passes or more depends how much I shoot. i'll clean the piston rod, and scrub it with a scotch brite green scrubber until its clean, wipe down the spring. clean in the gas tube. I wont disassemble it bc I can just shove some patches in there around a big bore brush and then a smaller brush to get deeper inside, and wipe it down and dry it. then i'll spray and wipe inside the receiver with some ballistol just to get dust and any powder that might get it there. I've never disassembled the bolt, just soak it and scrub it with a brush and wipe it. It just keeps working so I haven't broke it down yet. that process could take an hour if I take my time, less if I hurry up.
I don't like to take more than 2 firearms to the range at a time bc I know after I get home i'll have to clean them.
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my AK cleaning routine isn't anything special. I clean it like any other rifle after I get home from the range, or the day after at the latest if I have to rush off to do something right after. in such case i'll soak parts in ballistol till I get to it
i'll disassemble everything down to the bolt, spring, piston rod. do the patches wet and dry and bore brush until its clean, maybe 3-6 passes or more depends how much I shoot. i'll clean the piston rod, and scrub it with a scotch brite green scrubber until its clean, wipe down the spring. clean in the gas tube. I wont disassemble it bc I can just shove some patches in there around a big bore brush and then a smaller brush to get deeper inside, and wipe it down and dry it. then i'll spray and wipe inside the receiver with some ballistol just to get dust and any powder that might get it there. I've never disassembled the bolt, just soak it and scrub it with a brush and wipe it. It just keeps working so I haven't broke it down yet. that process could take an hour if I take my time, less if I hurry up.
I don't like to take more than 2 firearms to the range at a time bc I know after I get home i'll have to clean them.
Thanks. I did all sorts of research on how to clean ARs when I bought my first. Not much for AKs. Not that it would be difficult, just wondering everyone's personal preference.
For ARs, I started out cleaning thoroughly. Now, it's much quicker. Sometimes, I will spend more time to clean more thoroughly and inspect parts, but don't spend nearly as much time as I used to. Kind of like how you tend to spend more time caring for a car when it's new and then that sort of fades as you go along. At least for me.
The one time I cleaned the piston rod, I found that steel wool (made for gun maintenance) worked well. Yeah, probably not needed but in my mind, good to be able to clean and inspect every so often. Kind of like 10,000 miles checks for your car. I do the same when I clean the AR bolt and that steel wool works well. I used to clean it more thoroughly, but now, I usually just use the scraper once in a while, wipe down and good to go again.
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Two offerings from Wolf on the left only says made in Russia, Tula in the middle and Brown Bear on the right.
Correction brown bear not silver bear.
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I think the WPA stuff I have is the same as the black box of the Wolf that you have. I've seen the brown box a lot as well. I've shot some of the Silver Bear and that seemed like good stuff. I've seen Brown Bear as well.
Any particular preference? For AK ammo, I generally go on price. I have HP now, but I would be just fine with FMJ as well. I'd like to get more soft point ammo though.
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Reloading AK rounds is problematic because the rifle flings them further, especially in the grass. Plus the dust cover and extractor is particularly hard on the brass. Seems to work as long as the glue on the bumper holds up.
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Carolina Brass has range brass for sale if you are interested. I have done business with them before and they are good people.
http://www.carolinabrass.net/
$25/100
https://www.etsy.com/listing/472478276/762x39-ak-range-brass-100-pieces?ref=shop_home_active_17
$115/500
https://www.etsy.com/listing/472477764/762x39-ak-range-brass-500-pieces?ref=shop_home_active_3
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Reloading AK rounds is problematic because the rifle flings them further, especially in the grass. Plus the dust cover and extractor is particularly hard on the brass. Seems to work as long as the glue on the bumper holds up.
Don't get an H&K G3/91 or a clone of one then.
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Carolina Brass has range brass for sale if you are interested. I have done business with them before and they are good people.
http://www.carolinabrass.net/
$25/100
https://www.etsy.com/listing/472478276/762x39-ak-range-brass-100-pieces?ref=shop_home_active_17
$115/500
https://www.etsy.com/listing/472477764/762x39-ak-range-brass-500-pieces?ref=shop_home_active_3
I can make a lovely necklace. LOL
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Good informative thread!
Yeah to add on.. Most American (pre 2010) barrels for arx39 were 308. Not sure bout American ak47s. Now most manufacturers make all 310 bores at the very least. Faxon, green mountain (both ak's and arx39) and ballistic advantage makes .310 barrels. And green mountain is us made barrels. I can confirm these manufacturers make 310 bores. Ballistic Advan discontinued their arx39 barrels. Dunno why tho. Lol
Surface rust isn't really much a problem if it's taken care of quickly ish. My ak from ddi was shipped with the firing pin stuck in the prostrusion state. Had to use a wooden dowel and my small ball peen hammer to get it loose. I sent jus the bolt back and they refinished it in whatever coating. Forgot the name. It was rusted. I bought a couple new firing pins too. I was hoping they would have changed it but they didn't. The firing pin was pitted in various spots. The bolt itself where the firing pin rides look clean and shiny so I not worried but I do keep it greased up when stored. I'll clean it off when I go range. Just as easy as disassembling an ar15 bolt to me. The chamber to me looks like surface rust but I cleaned it as much as I could without using a steel wool thingy I bought from sechawaii. And use clp grease on it every month via patch on a bore brush. Just to be sure. Anyways, pitting would be the dangerous part. And pitting is derived from rust.
I also believe the Russian military or whoever in those countries don't clean as much is because they shoot a lot. I forgot where I read it but shooting it as if you were always training or in war... Minimizes the the corrosion from spreading faster. Only thing I can think of is because it's blowing the salts out ? Of course shooting more ammo adds more salt but maybe heat has something to do as well? Maybe with heat and bullets keep the salts from "settling in". Never tested it myself and mot sure how accurate that is.
Good but bad example: everyone knows driving you car .. Your engine heats up. Correct? Lol well your car will last longer if driven regularly instead of letting it sit around. Oil seals will harden if not used. But the more your car is driven the faster the seals will go as well because it gets hot then cold more often. Double edge sword scenario. Always good but always bad at same time.
Sorry for going off topic.
But thanks for the thread! I enjoyed reading it and experiences.
Oh and btw I use my range bag as a brass stopper lol. I make it so that its standing tall side up and my ak and ar brass hit the bag. Soft codura type material so it doesn't bounce as if it were hitting plastic. Been doing it since I started shooting back in 2007. Seems to work for me.
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Oh forgot to mention.. People I've read who posted rusting from corrosive ammo.. Within the past 5 years of using those ammo.. Lives in real humid places like Florida, the carolinas, Louisiana. MAC (military arms channel) on YouTube explains and demonstrates a good way to clean ak47.
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https://www.midwayusa.com/303-caliber-77mm-japanese-762x39mm-310-312/br?cid=7561
Just found this and news to me. 7.7 mm jap ammo and .303 British share same bullet diameter as ak47.
Although I may not use .312 ammo on my arx39, wouldn't mind the ak though as I've talked to Steve from ddi and he gave the go ahead with .312 ammo on his guns as they've tested it. I think arsenal is gtg with .312 bullet diameter ammo. Kind of stupid eh? Steve said GM barrels use .310 bore barrels. Faxon use 308/310 hybrid barrels but said I should use caution. BA techs are dumb . Not to be mean but they were useless to talk to. Their sales rep knew more bout the barrel I bought than the tech. Talked to 2 different techs btw. They basically said no though.
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Surface rust isn't really much a problem if it's taken care of quickly ish. My ak from ddi was shipped with the firing pin stuck in the prostrusion state. Had to use a wooden dowel and my small ball peen hammer to get it loose. I sent jus the bolt back and they refinished it in whatever coating. Forgot the name. It was rusted. I bought a couple new firing pins too. I was hoping they would have changed it but they didn't. The firing pin was pitted in various spots. The bolt itself where the firing pin rides look clean and shiny so I not worried but I do keep it greased up when stored. I'll clean it off when I go range. Just as easy as disassembling an ar15 bolt to me. The chamber to me looks like surface rust but I cleaned it as much as I could without using a steel wool thingy I bought from sechawaii. And use clp grease on it every month via patch on a bore brush. Just to be sure. Anyways, pitting would be the dangerous part. And pitting is derived from rust.
Haven't had rust problems yet with my rifles except for the 91/30. I shot three spam cans of surplus ammo through it years ago and cleaned it every time but now wonder if it has lasting effects. Ballistol usually does the trick but haven't been happy with it lately. I bought a bore squeegee so we'll see if that improves the shininess with the Ballistol. Maybe it's a seasonal thing. SEC seems to have a good supply of grease if I ever want to store the rifle for a long period of time.
Just found this and news to me. 7.7 mm jap ammo and .303 British share same bullet diameter as ak47.
Although I may not use .312 ammo on my arx39, wouldn't mind the ak though as I've talked to Steve from ddi and he gave the go ahead with .312 ammo on his guns as they've tested it. I think arsenal is gtg with .312 bullet diameter ammo. Kind of stupid eh? Steve said GM barrels use .310 bore barrels. Faxon use 308/310 hybrid barrels but said I should use caution. BA techs are dumb . Not to be mean but they were useless to talk to. Their sales rep knew more bout the barrel I bought than the tech. Talked to 2 different techs btw. They basically said no though.
That's actually a really good price for .312 bullets. I think I'll try the Speer .311 bullets I already have first.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/423174/hornady-interlock-bullets-303-caliber-and-77mm-japanese-312-diameter-150-grain-spire-point-box-of-100
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I've shot an HK G91 a bunch before. That and the FAL are super fun guns to shoot, but .308 (that's the versions that I shot) is damn pricey for shooting in a semi-auto since I would tend to go through ammo quickly. Same thing with an M14/M1. I'd love one, but I think I would go through ammo super quickly. However, now that all the steel has been taken down at Koko Head, that takes away much of the fun I had with guns like that.
Now the PTR 32 in 7.62x39 is a gun that I was also interested. The cheaper 7.62x39 ammo along with some excellent online reviews (like Mrgunsngear) had me wanting that gun for a while. I'll likely stick with AKs and mod one of the ones that I already have, but I think the PTR will continue to be on my wishlist.
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Never really considered reloading for 7.62x39, let alone brass ammo for AK due to one of my main reasons for owning an AK is cheap ammo. I am really surprised at some of the prices on brass AK ammo though, as in about the same or even more than the FGMM that I have for my 700.
Was talking about that berdan primers and corrosive concerns with one of my shooting friends who is a long time AK guy and he said that he believes most of the ammo that he's shot has been berdan primer ammo. He's shot thousands upon thousands of rounds of 7.62x39 and his guns hasn't shown signs of corrosion, but he also cleans his guns regularly. He also mentioned that most of his guns are chrome lined barrels. My Arsenal SLR-101 has a chrome lined barrel and I believe my Kassnar FEG has a chrome lined barrel as well.
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Never really considered reloading for 7.62x39, let alone brass ammo for AK due to one of my main reasons for owning an AK is cheap ammo. I am really surprised at some of the prices on brass AK ammo though, as in about the same or even more than the FGMM that I have for my 700.
Was talking about that berdan primers and corrosive concerns with one of my shooting friends who is a long time AK guy and he said that he believes most of the ammo that he's shot has been berdan primer ammo. He's shot thousands upon thousands of rounds of 7.62x39 and his guns hasn't shown signs of corrosion, but he also cleans his guns regularly. He also mentioned that most of his guns are chrome lined barrels. My Arsenal SLR-101 has a chrome lined barrel and I believe my Kassnar FEG has a chrome lined barrel as well.
I bought 1,000 rounds of Tulammo non-corrosive for $310 at OGC. It's about $240 on the mainland. I then bought 40 rounds of American Eagle and 50 brass cases for reloading. I have to reload to feed my addiction. I have 800 of the Hornady .310 bullets and I'm looking forward to trying the CFEBLK powder.