Excerpt from Fouling Shot May-June 2021, By C. E. "Ed" Harris
As a kid I was brought up on the M1 Garand, 03A3 Springfield and M1911 pistol using WW2 era ammo having chlorate primers. Cleaning after firing corrosive ammo is no big deal. Done properly there is no worry about afterrusting. Older US military primers are VERY stable and have a great shelf life. I am still using WW2-era .30-'06 and .45 ammunition. I grab all of it that I can find at garage and estate sales.
US military primers produced prior to about 1953 caused rusting in humid climates because potassium chlorate is used as an oxidizer. Upon combustion this converts to potassium chloride, which attracts ambient moisture from the atmosphere in the same manner as ordinary table salt. Chlorate salts are water soluble, but not oil soluble. To quickly remove the salts just use hot water. Soap is not absolutely necessary, but is more effective as a cleaner. Boiling water is best because it evaporates quickly of its own heat, simplifying drying. If you don't have a means to heat the water, cold water will do. So will leftover tea or coffee or standing water a real cowboy would have soaked up on a patch left in a hoof print!
I was taught as a young lad by the late Frank Marshall, Jr., a WW2 vet, to bend a wire cage from coat hanger wire to hang a metal canteen near the exhaust manifold of your farm tractor, pickup, Jeep, etc. Lacking that use the Natick cooker from inside your canteen case or build a small "Indian fire." Leave the old school metal canteen screw-top slightly loose so that steam can escape while it heats as you drive the range back and forth between the pits and firing line. When ready to clean your Garand, snug the lid and lift the hot canteen out of its cage by its cap chain. Pour your metal canteen cup half full of hot water, then use your Mil-K-818 pocket knife or K-bar to scrape about 1/2 teaspoon of flakes from your bar of dark green GI soap, Calgon, Ivory or Fels Naphtha into the hot water. If your rifle or pistol bore is rough and tends to metal foul, rub the hot, wet patch on a bar of cake Bon Ami and work into a lather. Otherwise, put your "soap patch" through the loop tip of your cleaning rod and stir the water until it is nice and sudsy.
I was taught as a young lad by the late Frank Marshall, Jr., a WW2 vet, to bend a wire cage from coat hanger wire to hang a metal canteen near the exhaust manifold of your farm tractor, pickup, Jeep, etc. Lacking that use the Natick cooker from inside your canteen case or build a small "Indian fire." Leave the old school metal canteen screw-top slightly loose so that steam can escape while it heats as you drive the range back and forth between the pits and firing line. When ready to clean your Garand, snug the lid and lift the hot canteen out of its cage by its cap chain. Pour your metal canteen cup half full of hot water, then use your Mil-K-818 pocket knife or K-bar to scrape about 1/2 teaspoon of flakes from your bar of dark green GI soap, Calgon, Ivory or Fels Naphtha into the hot water. If your rifle or pistol bore is rough and tends to metal foul, rub the hot, wet patch on a bar of cake Bon Ami and work into a lather. Otherwise, put your "soap patch" through the loop tip of your cleaning rod and stir the water until it is nice and sudsy.
Do not use your "oil patch" or your "inspection patch" for this purpose, because your platoon sergeant will chew you out and not issue you any new patches for being a Gomer or Sad Sack. You are issued only three patches at a time because "War is hell! Seasick merchant mariners braved Atlantic storms and German U-boats, barfing his guts out to bring those precious South Carolina cotton patches to you! Treat them with the reverence you would your girl friend's panties! Replacements are issued after rifle inspection, if you pass!"
1. Field strip your M1, .45 pistol or '03 Springfield on your folded shelter half you have spread across your Jeep hood or rack. Rest the barreled action with its sights down, so that water running out of the chamber does not run into the action.
2. Wipe the bore with your "soap patch" wet with hot soapy water, passing it through the bore both ways, TEN times. Remove your dirty "soap patch" but DO NOT throw it away! Place it back into the soapy water, swish around, squeeze out a couple times for washing and repeat and re-use as needed until you are done.
3. Now change to your bronze bristle bore brush. Rinse the brush in the hot, soapy water and pass it back and forth through the bore TEN times.
4. Now lather up and wring out your used "soap patch" squeezing out as much of the water as you can. Put it back on the loop tip, run once through the bore, remove, wash, wring out again and repeat! If you still see carbon on your "soap patch" go back to #3 and repeat. If both bore and patch appear clean, then use the washed and wrung out "soap patch" on your combination tool to clean the chamber, gas cylinder, gas cylinder plug, operating rod piston and bolt face. Then again wash and rinse the soap patch, wring it out and spread out carefully on the foot rail of your rack for inspection by your platoon sergeant.
5. Now take "oil patch" and apply VVL800 or PL (Oil, Lubricant, Preservative, Light) in a stream making an "X" crossing corner to corner, in the form of St Andrews cross. If you don't know who St. Andrew was Platoon Sergeant will instruct Gomer or Sad Sack to recite the history lesson for you (*see below). [If you don't have real military weapons oil, Hoppes or Outers Gun Oil or non-detergent SAE30 motor oil is OK, but a "water displacing" dewaxed, polarized oil is best]. Roll the patch tightly lengthwise to the diameter of a cigarette, squeezing and twisting tightly to evenly distribute the oil. Now insert "oil patch" into your loop tip and pass through bore back and forth TEN times, then remove the patch from the loop tip and use to wipe chamber, bolt face, gas cylinder, gas cylinder plug and operating rod piston.
6. Inspect "oil patch." If it exhibits more than trace amounts of carbon, rinse out again in the soapy water, wring out and get it as clean as you can, then go back to step 2 and repeat everything all again!
7. If "oil patch" has only slight traces of carbon, you are allowed to break silence to express satisfaction and now may respectfully hum either Eternal Father Strong to Save, the Marine Corps Hymn or the Battle Hymn of the Republic as you then use the oil patch to wipe the operating rod track in receiver, bolt lugs, bolt face, hammer hooks of trigger group, sights and exposed metal.
8. Apply ONE DROP of weapons oil to your paint brush, brush out the operating rod track in the receiver then brush away all loose dust and dirt from metal parts.
9. Take your Popsicle stick and dip one half pea sized dab of grease from your grease pot. LIGHTLY lubricate the operating rod cam pocket, rear surface of locking lugs, hammer hooks and shiny spot under barrel where operating
4. Now lather up and wring out your used "soap patch" squeezing out as much of the water as you can. Put it back on the loop tip, run once through the bore, remove, wash, wring out again and repeat! If you still see carbon on your "soap patch" go back to #3 and repeat. If both bore and patch appear clean, then use the washed and wrung out "soap patch" on your combination tool to clean the chamber, gas cylinder, gas cylinder plug, operating rod piston and bolt face. Then again wash and rinse the soap patch, wring it out and spread out carefully on the foot rail of your rack for inspection by your platoon sergeant.
5. Now take "oil patch" and apply VVL800 or PL (Oil, Lubricant, Preservative, Light) in a stream making an "X" crossing corner to corner, in the form of St Andrews cross. If you don't know who St. Andrew was Platoon Sergeant will instruct Gomer or Sad Sack to recite the history lesson for you (*see below). [If you don't have real military weapons oil, Hoppes or Outers Gun Oil or non-detergent SAE30 motor oil is OK, but a "water displacing" dewaxed, polarized oil is best]. Roll the patch tightly lengthwise to the diameter of a cigarette, squeezing and twisting tightly to evenly distribute the oil. Now insert "oil patch" into your loop tip and pass through bore back and forth TEN times, then remove the patch from the loop tip and use to wipe chamber, bolt face, gas cylinder, gas cylinder plug and operating rod piston.
6. Inspect "oil patch." If it exhibits more than trace amounts of carbon, rinse out again in the soapy water, wring out and get it as clean as you can, then go back to step 2 and repeat everything all again!
7. If "oil patch" has only slight traces of carbon, you are allowed to break silence to express satisfaction and now may respectfully hum either Eternal Father Strong to Save, the Marine Corps Hymn or the Battle Hymn of the Republic as you then use the oil patch to wipe the operating rod track in receiver, bolt lugs, bolt face, hammer hooks of trigger group, sights and exposed metal.
8. Apply ONE DROP of weapons oil to your paint brush, brush out the operating rod track in the receiver then brush away all loose dust and dirt from metal parts.
9. Take your Popsicle stick and dip one half pea sized dab of grease from your grease pot. LIGHTLY lubricate the operating rod cam pocket, rear surface of locking lugs, hammer hooks and shiny spot under barrel where operating
rod rubs as it reciprocates.
10. Reassemble your rifle, wiping all excess oil from its exterior with the "back forty" end of your baby diaper not used for shining brass or shoes, then dry and remove excess oil from the bore with the "Inspection Patch."
Now lay out "Soap Patch", "Oil Patch" and "Inspection Patch" across the footrail of your rack, prepare for inspection by Platoon Sergeant and meditate quietly.
10. Reassemble your rifle, wiping all excess oil from its exterior with the "back forty" end of your baby diaper not used for shining brass or shoes, then dry and remove excess oil from the bore with the "Inspection Patch."
Now lay out "Soap Patch", "Oil Patch" and "Inspection Patch" across the footrail of your rack, prepare for inspection by Platoon Sergeant and meditate quietly.