Dirty ammo, do you care?

[Dave Lively]

I don't.

This comes up when discussing what type of ammo to buy but I clean my guns after every range trip and have found a really dirty gun takes the same time to clean as a slightly dirty gun. Before I quit reloading I used a lot of Unique powder which had a well deserved reputation for being dirty before they changed reformulated it to be cleaner several years ago. But it was versatile and shot well.

The only exception is 22 LR ammo for my 617 revolver. Anything with a lead bullet results in sticky extraction after about 50 rounds and I would rather not have to take cleaning equipment to the range. So I only shoot plated bullets through that particular gun.

 

[TJm15.38]

The military surplus ammo for the M1895 is some of the dirtiest stuff I have ever fired. I think they loaded the round with black powder or something similar, not to mention the corrosive primers. Amazingly, the cleanup on the gun is fairly easy. Since it is a "gas seal" revolver, the cylinder requires very little cleaning. However, cleaning the bore is a bit of a "Russian" bear. I have to start with a slightly alkaline water-based mixture (I use Ballistol and water) to get rid of corrosive salts, then follow up with Hoppes #9 and light oil (I use Ballistol).

The second photo shows a round of the military surplus Nagant ammo compared to a .32 S&W Long.

 

[Krogen]

Shooting is often dirty business, just like wrenching on cars. If you're averse to grime, then maybe a cleaner pastime is your thing.

In fact, some guns are like dogs. Give 'em a bath and they're upset with you until they get dirty again.

 

[desi2358]

Unless it's dirty enough to cause functioning issues it's not an issue to me. And I've never really found any modern ammo that produces enough fouling for that to be a problem in any of my firearms. Black powder loads can, in some guns, be an issue but that's part of the sport of shooting antiques with what they were made to use................ Whatever I am shooting I am going to clean it when done. Even those shot with black powder or old, corrosive primed ammo are still not a big issue to clean as far as I can see.

 

[Alk8944]

All ammunition is "dirty" to some degree! Takes no longer, or more effort to clean the gun with dirty than clean ammunition! You do clean your guns after shooting them, don't you?

 

[tom2]

I have not ever noticed domestic ammo being overly dirty, or my handloads. The only issue I ever had was with rimfire ammo gumming things up and that was after a great deal of firing. I always avoided corrosive surp ammo. So my cleaning procedures after trips to the range are just the usual clean till it is clean. The worst part of that for me is removing residue from lead bullets, generally alot harder than removing the soot.

 

[glowe]

I was around when the absolute best shotgun powders were Unique, Red Dot, and 700X and they were dirty, especially in a semi-auto 12 ga. Never bothered me because they were all the same. Then along came Clays powder and the only thing ever said about the powder was that it burned clean. One could shoot a box of 25 and not know the gun was shot since the bore was still clean. Of course I went to Clays and found that my semi-auto shotguns hardly ever needed stripping down.

Moving forward to the COVID years, I shot any powder I had on the shelf. Had a 15 pound pasteboard container with 6 pounds still leftover from the 1960s. Loaded up and shot most of it over the last several years, but found I had to increase my charge bar bushing in order to get 1200 fps.

So, do I care about dirty powder, yes - but the reality is you shoot what you have or can buy and I still cannot get Clays.

 

[Hair Trigger]

You said "dirty ammo", so I answered yes in the poll. It can be tarnished cases and oxidized lead, but no grit or other coarse material on the cartridge. I don't want it scratching up the chambers. If you mean dirty-burning, then it makes less difference to me.

 

[LVSteve]

Funny you should ask as I am in the process of cleaning five guns I took out last Friday. 90% of the ammo used was Blazer Brass, and it is pretty dirty. I am seeing a lot of soot down the side of the case, but whether that is down to the ammo or the action type I cannot say. Today I am cleaning the two gas delayed blowback guns I took out, and I already know it's going to be nasty, despite the limited number of rounds fired. I'll start another thread with pictures.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

I always buy non-corrosive ammo when I can. Shot a Saiga 7.62x39 AK-47 semi-auto without cleaning it for years as an experiment(have more than one). The action started getting a little tight, so I just sprayed some Rem-oil in there, worked the action about twelve times, and shot it another few years. When the 2006 ones came in, I cleaned it...experiment over. Loose tolerances or whatever, it carried dirty and kept on ticking.

 

[lkabug]

Dirty ammo?
Just another excuse to spend more time with my guns.

 

[fiasconva]

I'm pretty OCD about cleaning my guns after each range visit. I bought some Remington UMC on sale a few years ago and vowed never again. It had to be the dirtiest I've ever shot by far. Cleaning my M&P9 was more of a chore than any other time I've experienced.

 

[rockquarry]

I don't think the question was well thought out.

I'm not sure what is meant by dirty ammo. Is the brass tarnished or what? Or does the powder burn dirty? As long as it's accurate and the case is not corroded in any way, the appearance doesn't bother me in the least.

 

[Durango Slim]

I hate dirty shooting ammo.

I bought a box of Wolf garbage years ago and it took two hours to clean the gun after shooting.

I vowed to never again run that junk through any gun.

It was a Commie plot to destroy our firearms so they could invade more easily. Best thing the President ever did (low bar, I know) was banning it's importation.

 

[venomballistics]

Dirt isn't created equal.
I've had trap loads that were dirty enough to cause a pump action shotgun to become difficult to rack.
Naturally, this was a case where it was unacceptable.
I also had a 45 ACP load that was a mess. A Stainless gun came out looking like phosphate finish, bullet lube and GSR dripped from the mag well and the grass in front of my firing position was greasy, but in no way did this inhibit the guns function. In this case ... that's a badge of honor.

 

[Spurdann]

I shoot quite a bit, I don't clean unless I notice function issues.
Although I have spent the last two evenings taking revolvers down to the frame and doing a thorough cleaning, probably because the weather is crappy and I am too wimpy to go shooting.

 

[Echo40]

I'm sort of weird in this way I suppose, but in a way I kind of like the ammo to be a bit more dirty because then when I clean the gun it actually feels necessary.

When I've shot extremely clean-burning ammo then went to clean the gun afterwards it almost felt like a completely unnecessary waste of time and resources. It feels almost wrong to come home after a range trip and then clean the gun only to find that it really wasn't very dirty at all, just a dusting of soot inside that required a once-over to clear.

 

[AJ]

Dirty ammo is not especially a bad thing as long as it goes bang when the trigger is pulled.

I do know that at about 2500 rounds of M1911 military issue hardball a M1911A1 quits working.........Know that for a fact.

 

[pistolpete10]

Exept for .22 LR I clean approx. every 200 rounds so don't care.

 

[DWalt]

In my entire life, dirty ammo has been at the very bottom of my concerns. In fact, even below that. It doesn't even rate a mention.

Corrosive ammo is the same. All you need to do is clean with water after shooting it. Problem solved.