TargetTalk

The barrel in my .32 is now badly pitted. I'm fairly sure it wasn't like that when I bought it, and haven't noticed it over the five years I've had it.

I clean reasonably regularly, and use only Alox lubricated lead bullets which I've always assumed gives some protection to the barrel. No other firearm I've ever had has ever developed so much as a spot of rust inside or outside.

When I first got it it was obvious it had barely been used, and must be 10-20+ years old. There is a slim chance old Russian corrosive ammo was used and it was put away - its a Toz 49 in 7.62x26.

I have heard that some corrosive primers have crept into the system due to the Obama ammo crisis causing some suppliers to source primers in Europe and repackage them.

I have some of the suspect primers left, does anyone know how to go about testing them?
I'm not a chemist and can only think of discharging them (with a large hammer) onto a piece of plain metal and waiting to see if there is a reaction.

JamesH wrote:I'm not a chemist and can only think of discharging them (with a large hammer) onto a piece of plain metal and waiting to see if there is a reaction.

I think that's the standard procedure, though without the hammer. Much easier and safer to put a primed empty case in the chamber and fire at a piece of unprotected steel (at a safe angle, obviously) and wait a few days.

As an aside, I didn't know there were any corrosive boxer primers, which is pretty much all we reload with here in the US. I understand that shooters elsewhere use berdan primers as well, which are often corrosive.

Bump

Anyone repaired a pitted barrel by lapping it?

I was thinking of using casting resin instead of lead to make the lap too.