Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Current thinking on Moly?

I've never used it, but a friend is telling me how great it is. I thought the current trend was away from using it. I understand it is supposed to reduce fouling and the frequency of cleaning, but I also seem to recall hearing that it created fouling problems of its own. Who uses it and why?

I dated Molly in college for 3 months.. I can tell you, she wasn't really all she was supposedly cut out to be...

and she spelled her name with two L's not one..

( and that greasy stuff just messed up my barrels and required a lot of cleaning..)

Again - I've never used it but have heard it is a PIA to get out of the barrel. (Also heard Kroil works well at that?) What is the point of using moly?

So no one uses moly-coated bullets anymore?

The fad has faded but saying "no one uses moly-coated bullets anymore?" would be something of a stretch. ??

I'm betting you could find a moly user or three around...

Fad is fading...almost dead. Any objective tests to quantify the effectiveness of Moly have all come up with the same conclusions...
The only thing Mole does besides mess up barrels is.....sell Moly...

It would be helpful to provide a link to these objective tests.
I think the use of moly as a bullet coating has been the victim of unproven claims by both sides, with the naysayers often having no personal experience with its use.

I have a couple of Varmint rifles that
I'm currently using Moly-coated bullets. I have had absolutely no problems whatsoever. After a Prairie Dog session I do a thorough cleaning of 1/3 Kroil and 2/3rds Shooters Choice followed by a cleaning with Moly Magic. I also clean in the field after every 40-50 shots using the Kroil/Shooters Choice combo.
I also found, contrary to popular opinion, I do not have to shoot several shots to condition the barrel.
Both rifles are Coopers, one in .17 Mach IV and ther other a .221 Fireball.
V

Well, if Bigstick uses it, we all must be idiots for not loving the stuff. I think UBC works about like they said moly would sans the velocity claims.

Well, if Bigstick uses it, we all must be idiots for not loving the stuff. I think UBC works about like they said moly would sans the velocity claims.


Hey. Look. A double post. Sorry Stick, just rubbin it in....

Yep....he gives me crapp about " goin' nekkid"

But my boolits are already flying faster than i can see them, so I figured dats good enough....

1sgLunde,

I fail to see the big advantage of using moly when you're cleaning in the field after every 40-50 rounds.

I've been using Dyna-Bore Coat (formerly known as Ultra Bore Coat, or UBC) in most of my prairie dog rifle barrels for a few years now, and almost never clean in the field. Most will continue to shoot accurately (and copper-foul very little if at all) for at least 200 rounds, and sometimes twice that. And I only have to install the DBC once, since it lasts for the life of the barrel, rather than moly-coatin every bullet--or paying extra to buy moly-coated bullets.

Kevin Thomas at Sierra did a 15,000-round test with moly-coated bullets. He couldn't find any advantage in cleaning or accuracy, but did find that moly tended to build up in the throat over about 50 rounds. This did effect accuracy and even pressures, but would blow out with a few more shots--unless scrubbed out first. I have seen the same thing in the field. What advantage that would have in any sort of rifle shooting is a mystery.

I was bit by the moly bug a few years back and tried it with a number of cartridges and bullets using the NECCO kit and some factory-coated Sierra Matchkings. Comparing the same loads with coated and uncoated bullets the velocity was 10 to 60 fps lower with coated bullets. A little powder can be added to regain the lost velocity but I have not been able to exceed the original velocity by a worth while figure. The accuracy is as good or better coated, and with a few loads much better. I concluded that normal cleaning with Butch's Bore Shine or Wipe-Out removes moly because follow up patches with Moly Magic always come out clean.

My best groups with the .225 Win, .220 Swift and .300 Win Mag have been with coated bullets and I will keep using them because I have a bunch already coated. Any advantage to moly coating seems slight and, for the average varmint or big game hunter, probably not worth the trouble.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Walt

Higbean, ingwe, Mule Deer..I'm sorry to perhaps offend you with my post.
I was only giving what has been my history with moly's.
V

I don't see where you get that any of that was directed at you, or that anyone was offended by your use of moly in your guns.

Dooooood...I'm missing something here...nothing about your post even came close to offending...

I know you are new here, but check out how some other posters respond to my stufff....

I use moly in some of my varmint rifles, it does allow longer shot strings between cleaning. My .223 and 22-250 only get cleaned every 1000 rounds or so.

I use moly because I have all the stuff for it...

When I first began using it, I noticed a HUGE difference in how long it took for a barrel to "go off." But this was about 15 years ago at least, when barrel finishing wasn't as good as now, nor were the potions as good. I just didn't like mining a new Butte Pit worth of copper after every shoot.
Over time, I ran into a situation where the accuracy would go off after about 500 shots and then I would need to just HOOVER that barrel out -- every potion I could think up, and then some.
Then, one hot doggin' afternoon, madder than heck after six easy misses in a row, I just slammed some Regular Nine in the barrel on top of a tight brush, patched it out dry (about four patches) and started hosing away again. It worked.
I guess moly works best if you get experience with it, and enjoy the voodoo rituals associated. That said, one of these days I'm going to build a brang new rifle and I will try Bore Coat.

I have used moly in my varmint rifles for many years. I have had absolutely no problems with it. I generally do not clean my varmint rifles until they have exceeded 500 rounds through them. Sometimes in the evening during a multi-day varmint shoot I will run a patch down the barrel, but it is mostly out of boredom than need. I never scrub the moly out of the barrels. It defeats the purpose of using it. If I was just starting to shoot high volume varmints again I would probably use one of the bore coats that are now available. Not because they are better, but to save my fingers from getting blackened at the loading bench.