Wet Moly

[BHP9]

Don't forget that Moly is HYGROSCOPIC meaning that it absorbs moisture which in turn , if the firearm isn't cleaned right away, you can get the dreaded rust.

 

[rlporter507]

Ive been dry moly coating for 20+ years for my SR, shooting the same load and bullets. I tried the wet process, and they come out black chrome, no mess loading. I had trouble getting them consistent, first batch would be nice, second batch came out mottled. im sure it was my process, i used the same water just adding a little more moly each time. I went back to the dry process with the neco kit. my loads shoot fine and cleaning is ok.

 

[David Milisock]

There were (are?) a lot of folks who bought into the idea that you don't have to clean your barrel when using moly due to some articles that circulated of guys shooting 1,000 rounds when using moly and just running a dry patch down the tube. Personally, I think a normal cleaning regimen is in order, though using moly does extend cleaning if one wishes to do so. The accumulation of copper and, to a lesser degree, carbon buildup - is lessened. But some folks also apply moly WAY thicker than it should be applied (maybe thinking more is better?). if they also subscribe to the "never clean your gun" doctrine - I'd not be a bit surprised to see a barrel not shoot well.

I don't compete, I shoot hyper velocity 6MM Remington and 223 Remington in a Remington 700 and a Howa 1500 respectively for varmints in terraced farm fields.

Moly has significantly extended the shot count of my account shot strings, however I clean the rifles after shooting. From my experiance if you're having an issue with moly it's most likely the application process.

Moly advice runs from bad to good like the internet advice on lubricating an M1 Garand or a 30 Carbine. You'll see M1's and 30 Carbines with wads of grease on them, choking on built up powder dirt beforeyou get to 100 rounds. For over 40 years I ran mine greased with a wipe down of a rag. My 30 Carbines for the last five years have only used dry lubricants and my longest shots string with my QMC Carbine has been 500 rounds in a session. That was a great improvement, they're gassy dirty little pigs!

My 2 AR's use dry lube.

Let me suggest this, if you coat the projectiles, don't coat the bore and visa versa.

 

[searcher]

Great testimony here! Thank you: my biggest concern was cleaning. Didn’t know how to go about it: seems like the most consistent way , like you mentioned was to clean…well, till the barrel is clean and then use a dozen or so shots to foul it in and get to work.

While each rifle bore is in a different state of condition and smoothness, the number of fouling shots differs quite a bit. In two of my rifles, I only fire about three or four. That number of 12 shots I cited is on the outer edge of what might be needed in some rifles with rough bores- probably not the norm with the barrels most guys are using in matches and such.

 

[searcher]

Moly is one of those things that when you apply it, if you think you have enough, you most likely have waaaay too much.

And if the moly coating isn't shiny, it is assured there is way too much moly on the bullet.

 

[alf]

And if the moly coating isn't shiny, it is assured there is way too much moly on the bullet.

You can't put too much moly on a bullet.

If you're getting an ugly ass matte finish that looks like layers, that's a humidity and/or a degreasing problem.

 

[searcher]

Don't forget that Moly is HYGROSCOPIC meaning that it absorbs moisture which in turn , if the firearm isn't cleaned right away, you can get the dreaded rust.

This is one of the items I meant to address in my lengthy post. There had been a number of folks citing this "fact" as reason to not use moly in the past. I have left moly in the chrome moly barrels of my factory rifles (aside from my stainless-steel tubes) which are most susceptible to corrosion, and I have never seen any rust form in them. And I have always bore-scoped my rifles pretty regularly. I had read the same "reports" and wanted to be sure I didn't have issues. When I apply moly on copper bullets and they sit there for ten+ years with no corrosion in an open-air container, that tells me a lot about how "hygroscopic" the moly is (or isn't). That also goes for loaded ammo, where more electrolysis would be expected between bullet and brass. I encountered far LESS electrolysis with moly coated bullets than bare copper bullets. I have pulled bullets that I had loaded 15 years prior for various reasons and corrosion was not an issue. If moly is hygroscopic, I fail to understand why my findings of having used this stuff for around 20 years says it is not. I live in an environment of average humidity - not a desert. Maybe the folks citing this can take a look at their own unused moly-coated bullets and/or unused moly-coated ammo and inspect it for themselves.

 

[ricco1949]

I've used wet moly for 20+ years....mostly PDn.

I clean the same way as I do with bare bullets...down to bare metal . It usually takes a few final passes with Flitz to remove the remaining dark spots in the grooves.which could even be carbon....hard to tell.

The big difference is that a moly bullet PDn rifle may have 100s of shots on it in a day without cleaning. The most I ever fired is 350 without cleaning. That 20VT just kept on pounding PDs until the very end with no discernable loss of accuracy.

I've not experienced any need to do extra fouling shots when doing load development....1-2 has always been sufficient.

 

[searcher]

You can't put too much moly on a bullet.

If you're getting an ugly ass matte finish that looks like layers, that's a humidity and/or a degreasing problem.

Technically (to a degree) you are right that you can't put "too much" moly on a bullet - it is, however, relative to how much excessive buildup you will want to clean out of your rifle. If you have a brake or tuner, it nice to not have to continuously be cleaning them due to excessive moly build up - and spitting built-up "chunks" of it out a side-discharge brake into the shooter next to you. I remember the sprays that some guys used, spraying coats so heavy that their neck tension changed each application. I do disagree with the degreasing or humidity problem (at least in my experience) When I have dull bullets, it is because I have too much moly in my tumbler. Then, I add more bullets and the bare bullets take on the excess, creating super-shiny bullets with my desired thin coating. I won't say humidity isn't a factor for some folks living in very humid areas, but I'm not in one of those areas. In my experience, when there is an issue with a degreasing problem, the moly does not want to stick either at all or in various spots on a bullet. If the bullet coated entirely and is dull, I'd say that is not an adhesion problem associated with degreasing. There is no benefit to using more moly than is needed to do the job - but to me, there are downsides to using too much - to which others might not even notice.

 

[danny]

Some do, some don't, I won't. Pass.....

I didn't (years ago) pass. I side-stepped the issue and went on without it. Anyway, I thought that the "moly ship" sailed a while ago and was out of sight over horizon??

Danny

 

[ricco1949]

I didn't (years ago) pass. I side-stepped the issue and went on without it. Anyway, I thought that the "moly ship" sailed a while ago and was out of sight over horizon??

Danny

HBN is probably this era's equivalent to moly. Is it better...maybe... but I don't know.

Moly's been working for me for 20+ years and it's hard to kick out a winner.

 

[urbanrifleman]

BAM!

Hard to dispute that.

If that happened, I am pretty sure there was more than moly in that barrel. Like... a lot more.

I have never seen such a thing in 30 years of shooting moly. David Tubb dominated highpower shooting moly for like, a decade. Walt Berger shot moly (as far as I know) right up until he passed away... He seemed pretty smart.

 

[urbanrifleman]

This is one of the items I meant to address in my lengthy post. There had been a number of folks citing this "fact" as reason to not use moly in the past. I have left moly in the chrome moly barrels of my factory rifles (aside from my stainless-steel tubes) which are most susceptible to corrosion, and I have never seen any rust form in them. And I have always bore-scoped my rifles pretty regularly. I had read the same "reports" and wanted to be sure I didn't have issues. When I apply moly on copper bullets and they sit there for ten+ years with no corrosion in an open-air container, that tells me a lot about how "hygroscopic" the moly is (or isn't). That also goes for loaded ammo, where more electrolysis would be expected between bullet and brass. I encountered far LESS electrolysis with moly coated bullets than bare copper bullets. I have pulled bullets that I had loaded 15 years prior for various reasons and corrosion was not an issue. If moly is hygroscopic, I fail to understand why my findings of having used this stuff for around 20 years says it is not. I live in an environment of average humidity - not a desert. Maybe the folks citing this can take a look at their own unused moly-coated bullets and/or unused moly-coated ammo and inspect it for themselves.

Same here. I have at my house Moly coated bullets that are in mason jars, some with the lids off, that have been sitting there for a decade and still look like the day I coated them.

This attracting water thing is total BS.

 

[searcher]

If that happened, I am pretty sure there was more than moly in that barrel. Like... a lot more.

I have never seen such a thing in 30 years of shooting moly. David Tubb dominated highpower shooting moly for like, a decade. Walt Berger shot moly (as far as I know) right up until he passed away... He seemed pretty smart.

I miss those days of being able to call him and discuss load recipes. May he RIP

 

[urbanrifleman]

I miss those days of being able to call him and discuss load recipes. May he RIP

A true pioneer.