Anyone seen MOLY?
- Thread starter sw282
- Start date
Not to start a pi-----g match, but moly is a fad that has gone away. Most shooters found very little advantage to it and some disadvantages.
Not so. Many folks still shoot them, and they can still be bought ready coated or you can obtain moly from several sources and coat your own. It is far from being a fad.
10XSHOOTER
Gold $$ Contributor
MOLY WORKS! Coat your own! + velocity, less pressure, easier to clean.
I have a bunch of them down in my basement. I put them on gunbroker 5-6 years ago w/no takers. If someone is interested in them I'd sell them. I tried them but never saw a gain worth the tears. The only thing I like moly in is a 17-223 722 w/douglas barrel with 30 grain bergers that I actually got with a 17 mach IV xp 100 rifle. The mach IV didn't like them at all but the 17-223 loves them.
Same results here,
I have barrels with over 6000 rounds through them and they still hold great waterline out long and I have yet to see any adverse affects from moly.
I once cleaned a TR/matchrifle shooters barrel for him he had never actualy gave it a real clean from the time he had it fitted to his action.
Now this shooter in his day was no slouch has several records to his name now inside this barrel was red and black spiral bit like a parbers poll the only thing he ever did was after each round was patch out with hoppes 9 and 1 dry patch after.
This barrel had 4000 round of 208gr amaxes running on reloader 17 and you guessed it MOLY COATED after cleaning the barrel looking through the borscope there was no pitting in the bore and it was still shiny as and it never shot any good after that clean.
Cheers Trev.
While the purpose of moly use was to reduce a fouling issue (copper), it added a longer term fouling issue too difficult for most to manage. This being that you can't practically remove it, and it can build to problem.
Also, due to latent heat of vaporization, moly reduces muzzle velocity.
Other coatings available serve to reduce copper, without affecting MV, and clean right out.
IMO, it doesn't really make sense for bullet makers to go through the trouble to continue merchandising moly.
Where there are die-hard moly fans, they will just coat there own & manage it's use themselves.
Where there are other coating users, they will want uncoated bullets to begin.
All others will buy uncoated.
So sales of moly coated have likely waned for a while now.
Also, due to latent heat of vaporization, moly reduces muzzle velocity.
Other coatings available serve to reduce copper, without affecting MV, and clean right out.
IMO, it doesn't really make sense for bullet makers to go through the trouble to continue merchandising moly.
Where there are die-hard moly fans, they will just coat there own & manage it's use themselves.
Where there are other coating users, they will want uncoated bullets to begin.
All others will buy uncoated.
So sales of moly coated have likely waned for a while now.
I use it for hot rounds like the 243 and 6.5-284 to extend barrel life otherwise I don't since it's a messy process.
Dusty, have you ever tried using a Moly coating on your bullets?
Ben
Ben
If you are going to try moly use the wet method to coat your bullets. No mess and does a great job.
I coat mine in a cheap rock Tumblr from Harbor freight using the wet method very simple not messy at all once you have your steps down so cheap and I am happy with the results I shoot these bullets through a 6.5 x 2 84 Norma the first barrel lasted about 1100 rounds now that I’ve use Molly throughout the life of my second barrel I am at 1600 rounds and doing fine
I use moly, if I coat the bore I don't coat the bulletts, if I coat the bulletts I don't coat the bore. My 223 with 40 grain Hornady gets 3,900 FPS, my 6MM Remington with 75 grain Hornady gets 3,900 FPS. As best I can tell there had been problems with using too much.
The seemed to be some contention about moly. I can only speak from my experiance. When you think you have enough to coat your bore you probably have way too much. Coating the bulletts is not an issue I do a large batch at one time it helps with justifying the effort.
You have to rework your loads from non coated status but it extended my shot strings from about 10 shots before cleaning was required to an unknown value. I have shot 40 rounds with either rifle with no reduction in accuracy. It may have gone longer but testing it farther had no value for me. I clean vigorously and dry patch the bore more than usual.
I've been using moly for years, but for an entirely different reason that has been mentioned so far. I coat the bullets to give me very close to identical seating pressure as measured with a 21st Cen. psi gage. Whatever benefits occur in the bbl. is secondary to me. With that said, I'm doing some testing with HBN to possibly replace moly.
I hope this helps,
Lloyd
I hope this helps,
Lloyd
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
I go way back with Moly 30 years give or take.
I shot in the Mid West then, a Guy that made Barrels Boots Obermeyer was Bullish on it.
In those day's Boots was the Man to beat at a High Power Match. If Boots did it most would do like wise.
I never had any Trouble when using it over the years. I can only claim one thing I thought of ?
It took a little more powder to get to Velocity and maybe number two, bullets would not a hear to case necks ?
As new bullets came along with less and less Bearing Surface Moly went to resale Ad ,for me.
Cleaning the Barrel maybe easier ? Your Hands and work bench not so.
I shot in the Mid West then, a Guy that made Barrels Boots Obermeyer was Bullish on it.
In those day's Boots was the Man to beat at a High Power Match. If Boots did it most would do like wise.
I never had any Trouble when using it over the years. I can only claim one thing I thought of ?
It took a little more powder to get to Velocity and maybe number two, bullets would not a hear to case necks ?
As new bullets came along with less and less Bearing Surface Moly went to resale Ad ,for me.
Cleaning the Barrel maybe easier ? Your Hands and work bench not so.
That's good information to have, I never looked at it that way. Since I use an US cleaner to clean my brass, there is no carbon residue in the neck.
Even though I neck turn all my brass and hold sub .0002 and anneal after every firing I will still get variances in seating pressure. Not a lot, but enough to make me look for a cure. So far, Moly is doing that. If HBN proves out to give me that same result, I'll start using that instead.
Lloyd
the force to seat a bullet or pull a bullet should be equal to friction coefficient x normal force, where the normal force = the hoop stress x the area of contact between bullet and neck.
Longtrain
Gold $$ Contributor
My 2 cents, never used Moly, but did use WS2 on my F-TR rifle. Coated them in a mayo jar with BB’s in my rotary tumbler.
Did it work? I guess, gun shot great or was that just me learning to shoot F-TR at LR better? The 308 barrel lasted over 3000 rounds shooting hot heavy loads, should have gone further, maybe?
So, as you can see my limited experience did not quantify an obvious reason to coat bullets, besides it was a PITA doing it, sure they looked neat, but was there a real reason that showed up on paper?
I don’t use it any longer and my rifles shoot great naked. There’s my answer on coating. If you coat your bullets and you are happy with the results have at it. FWIW, I can’t recall anyone at the LR matches that I attend shooting coated bullets.
Did it work? I guess, gun shot great or was that just me learning to shoot F-TR at LR better? The 308 barrel lasted over 3000 rounds shooting hot heavy loads, should have gone further, maybe?
So, as you can see my limited experience did not quantify an obvious reason to coat bullets, besides it was a PITA doing it, sure they looked neat, but was there a real reason that showed up on paper?
I don’t use it any longer and my rifles shoot great naked. There’s my answer on coating. If you coat your bullets and you are happy with the results have at it. FWIW, I can’t recall anyone at the LR matches that I attend shooting coated bullets.
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