With the same load and bullet, the moly coated bullets was about 100 fps slower. It took about 3% more powder to recover the lost velocity. I could get a little more velocity with the moly coated bullet, but not enough to justify the extra powder.
Moly coated bullets just give you another set of problems cleaning the barrel. None of the solvents on the market will act on the moly. You end up with alternating layers of moly and copper that are a pain to clean.
No noticable change in accuracy.
This was all done in 15 pound blueprinted Rem 700 in a McMillan Tooly MBR stock, Select match grade 28 inch barrel.
My conclusion - don't bother, moly is not worth trading one set of problems for another.
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PowderBurns Black Powder / Muzzle Loading Forum:
Just as with any reloading, start with the minimum load tables and work up. To achieve targeted velocities, you may find yourself above the maximum load tables. Keep looking for pressure signs and just make sure you do not switch back to copper jackets for the same load - very bad things can happen.
If you decide to shoot moly, make absolutely sure ALL copper is out of your barrel first. Sweets or CR-10 your barrel very well. You do not want to trap copper between your barrel and moly.
Z
I have several rifles with factory barrels that responded very well to moly, and several with custom barrels that don't seem to care. One factory rifle shoots phenominally well with moly, and is marginal at best without moly.
I have some advice for getting started with moly: first, the barrel must be completely clean, no copper or powder fouling should be left in the barrel; second, the barrel should be pretreated with moly, I use a commercially available oil/moly mixture, coat the bore with a wet patch of the stuff, and then run a dry patch to remove the excess; finally, moly by itself is a lubricant and posseses almost no preservative properties and so will not prevent corrosion, use the oil or an oil/moly mix to protect you barrels when you put your rifles away.
Moly is not a cure all for every rifle, and can adversly affect accuracy in the occasional rifle. The main thing is to determine how moly works in your rifle and whether the perceived benefits outweigh the additional trouble.
I have never considered velocity in developing loads, only accuracy. I just load within safe limits to find the most accurate load, and primarily chronograph to determine spreads, averages and deviations.
http://www.bergerbullets.com/faq.htm
Steve
If you decide to Moly Coat your own bullets, one tip I can give you that is hard to find out about is to "wash the bullets first". Some of the bullets we get are pre-washed and some are not. Any forming lube that remains on the bullet will make it difficult for the Moly to adhere properly.
I use Procter & Gambles "Dawn" dishwashing detergent in real hot water to cut through the oil. Let them soak for 20-30min, rinse in hot water and let dry in the sun. Then the Moly will go on easier and coat better.
One other trick concerns case prep. After chamfering the mouth, polish the mouth with "0000 Steel Wool" wrapped around a Bore Brush. Use a big enough piece of Steel Wool so that both the inside and outside of the case mouth jams into it. Just turn it by hand on a handle. No need to spin it in a drill. This keeps the case mouth from "stripping" the Moly off the bullet as you Seat it.
Here is the best article I've ever seen about Moly. It is long and quite detailed. Be sure to notice the amount of bullets through the hot 6.5mm with "no discernable loss of accuracy".
www.precisionshooting.com/aug98.html
Oh yes, one last thing. When you get through shooting. Clean the barrel and oil or grease the bore as you normally would with any rifle. Moly does not protect the barrel from moisture as some lubricants do. I use a Moly grease in my barrels after cleaning and it works fine.
Good hunting and clean 1-shot kills, Hot Core
[This message has been edited by Hot Core (edited 04-22-2001).]