I have been using hot tap water with dawn detergent to clean out the corrosive residue in my AK's when I shoot Yugo M67 ball. The issue is that afterward I have to dry everything and re oil all the parts. I haven't tried boiling water which should solve the issue with drying but even then I will still have to re oil. Are there any other techniques or producs that would help me speed up the process? Other than time spent cleaning my other concern is rust in areas where I can't easily re oil like inbeween the barrel and trunnion where there is a vizible gap but a Q-tip wont fit.

I save water and shower with my guns

Some people buy Ballistol and mix it with water.
The water dissolves and flushes out the corrosive residue, and the Ballistol leaves a rust preventing coating.

I can't remember the Ballistol to water mix ratio, 1 part water to 3 ????

Another technique is to use hot water then a water displacing product like WD-40.
Yes it's not a lubricant and may not be that great a rust preventer but some people use it for this purpose with good results.
Yet another is really hot water, which self-dries, followed by a thin spray lube like Rem-Oil, which gets into all areas, but isn't too thick.

Boil a pot of water and use a turkey baster to hose out the gun.  Using near boiling water will cause the metal to flash dry.  Clean and lube normally.

For a fast re-lube I just hit the receiver rails with some grease and everything else gets a coat of Remington Oil.

This is about as fast as it gets. Use water that has been brought to a boil then let it cool just a bit so it's not boiling. This saves time because the water evaporates and you can clean and oil sooner.
This is the way to roll with corrosive ammo clean up. I've been doing this with AKs since 1982 and a little before with my black powder rifles. Your oil will get down in all the nooks and crannies where your Q-tip won't.

Hot water alone will work, you don't need soap and forget the windex and other nonsense some folks use. Even cold water will work, it flushes the corrosive salts away just takes longer to dry.

Ballistol with water mixed 10 parts water to 1 part Ballistol. Soak a patch with Ballistol and scrub the bore then do the same with the bore brush followed by another soaked patch. Put some in a spray bottle to get to areas you can't access with other cleaning tools and just flood it in the tight spaces and wipe up the excess. The oil emulsifies in the water so that when the water evaporates it leaves the oil behind, so that anywhere the water goes it carries the oil with it.

Hot water will dissolve the corrosive salts in corrosive ammo.  I then take my weapon out back, and blow off 99% of the remaining water with an electric leaf blower.  Sounds stupid.  Is stupid.  But works GREAT.

Then clean normally and re oil.

Salt dissolves in water. Salt dissolves better in hot water.

Salt does not dissolve well in oil.  Adding secret ingredients does not make salt dissolve in water better.

People just don't want to accept that there is  no magic to it, but there really is no magic to it.

Rinse your gun in water, preferably hot.  Dry thoroughly.  That is all.

Now, there are surfactants that reduce the surface tension of water and make it "wetter".  These "wetting agents" may make the water flow into smaller areas, with greater ease, but have no effect on salt's solubility.  I accept there may be a theoretical benefit to using a surfactant.  One common surfactant is soap.  Another is alcohol.  Add alcohol to a freshly-poured soda and the fizz rapidly diminishes.  This is because the carbon dioxide bubbles lose their surface tension and collapse.   I use soap, because it also emulsifies oil.  

Adding a surfactant to your water doesn't hurt anything, but I submit  there is no demonstrable effect on dissolving salt.  All it does is placate those who can't accept that plain ole' water is all they need.

I realize I'll probably take some flak for this or get some DERP faces, but I just use hot water.

I pour it through the barrel, action, and gas block and then blow dry the weapon and leave it out in the hot sun.

Never had any rust even when I just run water through it and don't lube it/clean it right away.

How about the salts underneath carbon build up? Flushing won't get underneath.

Some people can't accept the simple solution.  Just wash it in water.

2 Kings 5 New International Version (NIV)
Naaman Healed of Leprosy

5 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.[a]

2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” .. . .

10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

So you wouldn't worry about salts under carbon? If you say so that's good enough for me.

What are you thinking about - the crud at the muzzle and inside the brake?  I can't think of any other place on the gun where carbon buildup is a challenge to remove under basic field cleaning.  Scrape regularly and you'll not have any buildup to worry about (one reason I detest solderd muzzle devices).

Using water to rinse corrosive salts is just that and nothing more.  Regular cleaning & oiling is still indicated.  While soap and water will clean a lot of the rifle (soap as an emulsifier for the oil residue), you may have to take a cleaning rod and a  toothbrush from time to time.

I find using Dawn detergent with the water as hot as you can stand works best.

Why would you get flak for that? It's a commonly used method. I clean my black powder muzzleloader that way, never had any corrosion. (I add Dawn dishwashing detergent to the equation).

The key is to make sure the water dries quickly.

I never try to underestimate the Armchair commandos

Seems to me there's three options for a 'quick clean' of corrosive ammo:

-Hot water & Balistol mix, just let it dry and whatever Balistol is left is your lube.

-Hot water only, let dry, then spray with Remington Oil.

-Hot soapy water, let dry, lube with a good CLP.

If you grease your rails there shouldn't be any need to regrease them on every cleaning. I've used both TW25 and plain old synthetic wheel bearing grease, neither rinses off.  One thing I always take time to do is run a brush thru the chamber, and since I'm pulling the bolt & carrier to do that I give them a quick wipe down & relube. I used to clean the barrel after every trip but after talking with others and reading tips here I now only occasionally clean my barrel.

Remove furniture, Hotsy  parts washer at work, blow dry w/ compressed air, reassemble and lubricate as usual.
This also worked GREAT to remove the cosmoline from the Norinco AKs that we bought like cordwood  in the '80s

seems like the 80's was a better time except for the uncertainty that started developing for gun owners by the end of the decade.

Really fast? Hose the whole thing down with brake parts cleaner, use most of a can. Then hose the whole thing down with ATF. Dry with rag. Then set somewhere for the excess ATF to finish dripping out.

That does sound fast lol

Ballistol is not a 'magic ingredient'. The method already posted using it is the best way for your long-term confidence in corrosion prevention. One reason is the water:Ballistol emulsion has a higher ph than either ingredient alone, enabling it to not only dissolve and flush away the salts but to neutralize them. You use this emulsion as a wash more than an oil. As already stated, any place water can creep the emulsion is carried with it, which eliminates concerns for seams, joints or hidden places as long as you use it liberally. When the water element has evaporated, the gun is protected for an indefinite time until you can get around to using straight Ballistol as your 'CLP' which provides the necessary lubrication. As emergency/field measures, pouring just water on the gun, or for that matter just pissing on it, will have some effect on the corrosive salts. The other way with the Ballistol emulsion is the best and most comprehensive way.

Ballistol is apparently a little known panacea for firearms. It seems like it does everything protecting steel, wood and leather alike.

I've gotten efficent at corrosive cleaning at home with practice, takes about 30 minutes total when dealing with only 1 rifle.  

I use hot water and balistol.  I have 2 piece of plastic tupperware that helps.  One big one that is like a very large shoe box and a small one that sized for storing left over's.

1) fill the big tupperware with hot water, take it out on the back patio.
2) pour an unmeasured amount of Balistol in the water
3) field strip the rifle and dump the parts in the water, use the top cover to stir up the water and balistol and make sure they are well mixed.
4) hold the rifle upright with the muzzle in the water, use the small tupperware to pour the water/balistol mix down the bore, gas chamber and into the receiver for 5 minutes.
5) dump out the water in a mulch bed, towel dry the parts
6) snake out the bore
7) use some autoparts store grease to grease lube up the rifle and reassemble


I used to be more intimidated by the corrosive cleaning process but after doing it a bunch its actually quick and easy and forgiving.  Now if i'm not at home and don't have all the parts and balistol then that would be more challenging without the setup.