I usually lube the bolt lugs and stem after cleaning my AK-47's but don't disassemble the bolt for detail cleaning because I haven't been firing corrosive ammo through them.  Now that I've acquired an AK-74 and will be firing 7N6 (corrosive) through it I'm wondering if I need to include that procedure after my range trips. Some sources state that the firing pin and firing pin channel should not be oiled (i.e. left dry).  Since I'll be using hot water to flush off the corrosive salts afterwards I'm curious what everyone has been doing to address the inside of the bolt after blasting with corrosive ammo.

Use something like Hornady One Shot. It'll protect the metal well after you've dried/driven away the water and it's a dry lube, so it won't gunk up the firing pin channel. It'll also protect the metal after subsequent range sessions until you get a chance to flush the rifle out.

Im not usually gay for gun products, but this stuff actually walks the walk.

Thanks for the replies guys.  Was hoping there was an acceptable solution to using something after rinsing the bolt assembly off with water.

Ballistol neutralizes corrosive ammo residue. The few time I have shot corrosive I just flushed it with some Ballistol and have had no problems.

Ballistol is more or less just mineral oil, it can't neutralize salts in and of itself. It's best use in this context is in an emulsion with water: the water dissolves and flushes away the corrosive salts while the Ballistol leaves behind a boundary layer of oil to protect the metal (partly from the water you just used to remove the salts).

I'd like to bring my original question back into focus here.  While I appreciate everyone's perspective about how to prevent corrosion, my question came about because some sources say that you should not place anything on the firing pin or in the bolt channel, and that it should be left dry (no products of any kind).  Conversely, others claim that it's okay to put lubes in those places.  I don't recall reading anything about the bolt being broken down for detailed cleaning in the field, but if I've overlooked that source, let me know.  

If anyone knows what the Russians advocated insofar as addressing this particular maintenance issue please point that out.  Feedback is more than welcome from shooters of corrosive 5.45 or 7.62 ammo in AK platforms that know what works best to ensure reliability and prevent corrosion in this area.

   

   

Your primary goal as a non-military AK owner is to preserve the gun. The military restrictions on oiling the FP bore are for good reason when weapons may be used in dusty, sandy conditions using unknown kinds of lubricants. For me, where the gun sits in a safe or cabinet for maybe years at a time, I'm mainly concerned with rust prevention. For that reason I will use a light oil or Ballistol on/in every metal surface or part in the gun. Cleaning after firing corrosive is best done with an emulsion of Ballistol:water at about 1:10. If the water is boiling hot, so much the better. Wash the whole gun with it, inside and out. Throw the bolt in it and soak for a few minutes. Take it out and drain. Drain all excess from gun and let it dry. Ballistol will be left behind after the water evaporates. The emulsion does dissolve, flush away and neutralize corrosive salts residue because the emulsion has a higher ph than either component separately. In this state the gun can be stored without being concerned over corrosion if necessary, but for more shooting or the best preservation you should go over it with straight Ballistol as your lube. Ballistol is not 'just' mineral oil. Try making an emulsion with 'mineral oil' and water. The so-called 'mineral oil' is really liquid paraffin (wax) that also will be the sole remainder after all volatiles have evaporated from Ballistol. It will never harden, turn to gum or even turn brown. Whatever else Ballistol has in it allows the emulsion to take place which makes it ideal for cleaning corrosive residue. It also is good for wood and plastics which means you can literally use it on the whole gun without concern.

Didn't say it was "just mineral oil," I said it was "more or less" just mineral oil. "White mineral oil" and "liquid paraffin" are terms often applied to the same substance, which happens to be the primary ingredient.

white mineral oil

1saxman, the first sentence of your reply hit the nail on the head for me.  I've never used Ballistol as the preservative agent before and instead have always followed up with Break-Free CLP for that step.  I'll try using Ballistol as you've suggested for the bolt assembly after taking the rifle to the range next time.

Ballistol has many ingredients. I don't presume to speak for the manufacturer and I don't know all the ingredients. What I do know is it is the best possible treatment for shooting corrosive ammo as I specified above. I've been an AK owner since 1996 and I have shot a lot of corrosive. You should use this method immediately if you get a parts kit because you don't know it's history. You should use it if there is any doubt about the ammunition. Better to be safe than sorry.

Stinky stuff!

I use ballistol for any rifle that may shoot corrosive and CLP for everything else. I can't say one is better than the other but I like the ballistol cause it's water soluable so a flush with hot soapy water (which is all you need to get out the salt) seems to take a lot of the dirt/carbon with it. I spend way less time after a flush cleaning up after ballistol than CLP.

For everything else, I like CLP cause I'm lazy, I usually just add a few drops here & there and don't actually clean til it needs it.

Any ballistol I use is gonna get flushed & replaced after every range trip, I'm not worried about long term protection. If I WERE packing a firearm away for LONG term storage in hot humid conditions I'd probably use a Breakfree or Hopps dedicated protection product.

I've never taken my bolt apart in any of my AKs. Most striker fire pistol manufacturers don't recommend getting oil in the firing pin channel as it may attract dirt/debris but I don't think that applies to the AK. My VZ-2008 carbine is striker fire and it gets oil (ballistol) on the firing pin on a regular basis.

Ballistol is only 'water-soluble' while in the liquid state. After the volatiles are gone, it's a soft waxy coating which is water repellant. After shooting corrosive, you should wash the gun with the emulsion ASAP, then use straight Ballistol for your CLP. And concerning the 'mineral oil' element, the guys who make it actually will drink it to show people who are touring the factory how non-toxic it is.

I switched to Ballistol years ago, out of concern for having other bore cleaners on my bare skin.  It's all I use these days.  Correct, you shouldn't have grease or oil in the bolt or on the firing pin...but with Ballistol a light coating on the pin and inside the bolt, then lightly wiped off will leave things protected without attracting dust and dirt and yet, will be shed water so you can poor water down the bolt, and down the barrel and gas block to neutralize corrosive salts.  Once home from the range, strip things down and clean everything with Ballistol so it's ready for the range again.  I love the smell too...ans use Ballistol all around the house, on wood stocks, in the truck and on the tractor.

Translated Soviet manual* has instructions for detail stripping of the bolt.



It also says the rifle should be detail striped when the rifle is excessively dirty or wet.



I'm not finding anything specific about leaving the bolt parts free from oil, and there the general procedure from the manual is to wipe everything down with oil after cleaning. The manual is big on decisions about what level of cleaning and disassembly is required being left to non-commissioned officers and/or officers. Since I'm my own armorer, I get to decide what's best for my rifle.

Given what I've read and my own experience shooting corrosive ammo, my answer is it depends. When I lived in New Mexico, with a normal humidity of 20%, I didn't do jack about corrosive ammo residue and I didn't see any rust. Now that I live in Oregon, I have to clean at the range or I get rust before I get home in the wet season. Up here, my normal procedure before heading home is to clean all powder fouling with soapy water, wipe dry, and oil with a good gun oil. After a couple three days I break down the rifle again and check for any rust spots. If I see rust, I redo the cleaning with soapy water, dry, and oil again. Repeat until there ain't any rust.

AJ

*Link to manual here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B09fZpC9S7gDMmYyMGI2Y2MtMzQ3MC00MDU3LTk0Y2ItYjBlZTNiNDc5NWE0/view?usp=sharing&authkey=CLT79qIH

I wipe the bolt / bolt face clean with Hoppes #9, a few drops of oil on the pin and blow out with compressed air.

Never a problem after shooting 7n6