Thanks for 38+p info. Back to topic. If by chance you use WD40 on guns, make very sure you wipe it all off. It will distroy primers. So instead of a powerful gun you end up with a very short club. This may be up for debate, I lost a very close Friend because of it.

-- && (&&@&&.com), March 30, 1999

Answers

F.Y.I. keep all ammo clean of any oil or grease, all kinds will destroy powder and primers. Go easy on oiling your firearms, most people use to much.

-- smithy (clean@your.guns), March 30, 1999.

Funny. In my time in the infantry, using Springfields, Enfields, .30 cal MG's, BAR's (yeah, back there) we never put a piece back together after cleaning without a very light film of light machine oil on the bolt and receiver. Obviously too much can turn to varnish and spoil the tolerances. But so will rust. WD-40 was not a word we knew. Never had any trouble with primers.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), March 30, 1999.

Actually, if you want to keep some of your external parts and the external part of your magazines free of rust, clean them thoroughly and then wipe them down with wax paper.

This will coat them with an extremely thin layer of wax, which will keep rust at bay, and not foul the firearm.

Do not wife down the internals, such as firing pin, receiver, bolt, etc. It probably won't hurt it, but it's not recommended.

Jolly

PS(I've heard that it's ok to wipe the cartridges, too. But I haven't tried that.)

-- Jollyprez (jolly@prez.com), March 30, 1999.

There is a reason that military ammo isn't as fussy as commercial or home manufactured ammo. If you look at the round, there is a sealant between the primer pocket and primer. The primer pocket is also crimped to keep the primer from backing out during recoil. Also, there is a sealant around the point where the case is crimped into the cannelure of the bullet.

Military stuff tends to be more forgiving around oil and solvents. However, the sealant does tend to break down over time, allowing the primer and/or powder to get ruined. At that point, those cases are REAL fun to take apart!

-- Scott (duhelmet@aol.com), March 30, 1999.

How well do these new silicone-coated cloth wipers work. They are sold in gun stores and in places like WalMart. Will silicone do damage like oil?

-- Tomcat (tomcat@oilwell.com), March 30, 1999.