Czech 7.62 x39mm

BadKarma · 11-22-2004, 11:22 AM

Right, I finally ordered that SKS, turns out that their gonna throw in 200 rnds. of 7.62 x39mm. I read up a bit on it, it's recently manufactured by the Czechs, steel core with berdan primers. I dont know a whole lot about ammunition, but I do know that berdan primers are corrosive. Is this stuff a pain in the !!! or what? What special techniques should I use in cleaning my SKS after firing this stuff?

NRAJOE · 11-22-2004, 01:33 PM

Don't know...I only use modern ammo...

Big Dog · 11-22-2004, 04:31 PM

Just clean it well with a bore cleaner containing ammonia - Birchwood-Casey's Bore-scrubber works well. Do it outside though - it smells mighty strong and SWMBO will not like it!
Clean the gas tube and piston each time you shoot it - that's a prime place for rust and corrosion. The bolt face gets cruddy too.The Bore-Scrubber is available at Wally's.
On reassembly, leave the gastube and piston dry - no oil or grease! It'll clean much easier next time around. Lube just gums it all up.

BattleRifleG3 · 11-24-2004, 11:58 AM

Berdan primers are a design, not a chemical. Most non-US military 223 ammo is berdan primed and all 223 and almost all 308 is non-corrosive.

The ammo you describe is probably mildly corrosive. Big Dog has the right advice on cleaning.

Though there are many calibers where surplus ammo is the right stuff to shoot, 7.62x39mm is one of the few where new production is usually cheaper. I'd recommend shooting only enough of the steel core to get a feel for it, then save it up for iv ever needed. Wolf is excellent ammo for com-bloc guns.

allan1898 · 11-26-2004, 07:38 AM

I treat all surplus ammo as corrosive. No big deal. Get some black powder cleaner. There are several brands available. The place I was shopping only had TC Number 13 Bore Cleaner, but any will work. Clean first with the black powder cleaner. Then clean as you would normally, using whichever product you please. Just don't forget to do the same for the gas tube, piston, bolt and carrier, etc. I shoot an SVT 40, more complicated gas system. Never have problems. The term slightly corrosive is basically BS. The primer chemicals are corrosive. Corrosive primers used to have longer shelf life than the non-corrosive. Don't know if that is still the case. Our own military didn't switch until about 1947. When the primers pop, the resultant burn product contains salts. Wash out the salts, no problem. You can also do the old hot soapy water routine, but the new products work and are less of a hassle. Enjoy the SKS. I really love mine. The new Wolf, Barnaul, or Seller and Bellot ammo are non-corrosive, but why pass up a bargain when it is available? Take a look at any weapon from WW2 or earlier. Many are in beatiful condition.

incucrash · 11-26-2004, 09:05 PM

Don't blow out the back stop at any indoor ranges with those steel core bullets, keep those for the day you may need them. I bought 1000 rounds of Mil Spec 7.62x39MM a long time ago, probably 10 years, When I was 11 years old with my first SKS :-) *so what if my dad payed for it.. :-)* but anyways, I fired it about 3 months ago, and out of about 200 rounds, only 2-3 didn't fire. :-) I find that it really doesn't matter of the primer, your sks will get DIRTY, Lots of Rem-Oils and paper towels :-)

Get about 32+ oz's of bore cleaner, use a pan of somesort, plastic container, like a fair sized tupperwear/rubermade container, put all your sks parts in there and just let it soak in Hoppes No. 9 Bore cleaner/powder solvent and agitate the hoppes/cleaner with a soft tooth brush, take them out 1x1 and scrub em with tooth brush, let them drip back in the pan, and funnel it back in the hoppes containers, any nitro/bore cleaner will work. Dry them off real nice and oil all moving parts. Maybe it doesn't make much sense, but I rem-oil pretty much the entire gun, inside/outside quick sprayover and case it, I rather have it oiled then dry and waiting to absorb water :-) Keep the hoppes until it is dirty and funky. I only do this personally after firing a total of 1000 or so rounds through the SKS, on a normal circumstance, just spray down anything dirty, wipe everything you possibly can, oil it and put it back together, up to you on what you want to do, it's your budget :-)

I figure if the average SKS is 25-40+ years old, they can last forever

Don't forget to clean the entire gun, SKS's are dirty everywhere after shooting them, wipe everything from the gastube/piston to the interior of the stock
have fun
:-)

BadKarma · 12-08-2004, 04:47 PM

Finally got around to blasting at some yotes, used this czech stuff. Very pleased with the results, cleanup wasnt that bad. I just used an ammonia based window cleaner first, wiped everuthing down, then went about my business as usual, no worries. Thanks for the replies all.

11-22-2004, 11:22 AM	#1
BadKarma Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 110 Trader Rating: (0)	Czech 7.62 x39mm Right, I finally ordered that SKS, turns out that their gonna throw in 200 rnds. of 7.62 x39mm. I read up a bit on it, it's recently manufactured by the Czechs, steel core with berdan primers. I dont know a whole lot about ammunition, but I do know that berdan primers are corrosive. Is this stuff a pain in the !!! or what? What special techniques should I use in cleaning my SKS after firing this stuff?

11-22-2004, 01:33 PM	#2
NRAJOE Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Toledo,OH Posts: 19,014 Trader Rating: (0)	Don't know...I only use modern ammo... __________________ U.S. Army 1976-1979 237th Combat Engineers Heilbronn, Germany

11-22-2004, 04:31 PM	#3
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,067 Trader Rating: (0)	Just clean it well with a bore cleaner containing ammonia - Birchwood-Casey's Bore-scrubber works well. Do it outside though - it smells mighty strong and SWMBO will not like it! Clean the gas tube and piston each time you shoot it - that's a prime place for rust and corrosion. The bolt face gets cruddy too.The Bore-Scrubber is available at Wally's. On reassembly, leave the gastube and piston dry - no oil or grease! It'll clean much easier next time around. Lube just gums it all up. __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

11-24-2004, 11:58 AM	#4
BattleRifleG3 Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Western PA Posts: 11,401 Trader Rating: (0)	Berdan primers are a design, not a chemical. Most non-US military 223 ammo is berdan primed and all 223 and almost all 308 is non-corrosive. The ammo you describe is probably mildly corrosive. Big Dog has the right advice on cleaning. Though there are many calibers where surplus ammo is the right stuff to shoot, 7.62x39mm is one of the few where new production is usually cheaper. I'd recommend shooting only enough of the steel core to get a feel for it, then save it up for iv ever needed. Wolf is excellent ammo for com-bloc guns. __________________ Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf

11-26-2004, 09:05 PM	#6
incucrash Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 101 Trader Rating: (0)	Don't blow out the back stop at any indoor ranges with those steel core bullets, keep those for the day you may need them. I bought 1000 rounds of Mil Spec 7.62x39MM a long time ago, probably 10 years, When I was 11 years old with my first SKS :-) so what if my dad payed for it.. :-) but anyways, I fired it about 3 months ago, and out of about 200 rounds, only 2-3 didn't fire. :-) I find that it really doesn't matter of the primer, your sks will get DIRTY, Lots of Rem-Oils and paper towels :-) Get about 32+ oz's of bore cleaner, use a pan of somesort, plastic container, like a fair sized tupperwear/rubermade container, put all your sks parts in there and just let it soak in Hoppes No. 9 Bore cleaner/powder solvent and agitate the hoppes/cleaner with a soft tooth brush, take them out 1x1 and scrub em with tooth brush, let them drip back in the pan, and funnel it back in the hoppes containers, any nitro/bore cleaner will work. Dry them off real nice and oil all moving parts. Maybe it doesn't make much sense, but I rem-oil pretty much the entire gun, inside/outside quick sprayover and case it, I rather have it oiled then dry and waiting to absorb water :-) Keep the hoppes until it is dirty and funky. I only do this personally after firing a total of 1000 or so rounds through the SKS, on a normal circumstance, just spray down anything dirty, wipe everything you possibly can, oil it and put it back together, up to you on what you want to do, it's your budget :-) I figure if the average SKS is 25-40+ years old, they can last forever Don't forget to clean the entire gun, SKS's are dirty everywhere after shooting them, wipe everything from the gastube/piston to the interior of the stock have fun :-) Last edited by incucrash; 11-26-2004 at 09:11 PM.

11-26-2004, 07:38 AM	#5
allan1898 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 110 Trader Rating: (0)	I treat all surplus ammo as corrosive. No big deal. Get some black powder cleaner. There are several brands available. The place I was shopping only had TC Number 13 Bore Cleaner, but any will work. Clean first with the black powder cleaner. Then clean as you would normally, using whichever product you please. Just don't forget to do the same for the gas tube, piston, bolt and carrier, etc. I shoot an SVT 40, more complicated gas system. Never have problems. The term slightly corrosive is basically BS. The primer chemicals are corrosive. Corrosive primers used to have longer shelf life than the non-corrosive. Don't know if that is still the case. Our own military didn't switch until about 1947. When the primers pop, the resultant burn product contains salts. Wash out the salts, no problem. You can also do the old hot soapy water routine, but the new products work and are less of a hassle. Enjoy the SKS. I really love mine. The new Wolf, Barnaul, or Seller and Bellot ammo are non-corrosive, but why pass up a bargain when it is available? Take a look at any weapon from WW2 or earlier. Many are in beatiful condition.

12-08-2004, 04:47 PM	#7
BadKarma Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 110 Trader Rating: (0)	Finally got around to blasting at some yotes, used this czech stuff. Very pleased with the results, cleanup wasnt that bad. I just used an ammonia based window cleaner first, wiped everuthing down, then went about my business as usual, no worries. Thanks for the replies all.