Cleaning Moly

30 December 2003, 14:44

Jimmyp

Cleaning Moly

How often do you clean when using moly coated bullets? I have shot 80 rds through a 30-06 with no decrease in accuracy. Was thinking of oiling the bore and putting the rifle away until next season! I once read where a man at a shooting school never cleaned his .308 rifle, it seemed to just go on and on with no decrease in accuracy. It is not that I hate to clean, it just that I hate to run a rod through an excellent bore! How do you clean moly out if you want to??
Thanks for the advice. JimmyP.

30 December 2003, 15:38

redial

Well, this is guaranteed to stir the pot and the Marine Corps will likely excommunicate me for it, but I don't clean my moly-shooting match rifles for months at a time! I've often gotten 400 or so rounds downrange before I just couldn't stand it any longer and cleaned them! Hasn't hurt accuracy one bit and it saves "rod mileage" in the bore.

I do clean chambers and bolts, etc scrupulously but leave the bores alone for the most part. They (bores) get cleaned every three or four matches, plus practice sessions with Shooters Choice and JB in the conventional manner.

My 22-250 shot BETTER after 100+ moly rounds than it did earlier in the season, in fact.

Redial

30 December 2003, 15:51

Clark

I burnish the bore with Lyman moly bore paste, so there in no shooting in the barrel with moly bullets.

I have one fouling shot, and then it is sub moa all day.

I push a patch of powder solvent through and a dry patch every 10~50 rounds, if I feel like it.

I clean with powder solvent at the end of the day, and then clean with baking soda and water, and then a dry patch, and then motor oil.

If I get red bore from not cleaning with a cuastic [baking soda and water], then I clean the red bore out with Flitz or JB bore paste and 200 strokes.

30 December 2003, 19:11

SST

In any rifle that I've started using moly, I have no intention of changing back. I do scrub out the carbon fouling vigorously with Kroil and a bronze brush, and maybe JB if I have to, but I try to leave as much of the moly as possible burnished onto the bore surfaces. I just don't see any copper fouling, so that's all I do. If I have to clean with Butch's Bore Shine, I'll just bronze brush moly bore prep back into the bore and let it set up again.

30 December 2003, 19:46

mho

Quote:

I burnish the bore with Lyman moly bore paste, so there in no shooting in the barrel with moly bullets.

I have one fouling shot, and then it is sub moa all day.

Clark, what is this "Lyman moly bore paste" thingie?? Is this a way of coating your (clean) bore with moly to avoid having to "moly-foul" the bore before POI settles down?? The change in POI with and without moly in the bore is one of the major reasons I never bothered with this moly business. But I must say, reading the above replies it does sound like moly-coated bores don't foul too much!
- mike

31 December 2003, 03:51

Clark

One can shoot allot of moly bullets to get the barrel coated, or brush it in. I prefer to brush it in. I shoot with the stuff still thick in the bore on the first shot. That may be why I am stuck with acid in my bore.

Sorry, it is not paste, but cream.

Here is Lyman's shpiel:

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Super Moly Bore Cream

This Superfine Moly bore cream is applied directly to the bore. Brushed into the pores of the rifling, it smoothes and polishes the surface to a black, shiny friction-reducing finish. This reduces bore fouling and increases barrel life as well as accuracy. Great with plain jacketed bullets and ever better when used with moly coated bullets for total performance.

Item #7631419 (3oz.)

MOLY BORE CREAM

Q: How much do I use?

A: Moly Bore Cream is applied with a patch. Use enough to saturate the patch and run it through the bore repeatedly.

Q: How can I tell if I need more?

A: Barrels should be retreated after cleaning.

Q: How do I remove it?

A: Moly gets into the bores of steel and is difficult to remove completely. A good bore solvent and scrubbing with a bore brush will remove most of the moly.

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It is the little jar on the left:

The advantage, for me, of using moly is to get more shots before I must clean copper fouling to maintain accuracy. The disavantages are many:

Cost

Suseptabiltiy to corrosion

messy

So in deciding which guns get moly, a very accurate 22-250 with stainless barrel and 40X scope that is for shooting 200 rounds on dry days gets moly. A 45/70 with steel barrel, open sights, and is for shooting one shot at large game with open sights does not get moly.