Cleaning Moly

16 April 2001, 17:52

<JohnT>

Cleaning Moly

What is the verdict on using moly coated bullets and barrel cleaning? I have read that normal cleaning solvents will not remove Moly. That Moly forms a coating in barrel, will break down intos its constituent elements & can cause rust to form in barrels.

What products are out there to clean barrels when shooting Moly coated bullets?

17 April 2001, 02:07

DaveC

I have found that regular cleaning with normal products works just fine. I think that some people use moly believing that they can shoot more rounds without cleaning. Whether that is true or not, sooner or later your barrel will be too hot to continue smart shooting, that is a good time to take a break and clean things up. It will actually help cool the barrel a little faster.

17 April 2001, 02:45

Zero Drift

John T - good question. Moly has been in wide used for over 10 years. It was a concept developed and promoted by bench shooters in order to achieve better accuracy. By not needing to stop and clean every 10 or so rounds, barrels shot more consistently. Because of the small molecular formation of Molybdenum Disulfide it fills the smallest imperfections, gaps, and manufacturing marks and provides a very slippery surface which reduces friction and pressures within the barrel. Moly is not just for the bench shooters today. Almost all manufacturers offer molly coated bullets and there are a number of kits available to make your own.

Moly can extend the time between cleaning by as much as 100 rounds. Reduced friction does lead to cooler barrels and longer throat life. Bench and varmint shooters regularly use moly bullets, however, even larger hunting calibers are available in moly. Nosler, Barns, and others are providing moly in their hunting bullets.

As you noted, many solvents do not react with moly. The normal cleaning routine for moly is to use Sweets, Butches, Shooters Choice, or CR-10 to remove copper and powder fouling. Once you get a clean patch, use either J-B bore cleaner or USP bore paste in conjunction with Kroil. These are abrasives designed to pull moly from your barrel especially the fouling just in front of the throat. Kroil will help remove the moly as well as the J-B. It takes several cleaning routines with the solvent and J-B to properly clean your barrel.

If you decide to shoot moly, make absolutely sure that all copper has been removed from your barrel prior to shooting a moly bullet. Otherwise, copper will be trapped between the barrel and the moly. This can cause accuracy and corrosion problems. After shooting moly, I run a few patches of shooters choice through the barrel to remove powder fouling and an oil patch for insurance. Thatï¿½s it. I then shoot between 75 to 100 rounds or note a decrease in accuracy and clean as outlined.

Moly is safe to use. There is a lot of misinformation regarding its use. It was not designed to allow you to blaze away without any regard to barrel heating. It is just as easy to shoot out your throat with moly as it is with copper bullets. Seek the advice of bench shooters at your local gun club. They know more about it than anyone. It is not a magic cure for accuracy. I have switched back to regular copper jacket bullets in several hunting guns. I have found that my varmint guns like moly better, so thatï¿½s what I feed them and itï¿½s nice to be able to shoot for extended sessions between cleaning.

Z

17 April 2001, 06:16

<Rust>

I would recommend Bore Techs Moly Magic for cleaning barrels using moly bullets. It has lighter solvents specifically tailored for moly. I have recently started using Butches Bore Shine also and it works well.

I try to stay away from abrasives for routine cleaning on custom barrels. Generally, they are quite smooth and they clean up readily. Factory barrels I might get a little more aggressive with. Even mild abrasives such as Iosso, J.B.s and USP remove metal despite claims to the contrary and over time you can round the lands of the rifling.

It is virtually impossible to remove all the moly from a barrel but there is no need to. Cleaning down to bare metal means you will have to pretreat with moly or shoot a fouling shoot or two. What you are mainly trying to get rid of is the powder fouling.

There are those aftermarket barrel manufacturers who state that use of moly or use of abrasive cleaners will void the warranty also. So you have to decide in advance in some cases just what it is you intend to do with a given rifle.

As a last bit of info, there have been complaints that moly did not prevent corrosion in barrels. Moly by itself is a lubricating agent only, it has no preservative properties worth mentioning. When in a solution of oil or grease, it is the petrochemicals that provide the preservative protection. Keep that in mind and don't put up your barrels dry.

19 April 2001, 04:37

scot

My experience is with Garands and high power shooting. The barrel will be clean easiar. No sense in trying to get the moly out once you get in in there. That seems scitzophrenic to me. I thought the idea was to moly coat the barrel?? Just clean the barrel as usual, oil and put the rifle away.
The worry about it being corrosive is due to the use of substandard moly that contained enough free sulfer to make sulfuric or sulfurious acid when it got damp. Don't worry about that if you use a moly that is for firearms use.
I personally think some of the bad things we hear about it is due to people who don't like change. They have gotten very vocal with their fears. Occasionally we hear about it. There is nothing to it. Use the moly and enjoy the benifits. It is no miracle though.

19 April 2001, 04:40

scot

http://www.snipercountry.com/ammo.htm

More than you ever wanted to know about moly!

s