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Anybody DIY moly coating?
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Picture of nightwalker uk
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Looking at past topics plenty of shooters are for moly and probably more against it.

Personaly I have been using it for about 3 years and am getting great results, carefull with barrel cleaning and the correct use of Kroil though.

My main dilema is that I now want to have a go at doing the moly myself, have researched it but would like to hear what europeans are using to degrease their bullets - in the USA alot use 'Dawn' dishwasher soap, whats being used over here, don't really want to tumble bullets in untreated corn media (would mean purchasing another bowl for tumbler etc) and don't like media ending up in hollowpoint tips - though haven't found this to effect accuracy.

Anyones thoughts would be appretiated, going to try the "peening" in jars, in the tumbler, anybody do this?
 
Posts: 418 | Location: Derbyshire, England | Registered: 09 January 2005Reply With Quote
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I use the Lyman Kit. It has super fine moly and does not need to be waxed. If I open a new box of bullets I moly coat them without any cleaning if the bullets are in new and non-oily condition. Older bullets are cleaned wtih Dawn or a mild dish detergent! I have not had any super oxidized bullets yet. IF I did I would place them in multiple holed bowl,like the one you use to rinse vegetables, and place them in the dishwasher.


Focus on the leading edge!
 
Posts: 453 | Location: Louisiana by way of Alaska | Registered: 02 November 2004Reply With Quote
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Frowner Big negative comments on molycoating on some other forums. Apparently there are reports of unusual barrel corrosion. Will try and find the link (edited) for general interest.

Rgds Ian


Just taking my rifle for a walk!........
 
Posts: 1306 | Location: Devon, UK | Registered: 21 August 2001Reply With Quote
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Cool

Nightwalker,

This is your lucky day if you are serious about the Moly.

I used the original Lyman 600 Tub for moly treating bullets when I upgraded my Lyman 600 tumbler with their 1200 retro-tub kit. My experience is that the Lyman tubs pretty much fit all of their tumblers. I purchased some liquid Moly to treat barrels, some powder moly for the tub and ceramic media. It has worked just fine for me.

As for degreasing I used four-five layers of kitchen roll, spread the bullets around on it and poured some rubbing alcohol over them. Sorta rubbed them around a bit. not ecxactly scientific but as degreasing for bullets with minimum "grease" on them to begin with - worked fine.

Net, after doing this a couple of times just couldn't be bothered to continue as quite frankly I don't perceive any added value. Accuracy is on par with non-Molyed bullets and my barrels are never that dirty to require extreme measures to clean anyway.

If you want to go to a PM venue to discuss purchasing my Tub, Media, Liquid & Powder Moly I'm sure we can come to a suitable arrangement at a siginificant retail discount.

Since we are both in the EU your moly equipment kit is only a postal trip away!


Cheers,

Number 10
 
Posts: 3433 | Location: Frankfurt, Germany | Registered: 23 December 2004Reply With Quote
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Guys.

As promised, I took a trawl back through the net – being fairly certain I had noted a few negatives regarding the use of `Moly.´

Having never used either precoated bullets or moly kits, I have no particular beef with the product. However, it is a nice thing to be aware of any potential downsides to a process or advice to enhance its usage.

Nightwalker noted he had researched before settling down with moly use - for those considering it, here is a condensed version of the subject's pros and cons:

http://www.benchrest.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-383.html have a lengthy thread on the topic with both view points.

******** Regarding barrel corrosion caused by Moly ******
Any moly is corrosive if it does not contain an inhibitor to neutralize the naturally occurring acidic quality of the moly. Dry moly is particularly bad as it is chemically impossible to add an inhibitor to dry moly. Even the most highly refined and pure moly will contain (among other compounds/elements) some Sulfur and Sulfur Dioxide (S02). When the Sulfur or Sulfur Dioxide is exposed to the humidity in air, it combines with water vapor to form Sulfuric Acid (H2S04) which then immediately attacks any metal. The higher the humidity the more acid is formed and the more corrosion which takes place. One cannot detect this corrosion by simple examination as it takes place between the moly crystal and the substrate and is hidden by the moly crystal covering it. Corrosion can only be seen by first removing all moly thereby exposing the corrosion to view. Those who fire bullets coated with dry moly will have little corrosion as long as firing is being done as the heat from firing drives off the moisture. However, as soon as a firing session stops and there upon cools down, water vapor will begin to be absorbed by the moly and corrosion begins. And, the longer between firing sessions, the more corrosion which will take place. The corrosive properties of uninhibited or dry moly have been well documented by military testing as far back as 1968. *******

http://www.snipercountry.com/MolyGetOut.htm
A STUPID CORROSION TEST.... A few months ago, I got castigated for doing a "stupid test" on the corrosion of steel by Moly and water. I still have the info and will post it here. You don't have to believe it or agree with me but, if you are interested, you can easily repeat the test to see if you get the same results.
MOLY/WATER AND CORROSION.... I have performed a Moly/Water Slurry corrosion test on one of my Contender carbine barrels. The picture shows the etched spot on the underside of the barrel just forward of the forearm hanger. I sanded the bluing off of the area and placed the mixture on the spot and waited 1 day. The surface was etched and is rough to the touch. When I get a chance, I will try to measure the surface height with a dial indicator. I am not sure if I have the accuracy with my cheap indicator to do the job. You can test any barrel that you might be concerned about to see if there could be a problem. I would suggest that if you shoot Moly bullets in a regular Chrome-Moly (4140) steel barrel in wet weather, that you clean and oil the barrel the first chance you get. A similar test on my Encore 22-250 Imp/40° stainless steel barrel showed no corrosion attack at all.
CONDENSED MOISTURE.... I did another test to simulate a cold rifle being carried into a warm room. I took my piece of mild steel and machined a new surface and polished it. Then I put some powdered Moly on a piece of paper and rubbed the steel on the Moly powder until it was well coated. I took a cloth and wiped vigorously all the Moly off I could, but it was still well coated and shiny Moly. I left the piece of steel for one week and it stayed as shiny Moly as at first. No corrosion or attack of any kind. Next, I put the piece of steel in the freezer for 30 minute and than took it out and let it set in open air. A thin layer of moisture condensed on the steel. Two hours later it was etched where the Moly shiny surface was and also rust was present. (On earlier tests with the Moly/water slurry, there was NO rust. I suspect that there was sulfuric acid present that dissolved the iron oxide to form iron sulfate and no brown rust was evident at all.) So the condensed moisture on the Moly caused both etching and then it proceeded to rust the steel. There was not enough sulfuric acid IMHO to convert the rust to iron sulfate. (This is speculation.) Another very important part of the condensed moisture test was that the areas not coated by the Moly showed no rust or any other corrosion attack by the thin layer of moisture.

Remember, that if you have stainless steel barrels, there are none of these corrosion problems. In my book, it sure makes me want to buy only stainless steel barrels from now on, not only because they last longer, but because of their resistance to corrosion.

KROIL PROTECTS THE STEEL.... I performed another test. I used the same piece of mild steel and machined a fresh surface. I rubbed in the Moly and after a few hours, rubbed it with a cloth wetted with Kroil to simulate a cleaning patch going through the barrel. I rubbed it dry with a second cloth. I let this set for another few hours and then I put the steel in the freezer for 30 minutes and removed it to the room. Moisture condensed on the surface. The Kroil-treated Moly surface did NOT rust or etch. It appears that the Kroil prevents the condensed moisture from attacking the Moly/steel surface. This needs more testing, but it appears that cleaning a blued steel barrel with patch wet with Kroil would protect the barrel in cold or wet weather from the Moly/Water corrosion problems. There are probably other oils and cleaning agents that would also work as well as Kroil, but I had it available for testing. Also, the ammonia and the basic nature of Sweet's 7.62 would probably neutralize any acid effects of the Moly/Water combination.
FIVE POINTS TO CONSIDER.... Here are the five points that can be made about this set of crude experiments:

Point 1. Stainless steel (416) is not attacked, corroded, or etched with a mixture of Moly and tap water applied directly to an unprotected surface in 24 hours.
Point 2. If one has a stainless steel barrel and shoots Moly-coated bullets and shoots in wet or cold weather, there is probably not a corrosion concern with that barrel even though small amounts of water could come in contact with the Moly in the barrel.

Point 3. Chrome-Moly (4140) steel is attacked and etched with a mixture of Moly and tap water in as little time as one day and probably less. The etched surface is rough to the touch and is not a surface I would want in the bore of any of my rifle barrels.

Point 4. If one has a Chrome-Moly (4140) steel barrel and shoots Moly-coated bullets and shoots in cold or wet weather, there could be a problem with corrosion if moisture condenses on the Moly surface. If you have a concern, you can easily test your own barrel steel on a small area somewhere hidden on the bottom side to see if there is actually a corrosion problem.
Point 5. If you are shooting a Chrome-Moly (4140) steel barrel and Moly-coated bullets in cold and/or wet weather, you should clean and oil the barrel right after you return from the range.

I SHOOT MOLY-COATED BULLETS.... I shoot Moly-coated bullets and will continue to do so. They are great and shoot very well without cleaning after a few shots. This is very important in the small calibers like the 17's. I used to have to clean to preserve accuracy after 20 or so rounds, but can now, in most cases, shoot five times that many rounds before a noticeable reduction in accuracy occurs. I sure am going to clean and oil my blued steel barrel after shooting Moly bullets in wet or cold weather. I don't own any Moly stock and am not being paid by any Moly company, nor have I been given any free samples. I hope I am not frightening anyone into not using Moly-coated bullets. They work very well for me and I will continue to use them. If I help prevent someone from ruining a barrel by neglecting it after a wet weather hunt, then that is a plus. That's my payoff. Good Moly Bullets from Varmint Al.
http://www.hartbarrels.com/F_A_Q.shtml

Hope this was of some interest, though not directly on topic.

Rgds Ian


Just taking my rifle for a walk!........
 
Posts: 1306 | Location: Devon, UK | Registered: 21 August 2001Reply With Quote
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