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Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

A

acidone

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 24, 2010
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Chicago, Il
#1
I guess at the end of all of this the real question is; are they better than standard copper bullets?

I have 3 new rifles, 2 stainless and one chrome-moly, and am going to start loading for them come spring when shooting season starts back up in chi-town. I'm looking for experience and/or opinions on moly coated bullets. I've heard all sorts of stories about better accuracy and barrel life, and moly fowling and the problem with going back to standard copper on the other side of that coin. I'm not really sure what to believe any more :-( I'm also not sure if these rules apply to stainless and moly barrels, or one and not the other.

The only thing I can say is that I would think the moly coated bullets are more accurate, only because Tac-Ops website list 1/4 moa at 100 yards for all of their guns with either Federal GMM or black hills "moly" coated. Why won't Tac-Ops give the same guarantee on standard black hills gold???

Any info would be a big help :)))
 
#2
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

There are many trains of thought on the subject, I have shot both. I have never been able to tell if one way is more accurate than the other, nor if they are cleaner one way or another. Thats as far as I took it, now I just shoot naked bullets, and haven't looked back.
 
#4
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

I shoot moly in a 220 swift a 338 win mag and in one of my 308s it seems to have tightend the groups up in them. But it dident seem to do anthing either way in my 7mag,280rem 22-250 or 2 other 308s or a couple of ARs so i guess it depends on your rifle. I like experamenting so its not that big of a pain for me.
Steve
 
#5
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: vman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I shoot naked.

I might shoot moly again (or HBN) if I was shooting a high pressure magnum barrel burner. </div></div>

So you might suggest moly bullets for my .338 lapua magnum?
 
#7
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

Moly is accuracy neutral. It is a fad with many hangers-on today. There was an article in Precision Shooting back in the late 90's....maybe 97 or 98. The article followed a number of Shilen test barrels used by Sierra bullet company. Some barrels were used only to shoot moly some only naked. They all gave up the ghost at the same time. I quit using moly imediately. My madness was very short lived. Many use it to lessen the need to clean a barrel, but that too is quite misleading. Moly is not the magic fairy dust it is supposed to be.
 
#8
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

Commerciallly they they are bust. Berger has discontinued them, and Hornady has cut some offerings, and Sierra does not sell much of their 500 bulk packs. So, from that stand point.....

FGN does not come with moly coated bullets. BHA I think only has factory coated 168gr ammo that is loaded with Hornady OTM.
 
#9
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

I played with them a few years ago and got slightly lower velocities with the moly bullets. Other than that I could tell no difference.
 
#10
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

I Played with it a bit ... and also with Tungsten, as molley had a lower melt point ...

Did not see a difference (slightly lower diviation) ... but I do know it was a pain getting it out of my barrel -- I finally just gave the barrel away.

Will not use it again. My new gunsmith made me promise not to use any of the sort. I am sure there are much more knowlegable people on this board then me on this subject.

Good luck!!
 
#11
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

I shoot moly in two of my rifles. One is an SPS in .223 that's a fairly high volume varmint killer, the other is a 700-based .22-250AI. Both are factory barrels, the SPS has an unknown round count but I've put a few thousand through it (at least- ran through almost 800 one long weekend in Montana) and the AI was a new takeoff Remington varmint/PSS barrel that I rechambered to the AI, so I don't think it has more than a few hundred through it at this point. I'm still fireforming AI brass. Running the same bullets in both, moly coated Sierra BlitzKing 50gr. Don't remember velocity on the .223, but it's a moderately hot load; the AI is running just under 4000 fps with the AI loads.
I use moly in them so I don't have to clean as often. The SPS will usually go well over 1000 rounds between cleaning with no accuracy loss. The AI only has a few hundred through it, still shoots minute o' rockchuck out past 500 yards.
The system I'm using works for me. I start with an obsessively cleaned barrel, run two patches of Kroil through it, shoot, two patches of Kroil, repeat for about 20 rounds. Done. Then I go shoot it, a lot, and don't clean it hardly ever. If I think the rifle is going to sit a while it gets a patch of Kroil through it before it goes in the safe.
I've been doing this for about four years on the SPS with no ill effects. It still hits sage rats out past 300 yards.
I've had many people tell me this won't work. It does, for me, in these two rifles.


1911fan
 
#12
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

I started using moly about 1 year ago. Cleaning is a bit longer between. Mostly the factor I like about moly. You do lose some pressure with moly. But when you add more powder. You get more speed with the same bullet.
Barrel life is not that big of deal but I do see some advantages of moly over naked. My 2 cents
 
#13
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

Tried them in my 22-250 and couldnt tell any difference. So I kept using em till I shot em up. Just shoot the naked ones now.. Side note the coyotes I shot couldnt tell the differnce either
 
#15
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

SakoTRG Fan

I can tell you a few things with certainty.

- Moly or HBN (HBN is better imo) are great for those shooting in hot dry and dusty coniditons. Where wet lubricants might otherwise attract dust, moly or HBN will not. So in Iraq, moly is a good lube.

- Moly will lower pressure slightly. Therefore if you are in fear of approaching upper levels of charge weight you could try using moly as it will reduce friction, pressure and velocity.

The .338 Lapua magnum has okay barrel life. The rounds generally shoot at moderate speeds, so barrel life should in theory be good.

If i were shooting a Remington 7mm Ultra Magnum, shooting 110 grain pills at 3800 FPS, then I would perhaps moly coat my projectiles and moly coat my barrel (smooth kote) or use HBN and HBN with alcohol as a substitute.

My assumptions out of doing this would be
- Slightly better barrel life
- Slightly alleviated pressures
- Perhaps better brass life
- Easier cleaning (which i dont do much of anyway)

All of this is pretty much theoretical, and in times of the year when it gets humid, running moly might even be a bad choice. Like i said, I would prefer HBN for that very reason.

As long as you do all of this properly, it should not hurt... then again neither will shooting nakeds.

See how its all very controversial?
laugh.gif
 
#16
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DRA-M40A1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Moly gained me less deviation for cold bore, cold clean bore, and fouled bore shots. </div></div>

This is exactly why you might use it. However, either Moly or Hbn will giter done. If you aren't convinced, don't do it. You'll blame anything that goes wrong on Moly. My experience has been the barrel seems to resist fouling and that must be good one would think.
 
#17
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

Thanks for all the good info everyone! I'm still a little confused as to which is the better, but at least now I have a better understanding of my confusion (if that makes any sense)

I already have 500 rounds if 77 gr smk moly and 500 of naked. Guess I'll just start working up a load for my stainless AR and see what the differences are with the chrono. I'm glad that no one really had anything negative to say about it as far as going back and forth between the 2 :)
 
#18
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

Moly or naked people it will go both ways depending who you ask. You will not get a great answer to your question. This topic been debated a lot over time. Those who moly say it is the only way to go. Those who don't have every reason not to.
I asked this question about year ago. I tried it and like the moly for my own reasons. Just try it and see.

Best way to know IS to try it yourself and make your own opinions from there.
 
#19
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

Moly is a dry lube. So is graphite.

But graphite is already a part of your ammunition.

It is the primary component of the powder's kernel coating. It produces the bulk of what we refer to as carbon fouling. Its main purpose is to serve as an electrical conductor, channeling away static charges so they become distributed evenly within the propellant charge, preventing sparks and premature ignition. It has been a basic and generic component of propellant manufacture since smokeless powder was first successfully made and shipped, and it could not be safely shipped without it.

When moly shooters condition their bores, they are simply duplicating the process where other shooters shoot fouling rounds.

So, for me, the main questions are A) which is the better dry lube, and B) why would anyone go to the additional effort moly entails when graphite is already there and on the job anyway? Adding moly to the equation simply complicates the whole dry lube issue. Carbon comes out of the bore without too much effort. Moly just about never does, no matter how much you try.

BTW, you can accomplish pretty much the same thing with moly by simply mixing it gently and thoroughly with your propellant. But then you'd be dealing with two dry lubes and fouling issues.

Greg
 
#20
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

Never really thought of it like that...makes sense! Even with all of this info at my finger tips it doesn't help explain the tac ops thing. Maybe that's a question better asked to mike himself.
 
#22
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

I shoot naked projos, But I moly coat the inside of my barrel. I do not get any fouling. Only takes 4-5 patches to clean the barrel. I shoot service Rifle, 4-5 thou. Rds. a year.
 
#23
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

I played with it for a while when it was all the rage. I could never see any real difference. Keeping an even coating in the bore, while trying to keep it from building up in the throat was a pain. That alone is enough for me not to use it.

Bottom line, you'd be adding a rather large variable for no real gains. I shoot naked and have no issues with velocity spreads, cold bore performance, or cleaning. There is a reason that the practice has so little popularity these days.
 
#24
Re: Why should/shouldn't I start loading moly bullets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: vman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Whats the Tac Ops thing? </div></div>

Tac Ops only giving accuracy guarantee with black hills moly coated 168 gr and not the standard "naked" 168 they offer. Seems like there must have been an accuracy difference that Mike at Tac Ops saw that he didn't like.
 
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