Ques. on moly, sorry

bikenjam · November 30, 2004, 11:59 AM

I started reloading a couple years ago and have come to love it. I love experimenting with different loads. I know that moly is corrosive, hard to clean out, and does increase velocity. The one question still up in the air for me is barrel life. I used to think that barrel wear was the result of friction from the bullet, and then found out that its the powder burning at extreme pressures and tempuratures. So, here's the question:

Does the reduced amount of friction with the moly compensate for the increase in powder charge for the round?

30Cal · November 30, 2004, 05:48 PM

I've shot moly for about 3300 rounds now. If you load 2 cartridge, one with a molycoated bullet and one with a non-coated bullet, you will supposedly see that the mk bullet is slower out of the barrel (I haven't seen that in my rifle FWIW). Pressure of the mk cartridge should be lower.

If you jack up the powder charge, you can get back to your initial velocity, but should have a lower pressure. This in theory would make the barrel last longer. Since one barrel will wear out sooner than another, and "worn-out" is a very subjective call, it is my opinion that any increase in barrel life due to mk would be totally lost in the noise--not something you can see or measure.

The only good thing about mk that I've seen is that it shoots accurately longer between cleanings and makes cleaning a little easier. I'm shooting up the last of my mk bullets and am not buying anymore.

If you shoot mk bullets, make sure to get oil in the barrel ASAP after you're done firing. I'm pretty convinced that it will accelerate pitting.

Ty

November 30, 2004, 11:59 AM	#1
bikenjam Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 2004 Posts: 194	Ques. on moly, sorry I started reloading a couple years ago and have come to love it. I love experimenting with different loads. I know that moly is corrosive, hard to clean out, and does increase velocity. The one question still up in the air for me is barrel life. I used to think that barrel wear was the result of friction from the bullet, and then found out that its the powder burning at extreme pressures and tempuratures. So, here's the question: Does the reduced amount of friction with the moly compensate for the increase in powder charge for the round?

November 30, 2004, 05:48 PM	#2
30Cal Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 2002 Posts: 1,264	I've shot moly for about 3300 rounds now. If you load 2 cartridge, one with a molycoated bullet and one with a non-coated bullet, you will supposedly see that the mk bullet is slower out of the barrel (I haven't seen that in my rifle FWIW). Pressure of the mk cartridge should be lower. If you jack up the powder charge, you can get back to your initial velocity, but should have a lower pressure. This in theory would make the barrel last longer. Since one barrel will wear out sooner than another, and "worn-out" is a very subjective call, it is my opinion that any increase in barrel life due to mk would be totally lost in the noise--not something you can see or measure. The only good thing about mk that I've seen is that it shoots accurately longer between cleanings and makes cleaning a little easier. I'm shooting up the last of my mk bullets and am not buying anymore. If you shoot mk bullets, make sure to get oil in the barrel ASAP after you're done firing. I'm pretty convinced that it will accelerate pitting. Ty