Cleaning up after using corrosive ammo

[Emri]

There is no way to really clean a barrel after shooting corrosive ammo. You can use all the methods listed to reduce the corrosion but its still active. Short of using a chrome barrel, and that only on a bolt action rifle, corrosive ammo is a problem.

Corrosive priming mixtures that contain salt only need hot water to disolve and flush the salts from the bore. No residual effect after flushing.

The very early priming mixtures that contained mercury are as you stated. The mercury attacked the steel and created microscopic fissures that led to corrosion and early barrel failure. With the mercury primers, yes, there was a constant problem because you couldn't get all the mercury out. That is why they ditched mercuric primers early in the period of smokeless powder development. It rendered brass useless for reloading. During the black powder days it was never noticed, because they routinely cleaned with water to disolve the black powder residue and the black powder seemed to keep the mercury from attacking the steel of the barrel. With smokeless powder that protection was gone.

FWIW,

Emri