Letter Re: Perpetuation of Corrosive Ammo Cleaning Mythology

Jim,
Please stop the perpetuation of dangerous [(to equipment)] mythology regarding cleaning firearms after shooting corrosive ammo. It’s not magic. Not understanding how to clean your guns or why can seriously and dangerously corrode guns in a matter of hours.

The text from Mike’s letter to SurvivalBlog is italicized:
Cleaning after corrosive ammo. It depends on how much moisture the gun is exposed to how quickly it needs cleaned. In my safes with “Golden Rod” heaters I have no trouble for one to two weeks. Sitting in the garage in Ohio’s notorious humidity, a few days seems the maximum. Of course, chrome lined barrels are far less of a problem.

No serious problems so far. Gun corrosion rates are directly related to ambient humidity.

If it may be a while before I can get my guns cleaned, I douse them in WD-40 (I buy it by the gallon can – cheaper).

Cleaning corrosive residues from guns necessitates that the gun owner realizes that the corrosive residues are salts, most notably potassium chloride. Salts are ionic solids, and only dissolve in water. Just try dissolving a teaspoon of table salt (sodium chloride) in a glass of 100% alcohol or gasoline to see what I mean. (Granted, there are specialized organic solvents that will dissolve salts, but we’re talking about gun owners, not laboratory chemists.) “Dousing” guns in WD-40 doesn’t seem like it would do a whole lot. Rinsing them out with hot water definitely will.

To clean, I use one of several different methods. Hot soapy water is probably best. Immerse the muzzle in a bucket of it and brush in such a way as to really wash it out. If the water is hot enough, the gun will flash dry on it’s own.

I simply pour hot, nearly boiling water from my coffee maker carafe into the chamber and let it run out the muzzle. A quick brushing with a little soap removes the bulk of the powder fouling which may prevent occluded salt from being rinsed away the first time.

Apply oil to all parts exposed to the water as it removes all of the oil residue and rust is a certainty! I prefer LSA (available from Sarco, $6.95 per quart) or CLP (which I pick up at Knob Creek for about $10 per quart). If the hot soapy water is a problem I use Hoppe’s Copper Solvent which contains ammonia, followed by Hoppe’s #9 [bore cleaning solution], then oil. The ammonia helps rinse away the corrosive salts, not to mention removes some copper fouling.

I would recommend using a volatile, water-displacing solvent such as alcohol or acetone to remove traces of water, followed by a non-volatile gun cleaner – and then storing the gun horizontally, or at least muzzle-down until proper gun cleaning can be performed. In any event, store the gun in as dry an environment as possible.[JWR Adds: If using acetone, be very careful not to let it contact your skin. Wear disposable exam gloves, and work only in a well-ventilated area!]

There is a myth that ammonia somehow “breaks up” or “breaks down” the salts that are responsible for corrosion. This is a complete falsehood. It’s the water that the ammonia is dissolved in that dissolves and rinses away the salt.

There is an excellent discussion of the probable origin of these myths in Hatcher’s Notebook, by Julian S. Hatcher, on pages 334-360. It is a very scientific study and explanation of why guns corrode, and how to clean guns so they don’t.

Most important, IMHO, is to inspect the gun every couple of days after cleaning and again a week or two later to make sure that you did not miss some odd spot and rust is developing. While I admit cleaning a PKM, Goryunov or AK gas system after corrosive ammo is a bit of a pain, the [low] price of the ammo certainly justifies it. Remember, when these guns were new and being used by the military, corrosive was the only kind of ammo available! A note on Hoppe’s #9 – the older formula contained Benzene which worked very well at removing corrosive residue. Trouble is, the stuff is hazardous so it is not in the current formula. Hoppes still will clean a gun of corrosive residue but more effort is required! Same for some WWII / Korea era GI bore cleaner.
The Hoppe’s original formula contained nitrobenzene, not benzene. This may or may not have helped to dissolve salts, but it still isn’t anywhere nearly effective as water.

As a final note, make sure to clean the bolt face, action, and firing pin channel, since corrosive primer residues can build up on these areas and cause serious problems resulting in failures to feed or fire. – Virginia Gun Nut and “Patty”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Gold Price Rally is No Flash in the Pan: “Gold fever rages on despite the metal’s 24 percent jump in a month to 26-year highs followed by an even faster retreat. “This is a serious bull run. Those people who think it’s a bubble ready to burst might be disappointed,” Tony Dobra, director of global commodity derivatives at Standard Chartered Bank, told Reuters.

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A home security tip, from one of those infinitely-forwarded e-mails: “Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the alarm button for your car.The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies” My comment: Car alarms are largely ignored in all but the most quiet neighborhoods. My advice is to pursue this course of action in the event of an attempted home invasion, in this order: riot shotgun and flashlight at hand, press your car alarm and/or home alarm panic button, then dial 911.

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From Newsmax: Newt Gingrich Says That World War III Has Begun.

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JRH Enterprises has extended the sale price on their popular “Patriot Pocketscope” 2nd Generation U.S. night vision scope. Newly revamped with c-mount lens, better optics and hand strap. These retail for $649.95. JRH has held over the price of $549.95 just for SurvivalBlog readers. Mention SurvivalBlog when you order and received FREE shipping in the lower 48 states!

Note From JWR:

Starting the month, I will be mailing free autographed copies of my novel “Patriots” as “Blinding Flash of the Obvious (BFO) Awards:” These are for anyone that e-mails a letter or article for posting on SurvivalBlog that includes what I deem to be a particularly brilliant, novel, or useful concept. There is no set schedule–I will make BFO Awards on just as the mood strikes me.

Letter Re: The Importance of Storing Salt for Preparedness

Jim,
Here is an absolutely fascinating article about gorillas and salt that I came upon whilst browsing the Foxnews.com site. I seem to remember an article on your blog, not too long ago, discussing pretty-much the same thing. This is something which might prod your readers all-the-more to stock-up on [blocks, bags, and boxes of] salt. – Ben L.

JWR Replies: Unless you literally live next to a salt marsh, I cannot overemphasize the importance of storing salt. The Memsahib and I formerly lived in the Upper Clearwater River Valley of Idaho. In that region, deer and elk would walk many, many miles to get to natural salk licks (such as The Colgate Licks), where they would congregate in large numbers. Salt is important to store, both for preserving food and as a practical means to attract wild game. (It is noteworthy that in many locales, natural salt licks are off-limits to hunters, since hunting there is too easy and hence not considered sporting. That ought to tell you something.) I recommend that you store several times more salt than you think that you’ll ever need. Salt is cheap and plentiful now, but in the event of TEOTWAWKI it will be a scarce and valuable commodity. Salt also has a virtually unlimited shelf life.

Letter Re: Everyday Savings Via SurvivalBlog

Jim:
Just the other day, on the thread concerning watches, another SurvivalBlog reader posted a link to a Japanese firm [Higuchi.com] that sold watches. I took a look around their site, and found, to my surprise, that the watch I had been pining for was 1/3 the cost of the same watch purchased from a USA dealer, shipping included. Needless to say I whipped out my debit card and did the deed. But it occurred to me, over the short existence of SurvivalBlog I have run into bargains for items that I would normally purchase – unrelated to survival or preparedness, and I have discovered some products that I now regularly use. It has enhanced my family’s lifestyle and saved us money – Jim’s policy of posting little blurbs from folks who are trying to provide advice or the like has worked pretty well for me – LDM

JWR Replies: I hope that folks appreciate the value of what they read at SurvivalBlog–both the tangibles and the intangibles. If you find that what you read here is worth ten cents a day or more to you, then please become a Ten Cent Challenge subscriber to SurvivalBlog. Also, when you patronize any of our paid advertisers of affiliate advertisers, please mention that you heard their name on SurvivalBlog. Thanks!

 

Letter Re: “Jericho” TV Series Airing This Fall

James,
I was surprised to see that CBS will be airing a drama this fall called Jericho. Here is what the show is about: “Things are quiet and peaceful in small-town Jericho, Kansas, but when a baffling explosion occurs in the distance, Jericho’s residents are plunged into social, psychological and physical chaos. No one knows what to think, and fear of the unknown takes over the town, especially because its isolation cuts it off from outside help. When nearly everything they know seems gone, will the residents of Jericho band together to face their unfamiliar and mysterious new world?”
Here is the link to the site at CBS and there is a preview of the show there as well. It will be interesting to see how a mainstream media outlet is going to portray a SHTF situation. – Desert T

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Zimbabwean government debt and currency hyperinflation have progressed to super nova stage: “Zimbabwe’s domestic debt has trebled, from Z$15-trillion to nearly Z$43-trillion, casting a pall over any prospect of economic recovery. Latest central bank statistics show the public debt was Z$42.9-trillion on June16, up from Z$21-trillion on June 2 and Z$27-trillion on June 9. The country’s debt has continued to skyrocket against a background of deteriorating macroeconomic fundamentals and the socioeconomic situation. The central bank’s overnight accommodation recently stood at 850%, the inter-bank rate at 693.3%, and treasury bill yields at 510%.” Wow! This sounds like something out of a novel I once read. I surmise that statistics like those quoted cannot continue for long. Look for some major political changes in Zimbabwe in the near future. A note to Comrade Mugabe: Air fares are lower if you book your flight two weeks in advance.

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14 murders in 13 days in “gun free” Washington, D.C.. The Nation’s Capitol is hardly a shining example for gun control advocates. It is abundantly clear that criminals don’t obey gun bans–only the law-abiding, thus leaving disarmed D.C. residents like lambs for the slaughter.

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A reminder that Ready Made Resources is brokering the sale of a very hard to find upgraded P-10 self-contained NBC shelter.They are selling it on behalf of an acquaintance. When sold new, these shelters sell for $100,000 with all of the options included in this one, such as the 1,000 gallon water tank and Level 4 protective entry door. (Cutting torch and .308 bullet proof!) These very rarely come up for sale in used condition, so don’t miss this chance to buy one for only one-fourth of what it would cost to buy one new. It is being sold “on site”, so you would have to pay for hauling. (About $4,000 to the Midwest, or $6,000 to the West Coast.) Please mention that you saw it on SurvivalBlog for a nifty bonus.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Most civilization is based on cowardice. Its so easy to civilize by teaching cowardice. You water down the standards which lead to bravery. You restrain the will. You regulate the appetites. You fence in the horizons. You make a law for every movement. You deny the existence of chaos. You teach even the children to breathe slowly. You tame." – Frank Herbert, Dune

From David In Israel: On Sheltering from Katyusha Rocket Attacks

James
Our friends who live in Tzfat (also spelled Safed, Sfat, Sfas, etc.) recently came to stay with us to get away from the rockets which lit Mount Meron on fire and landed all around them shaking their house and breaking the window over my friend as he shopped. They are returning home still a bit shaken but feeling better after a two day break. They have been under 122mm Katyusha rocket fire. They have some Russian, Iranian, and Chinese stuff in Lebanon like the Fajjar-5 which has a range of 45 kilometers. The Israeli Saar-5 corvette Ahi-Hanita was struck by a Chinese made anti-ship C-802 Silkworm missile weighing 715 kilos, with a range of 120 kilometers.

Letter Re: A Practical PV-Powered Well Pump and Cistern System

James:
I appreciate your web site, lots of good thoughtful info and no armchair commando nonsense. I rarely post on this or related blogs, but I’ve just installed two complete solar water systems and can perhaps add a bit to the backup-powered water discussion. A solar system is tailor-made for supplying water, IMHO, because instead of storing electricity in batteries for nighttime use, it stores water in a tank for use on demand, no inverters, no batteries, no fuel. Simple and effective. Both systems use Grundfos submersible pumps and two solar panels of about 170 watts each. One system pumps from a lake to a 1-1/2 acre orchard/garden about 500 feet away with no head (lift), and supplies about 4000 gallons per day. The other is for use here at the house and pumps from a well about 100′ vertically to a 3000 gallon storage tank, then gravity flows to the house, and supplies from 800-1500 gallons per day depending on time of year (sun angle) cloudiness, et cetera.
The pump and solar panels must be sized according to lift, distance pumped, desired output, and geographic location. I’m located in Central Texas with plenty of sunshine year-round, so solar is a natural. Depending upon pump size and number and power output of the panels, the basic components including a stand for the panels costs around $3000-4000. Add to that about $500 or so for standard pressure tanks, pressure switches, wiring and plumbing and the cost is still less than a windmill and pumps a lot more water. Another beauty of these pumps is that they run on both 12 volt (PV solar) and 220 VAC, which means they can also be powered by a generator or from the electric grid. Just make absolutely certain, I repeat certain, that the 220 breaker is off before engaging the solar panels, as 220 VAC does some fairly spectacular things to a 12 volt DC solar panel.
I don’t claim to be an electrician, or plumber either, yet I installed both of these systems practically by myself, so that means it can’t be all that difficult. – J.H.

Letter Re: Brass Recycling

Jim,
Just a note regarding Bill K.’s fired cartridge brass recycling idea to raise extra cash – it is a good money making idea with the continuing rise in the price of copper and other metals – our gun club here in North Carolina paid all its property taxes last year on the recycling of fired brass left after shooting events. The club insists that if the shooters don’t wish to take their fired brass home, they spend a few minutes between relays when the line is clear to police up brass and put them into specially marked/painted ‘brass buckets’.
My voluntary role for my club is to take the full five gallon buckets home periodically to check for dud or damaged live rounds and separate them out along with any fired brass that interests me so I can assure the scrap dealer there are no live rounds, rocks, steel cases, etc. in the buckets. This eliminates hazards to the scrap dealer as well as the liability issue for the club.
My concern is that I imagine most ranges are privately owned and unless it is a remote county, state or federal public range such as Bill K. describes where cleaning up the brass off the ground (why not also pick up the rusty steel cases as well, and trash them, too – good PR and environmental stewardship) is not frowned upon, one should check with the range operators to see if they have a policy of any brass left on the ground after the original shooter leaves the range becomes club property. Some clubs may consider this theft otherwise.
Be forewarned – when you go to a recycling center/scrap metal company to turn in the brass, several five gallon buckets of gleaming brass will get you noticed – you will get some interested looks and comments/questions from the curious about where the brass came from while standing in line with all the other folks who are bringing in scrap from who knows where just to make ends meet or are down on their luck. Also, for what it is worth, due to the increasing theft of metals such as copper from job sites, most scrap dealers also insist on recording your drivers license information so the materials can be traced back to you in case of a police investigation.
One other small side note for reloaders: The scrap dealer also mentioned to me that even fired centerfire rifle and pistol primers in quantity separated from the brass are of value in scrap recycling, as there is some kind of demand in the watch making and/or related industry for the minute metal parts for some reason. However, fired shotgun primers are not as much in demand, from what I recall. Lead from reloading also is desirable for recycling, but you might consider keeping theirs for cast bullet work. Regards, – Redclay

Two Letters Re: Do It Yourself Bulk Food Storage

Jim:
Excellent information on storing dry goods for long-term. I have just a bit of advice to all out there: use foods from you stores in your every-day life. I’m not advocating depleting your stores; rather consuming and replacing them as part of your daily life, thus rotating your stock as well. (This is recommended, however, ONLY after you have acquired your long-term goal (i.e.one year supply, two, etc.). You will benefit in at least four distinct ways from this:1.) your stores will always have a maximum useful shelf-life, as they will constantly be rotated; 2.) you will probably experience better health as you will be eating better quality, more healthful food (look at labels: there’s no food in most food!); 3.) you will almost certainly save money on your weekly food budget (fresh-baked baguettes from home ground flour costs me about $.35 /loaf, and it’s as good or better than anything available at ten times the cost!); 4.) lastly, but certainly not least, preparing and eating food from you stores will become part of your lifestyle. It will not require a transition to eating “that stuff” and you will have dealt with the learning curve now, while you can afford to, instead of wasting you (future) limited food supplies. Also, not to be overlooked, this food will be your “comfort-food”, that which will be familiar and welcome to you and your family, something not to be taken lightly in a high-stress situation. When I was eighteen, the fall after high school, I worked nights at a lumber mill and ran a trap-line during the day. Well, I got laid-off, so I asked a family friend if I could stay in an old cabin on their ranch, which was about two miles from the nearest road, and right off the Clearwater River [in Northwestern Montana]

Two Letters Re: Railroads Tracks and Right of Ways as Bug-Out Routes

JWR:
Please pass on to Larry in Kansas and anyone else interested that they need to look well ahead of time at any railroad beds as a bug out route. Here in Michigan the railroads have closed off all the service roads beside the tracks. Some are simply chained and easily defeated with bolt cutters, but other are blocked with ties and high mounds of gravel.
My primary escape route has an emergency “go around” for a choke point that is active railroad bed. It will be hairy, but my Ford Ranger pickup will be able to make the trip. The wife’s current auto will not.
One other thing to check. In our area there are a lot of small streams and drainage ditches that the tracks cross. The service road usually does not bridge the gap and you would have to drive over the rails to cross. Not all vehicles can handle that type of use.
The old American Survival Guide magazine had a how to article on making a G.O.O.D. vehicle out of a bicycle that would ride the rails and haul a fair amount of gear. If your area has lots of active rail lines it might be a good idea to check out something similar for your use. – Wolverine

 

Dear Jim:
Also to be considered for bug out routes are utility/power line right of ways/easements, fire lanes, biking trails, running trails, ATV trails, and snow mobile trails. Local groups for such recreational trails often give away free maps paid for by advertising. As for high voltage power lines, look up and around as you drive around. Note that most of these trails have lock-offs for regular vehicles, usually using standard padlocks. Note for most, there must be access for emergency vehicles so there is a way in. One might remember the scene in the movie Terminator 2 as Arnold was driving along the access trail along the top of the drainage system. You might consider waterways as well, but remember they tend to flow toward the Ocean and toward population, eventually. There is no substitute for a good map. – Rourke

JWR Replies: Use extreme caution if you ever have to use a railroad right-of-way in the event of an emergency. Many lives have been lost because someone thought that they were on “inactive” tracks. Readers might consider joining a legitimate “speeder” (powered railcar) club affiliated with the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA), to gain both practical skills and as an entree for learning railroad company schedules and information on seasonal closures. (In many Plains states and in the Intermountain West, it is not unusual for smaller railroads that mainly carry grain to only operate part of each year.) OBTW, I featured a sequence with a Fairmont speeder in my screenplay, “Pulling Through.”

My father always referred to his bolt cutters as “The universal key.” While I do not condone trespassing, vandalism, or theft, I think that it is important that every family own a pair of good quality bolt cutters, preferably 36″ length, such as those made by Woodings-Verona Tool Works. They are an essential tool for mobility–and inevitably for survival in the event of a worst case disaster–even if the lock you need to cut is your own when you’ve lost the key. If you are on a tight budget, Northern Tool & Equipment sells imported bolt cutters. The imports are of lower quality, so don’t expect the same service life. Also keep in mind that many tools from China (such as the “Westward” brand marketed by W.W. Grainger) are usually the product of the laogai (“reform through labor”) prison factory system. (Which confines political prisoners.) So if at all possible, buy American, or at least from another free country. (Such as the Japanese HIT brand.)