Wet Moly coating

[Conrad]

So now that some of y'all have been doing this a while, here are a few questions to help compare to, say hBN.

What kind of round count are you getting before needing to clean? Or how many til you simply say I'm going to clean now? Also how does the barrel clean?

How are ES/SD's?

Cold bore shots?

Bores looking good, no ill effects?

Thanks!

 

[zfk55]

Wet or dry, can you scratch the moly off your projectiles with your fingernail? Can it be removed with a rough towel? If so........ then the process wasn't at it's optimum anyway.

As for hBN, the difference is extreme. Moly is simply a topcoating that works well if the process is correct.
hBN , if it's a negative 10 micron or better, is factually a penetrating coating that, with a slurry sealed bore, outperforms moly. Every single firearm (With one exception) in our SP armoury is slurry sealed and fires nothing but hBN ICPs. We keep logbooks on every Swiss rifle, including cleaning data. That's where it gets very interesting making comparatives with the old entries on moly.

Sorry for breaking forum protocol using my Son's name/password. I'm not on the computer much anymore.
P

 

[Conrad]

I've coated using the wet moly method but have only barely begun shooting it in one rifle. All my other stuff is still hBN. I can tell you the wet moly provides a fantastic even coating that does not rub off. I like hBN but have trouble always getting a consistent coating across different bullet weights. Heavier bullets coat easier. I seem to have better results in a tumbler but then meplats tend to get abused. Thus why I'm starting to try wet moly. It seems to be more of an etching process and less dependent on impact.

I asked my questions just to get a little more confidence in it since I've started it. However I'm fully willing to figure it all out by myself. Barrels are expendable.

Thanks!

 

[snowpro440]

I bought the harbor freight tumbler . Dump in 500 sierra 107's a teaspoon of moly, 300 or so bb's , turn it on and walk away. Come back in 90 minutes and all done . Pull them out roll them in and old towel and bag them for shooting. Just too easy....Oh the friction is what helps the moly stick as they become a little warm when you take them out.

 

[Conrad]

Sounds like you are doing the dry method snow, correct me if I'm wrong. This topic is specifically about the wet method application using water.

Since it has been used by some for a while now I was hoping to get further feed back on actual shooting results, thus my previous questions above.

Thanks.

 

[arnie]

I ran out of time to read all this but I have been Moly coating for years using the Midway method with a vibrator tumbler .I tried the wet method a few years back and haven't been dry since 8) . It only takes about 1 hour with the vibrator but boy is it noisy .

 

[ericbc7]

Great tip on the applesauce jar ! Thanks!

 

[Mozella]

I bought the harbor freight tumbler . Dump in 500 sierra 107's a teaspoon of moly, 300 or so bb's , turn it on and walk away. Come back in 90 minutes and all done . Pull them out roll them in and old towel and bag them for shooting. Just too easy....Oh the friction is what helps the moly stick as they become a little warm when you take them out.

I pat mine dry and then roll them back and forth using a "skillet shake" in a SS baking pan lined with paper towels. Then I hit them with a heat gun which causes tiny drops of wet moly to come out of the hollow points as I shake them a little bit more. I let them cool, and then give them another treatment with the heat gun to be sure the inside is dry.

I confess to not knowing if letting the wet moly clog up the hollow point would cause any harm or not, but it seems to me that forcing it out couldn't hurt and might prevent a potential area of inconsistency.

 

[JDL]

I know this is an old thread (very good and informative I might add) but it made me think I might need to try this method. I tried this with about 50 Sierra 168 MK and was amazed! I stopped using moly due to reading about possible corrosion issues so I have a question.

As I have read that moly has a small amount of sulfur that may produce (with moisture) sulfuric acid that can cause corrosion, can this wet method possibly solve this problem?

I mean if the moly is mixed with water (saturated) as it tumbles would it not produce all the sulfuric acid it could produce. And if so, could it not be neutralized with baking soda or sodium bicarbonate? And wouldn't it be less likely to cause a corrosion problem?

Well, this is more than one question, but this sure got me thinking!

JD

 

[rimfiremac]

I use this method to moly coat.

I have a Tikka barrel that I shot, took off the action, didn't clean, forgot it most of the summer behind the back seat of my truck, found it, and bore scoped it- I saw no corrosion of any sort. I did clean it up a bit after that.

If I have any real concerns, I'll do one pass with a patch with Kroil as I finish a day. Haven't had an issue in cromoly barrels otherwise.

 

[JDL]

Rimfiremac,

Thanks. I've always read about the possibilities but haven't heard one seen any real world evidence. I live in the south and it's humid but if you care fore your guns no issue. But this moly thing I've always stayed away from due to concerns of corrosion.

I think I'll try it in a Ruger American I have in 300blk which with fast powders it copper fouls pretty bad. It wasn't really bad until I started using clays and universal powder with subsonic loads but with a 7 pitch barrel it has it quirks.

Anyway, I'm not going to try it in anything else until I tinker some. I would like to know what anyone thinks about my OP about the sulfuric acid though. Seems to me this wet method might rid the coating from the acidity thing. Who knows, but I'm not a chemist.

JD

 

[Idlplumb]

I know this is an old thread but I just wanted to clarify something. If I take a small jar, add water, moly and bullets and put the jar in a vibratory tumbler, that's all I need, right?

I've been shooting moly coated SMK 168s but want to try the TMKs and would like to moly coat those. If that's all I need, count me in!

 

[Idlplumb]

Anybody?

Also wanted to ask about shelf life....are wet coated bullets good to go if i coat a big batch and leave them on a shelf for a while or do things start going bad if they're stored for an extended period of time?

 

[mikegaiz]

I have had great results with the wet method for Moly. I put a foam block in my rotary tumbler with a hole cut in the middle for a 1 Lbs. empty plastic powder jug. I first tumble a batch of bullets (around 200) in a jug with HOT water and some dawn disk detergent, for about 15 min. Then rinse with HOT water. then dump them into a different Jug add Half Teaspoon Moly, fill with HOT water to cover bullets by about one inch, Tumble for around 20 min and check. Should look like shiny dark chrome. Then strain bullets out dumping the Moly water into a different Jug to reuse on next batch (back in main moly jug. You need three one Lbs. jugs (1 for wash, one for coating, 1 for recycle of moly water. Usually add more Moly and more HOT water for next batch to coat. I then rinse the coated bullets thoroughly dump into old towel or T-shirt to dry. Back in storage bow and done.

 

[eddyverhoeven]

I use the wet moly method exclusively now and I had some leftovers from last years' session. The bullets were still looking as shiny as the day I coated them. I am thoroughly hooked to this method.
Ed

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

Only way imo to coat bullets with Moly

 

[rimfiremac]

Anybody?

Also wanted to ask about shelf life....are wet coated bullets good to go if i coat a big batch and leave them on a shelf for a while or do things start going bad if they're stored for an extended period of time?

Moly plated bullets are no more or less susceptible to corrosion or greening than an uncoated bullet is- keep them dry, they'll be fine, if stored in a humid place then time will eventually see some green.

 

[thekriebles]

Moly plated bullets are no more or less susceptible to corrosion or greening than an uncoated bullet is- keep them dry, they'll be fine, if stored in a humid place then time will eventually see some green.

Agree with post above. I have "wet"-moly bullets approaching 7-8 years with no signs of corrosion. Maintaining proper humidity levels in storage areas is very important.

 

[Idlplumb]

So I tried this, moly with water enough to mostly cover bullets into a 1lb container sitting in my vibratory tumbler (loud as hell!). Got moly coated bullets but it's more dull and does get my hands dirty but doesn't rub off the bullets.

Right now, I'm trying with more water, this time, it's just about boiling, and thoroughly washed before hand. Hopefully these will come out shinier and won't dirty my fingers like I'm reading about.

 

[urbanrifleman]

The trick is to polish the bullets in a cookie sheet after coating.

Get yourself a large cake pan with a large flat bottom and at least a 3 inch side. Line the bottom with several layers of paper towels. Make the towels go up the side of one of the ends. After drying the bullets for the most part pour them into the cake pan on top of the paper towels. Now use a sliding motion on top of the counter top, sliding the pan in fast jerking motions. The bullets slide on the towels and flip at the end of the pan. Like shaking a pan while you are cooking. Do this for a minute and the bullets will start to polish. Then change the towels and do it again. They will shine up like black chrome.