Moly in the barrel. From your experience

[Jose_Luis_G]

I'm now cleaning my barrels with an electrolysis process.
Never thought to see so much copper and dirt, since I was convinced that was making an efficient job with copper solvents, patches and so on.
My question is simple.
Do you know if the electrolysis process removes the moly as well?
I think it does, but I'd like to have your experienced opinion.

 

[calgarycanada]

Mind sharing your setup/process?

 

[JRS]

I'm not certain about removing moly, but have a friend using the electrolysis process to restore old marine equipment, artifacts and coins. The process removes corrosion, rust and metal.

 

[Jose_Luis_G]

The process is very simple.
The power comes from a telephone charger, say around 5 volts DC, never more.
You must close the chamber end with a rubber or a cork, no matter what, and then fill the barrel with the following:
10 cc of tap water
10 cc of white vinegar
10 cc of ammonia <5% solution
All in all 30 cc is enough for most barrels. If not, you must prepare a larger amount, always based on the 1/3 each rule.
You have to prepare a thin rod with rubber rings at intervals, to avoid touching the inside of the barrel walls. Also at the end inside the barrel, to have it fully isolated from the barrel walls.
Adjust a plastic funnel in the muzzle so the above liquid does not leak.
Then insert the rod through the funnel and conect the negative lead from the battery charger.
Watch the liquid level for overfilling.
The positive goes to the barrel itself.
In a couple seconds you will see the liquid like boiling.
Some foam will come up as it boils, whilst the liquid turns blue and carbon particles start to float.
In 5 to 10 minutes the process is over and the liquid is dark blue.
The rod will change into black, which can be easily cleaned with Scotch Brite or similar.
The inside of the barrel is also black and must be cleaned also, with patches or felt pads as commonly done, with Ballistol Kleber or the oil you may use.

Remarks:
The above method is for copper and carbon removal.
If you want to remove rust, then swap polarity, i.e. negative to barrel and positive to the rod.
Never use car batteries or anything above 5 volts.

 

[Changeling]

Jose will this setup remove carbon like in a carbon ring in the barrel?

 

[Jose_Luis_G]

Jose will this setup remove carbon like in a carbon ring in the barrel?

Yes, I think so. In fact, what you see in the process, is a lot of blue coming up with the bubbles as well as small black spots.
It is not difficult to guess that the black ones are carbon.
What I cannot say at the moment is how long does it take to remove it all.
Just to let you know, when I clean my barrels after a shooting sesión, the first thing I put through is a couple patches soaked in 50% detergent for dishes (hand wash) and 50% tap water.
This way I have never experienced such carbon ring you describe.
To me that happens more in muzzleloaded rifles, and the only way to get rid of it is washing as described above.

 

[Brians356]

You have to prepare a thin rod with rubber rings at intervals, to avoid touching the inside of the barrel walls. ... Then insert the rod through the funnel and conect the negative lead from the battery charger.

What's this rod made of?

 

[LHSmith]

I'd be leery that process gets the barrel too clean. Remember it (almost always) takes a certain amount of fouling laid down in the bore before repeatable accuracy can be achieved. Think about it -Matches are not won with ultra-clean bores. Too clean and it just takes more fouling shots to condition the bore. A carbon ring is not the same as carbon fouling. If you are not attacking it immediately after the days agg has been fired while the barrel is still warm, the only means to remove it is by mechanical means or JB or Iosso on a brush or patch.
Most shooters never realize they have a carbon ring forming in the throat and look elsewhere when they start developing accuracy issues.
On the Moly question- which moly? Molybdenum Disulfide, Boron Nitride, or Tungsten Disulfide?

 

[Jose_Luis_G]

You have to prepare a thin rod with rubber rings at intervals, to avoid touching the inside of the barrel walls. ... Then insert the rod through the funnel and conect the negative lead from the battery charger.

What's this rod made of?

You can use simple iron or stainless steel. It is not relevant.
Avoid the use of brass or copper.

 

[Jose_Luis_G]

I'd be leery that process gets the barrel too clean. Remember it (almost always) takes a certain amount of fouling laid down in the bore before repeatable accuracy can be achieved. Think about it -Matches are not won with ultra-clean bores. Too clean and it just takes more fouling shots to condition the bore. A carbon ring is not the same as carbon fouling. If you are not attacking it immediately after the days agg has been fired while the barrel is still warm, the only means to remove it is by mechanical means or JB or Iosso on a brush or patch.
Most shooters never realize they have a carbon ring forming in the throat and look elsewhere when they start developing accuracy issues.
On the Moly question- which moly? Molybdenum Disulfide, Boron Nitride, or Tungsten Disulfide?

I was thinking of Molybdenum Disulfide.
You are right to what fouling is concerned, but from my experience, it is also important to do this once in a while, to make sure that fouling is not growing out of control.
Anyway, I use to leave traces of Ballistol Kleber in the barrel -when ordinary cleaning- so that the first shot of the next session does not find a clean dry barrel.
In fact, the first shot of the session goes to the same place where the last day's was. Straight to shooting without precleaning the residual Ballistol.