I know its been mentioned a few times on the internet but be on the lookout for lacquer coated Ukranian 7.62X39 123 FMJ sold by Wolf around 2013-2015.  There is a chance its corrosive.  The polymer coated stuff is fine.  It is in a black box similar to the below, which is the same as the polymer coated stuff except for some minor font and graphic size variation.

The boxes look very similar to this:


Rounds look like this:


Headstamp looks like this:

Did they just box up and rebrand some /mil rounds.

I don't believe so.  The projectile isn't steel core and I believe the Ukrainians use a M43 type steel core projectile.  I could be wrong though.

It corroded the shit out of one of my rifles in the span of 4 days.  Gun is ruined.  To Wolf's credit, it is replacing all the ammo and paying for the rifle.  Wolf has been excellent to deal with on the CS side.  Cant ask for much more than that.

Just to confirm before I called Wolf, i pulled the projectile on one of these as well as a GT, and a Tulammo round.  Detonated the primers over 3 screws and left one with nothing done to it as a control.  After two days outside in humid weather, the screw with the Ukrainian primer was rusted to shit.  Nothing wrong with any of the others... I wondered the same thing as you and cut the projectile in half but it didnt have a steel core.

This was after 12 hours.

Control (nothing done to the screw)


Golden Tiger


Ukranian Wolf

I thought Golden Tiger was the gold standard of AK ammo?

For those who are curious, the Cyrillic head stamp letters translate to "LPZ" or Lugansk (Ukraine) Patronny Zavod (Lugansk Cartridge Factory).

I recall the first of this mistakenly corrosive ammunition was in rather plain, generic white boxes. Had not seen it in "Wolf" branded boxes. Good to know.

What kind of rifle did it ruin?

Was it an AR, AK?

Chrome lined barrel?

Did it ruin just the bore or the BCG, receiver etc.?

Maybe you can take some comfort knowing this plant no longer exists!

It was captured by Russian backed insurgents and packed up and taken back into Russia as spoils of war!

PWS MK111 Mod2.  Barrel is not chrome lined.  Pitting inside and outside the barrel, on gas piston, in receiver extension, in gas block, on the bolt, and on the carrier.  Basically pitting on everyting except the receiver and charging handle

I called wolf about this couple of months ago. I got a case of Ukrainian 7.62 in a trade. The affected lot# is 58s and 59s

It is - this is about some older Ukraine 'Wolf' ammo.

Good to know. I had a bunch of white box. Didn’t realize any made its way into black boxes.
I know people say “just clean your guns”.

I carry an AK as a ranch gun. I work for a living and I’m busy. I can’t clean a gun every few days because I fired two rounds in a day.

Are you simply striking a pulled and quarantined primer as a firing pin would?

Is it still best to assume anything Berdan is corrosive?

No. Pulled the bullets from the case and dumped out all the powder.  Pulled a bolt out of an AK and put the empty case in the bolt face.  Put the empty case over the nail.  Hit the firing pin with a hammer.

Ive shot god knows how many thousands of rounds of steel case '39 and this is the only time I've ever been surprised with corrosive ammo that wasn't supposed to be corrosive.  I know it was a big issue 20 years ago but doesn't seem to be now.  I use '39 in my main hunting guns and only clean them every 500-1k rounds.  I do however test a few rounds out of each case now.  Haven't found any others to be corrosive. Im not too concerned with newer ammo.  If you have old stuff from the 80s and 90s sitting around, i would be very concerned.