Cleaning Moly

[cowboybart]

I bought into the moly coating hype and went in with both feet. I moly coated EVERYTHING!!! Now that the hype is over, I am slowing tumbling the moly off of all my bullets. My question is how do I get all of the moly out of the bore? should I buy the half gallon size of JB Paste? Or is there a better way?

PS At least I was wiser when the 6.5 ManBun came out and stayed away.

 

[HSmithTX]

The way moly works molecularly I don't think there is a way to get it out without getting really aggressive with the cleaning so I would recommend you shoot it out. Stay with standard cleaning methods and solvents, and by the time the barrel is shot out there won't be a trace of moly anywhere, maybe sooner than that too. It isn't going to hurt anything leaving it and cleaning it out could hurt the barrel depending on how you go about it.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I've moved away from moly some time ago. I had a few dedicated groundhog rifles that saw nothing but moly bullets. IMO, the moly is easily worn off the bore, that's why you need to reapply with each bullet to keep it stable.

I used JB or Flitz in the bore without going crazy and had no issues converting to naked bullets. There are a few products made especially for removing moly but I really don't think they are needed. IIRC some guys remove moly from bullets by simply soaking in Dawn or some similar kitchen soap.

 

[Okanogan]

I ran moly for a while in one of my 300 WM rifles. I chronographed almost all my shooting. When I switched, I didn't do anything beyond normal cleaning and followed by firing uncoated ammunition. Based on the chronograph results, it didn't take too many uncoated bullets before I returned to the uncoated velocities. (don't know the exact number but it was probably under 30 rounds)

 

[Rflshootr]

Bronze brush wet with Butches Bore Shine. It's not hard to get it out.

 

[cowboybart]

OK, Thanx. I've heard stories of moly trapping moisture on destroying a bore. It was on the internet so it had to be true!!
I'll stroke a few times with JB, then shoot naked.

 

[VenatusDominus]

OK, Thanx. I've heard stories of moly trapping moisture on destroying a bore. It was on the internet so it had to be true!!
I'll stroke a few times with JB, then shoot naked.

Moly or molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) will not "trap" moisture, but it is hydrophilic (water attracting) and if exposed to moisture, including humidity in the air, will combine with the water (H2O) and form sulfuric acid (H2SO4), which is highly corrosive and dissolves metal. I would strongly recommend removing Molly from any barrel to avoid corrosion. If you want the properties of Molly, I recommend hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) which beats Molly in every beneficial way and is non-corrosive to your barrel.

 

[cowboybart]

Where would I find h-BN?? How is it applied?

 

[VenatusDominus]

Where would I find h-BN?? How is it applied?

I got mine on Amazon, but you can get a complete kit here: http://www.davidtubb.com/bn-boron-coating. It is applied almost identically to Molly. On Amazon: MICROLUBROL 1 oz Hexagonal Boron Nitride hBN Powder Ultra FINE 0.5 µ Micron, $22.95.

To apply to my barrel, after regular cleaning I run a patch with 99% alcohol down the barrel and then run a patch with a mixture of 99% isopropyl alcohol and h-BN.

 

[Ranger0]

h-BN works best man, i recommend that for everyone .

 

[RidgeTop]

Molly is a mono-molecular (molybdenum) chemical. I would just shoot it out rather than chance damaging a barrel. I expect it is deep within the fissures of the steel, it gets everywhere.

 

[RidgeTop]

h-BN works best man, i recommend that for everyone .

I think at 1100 deg you are actually vapor deposition of the material right over the Graphine with a permanent tight bond.
Good luck.

Boron nitride nanosheet - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[JGRJR]

I saw this in another thread and have used it with some success. Not sure if it was necessary.

Moly Magic Bore Cleaner | Best Gun Cleaning Solvents & Solutions Available at Bore Tech

Bore Tech’s Moly Magic is the only bore cleaner in the industry formulated especially for the removal of fouling in rifle bores. Harmful corrosives and stubborn fouling are no match for the Moly Magic formula. Stock up on gun cleaning solvents and find the right one to make your gun cleaner than...

www.boretech.com

I fell into the moly trend about 20 years ago. Gave up on it after reading something from Speedy Gonzales about how moly hammered barrels. He seemed to feel it did more damage then good.