Why use moly bullets?

[Lovesbeer99]

This is not a reloading question. I've seen moly bullets for hunting and match. What's the advantage or disadvantage with moly bullets?

 

[.38 Special]

The advantage was supposedly that they had less friction so traveled a bit faster, charge-for-charge, and also that they eliminated copper fouling.

Both claims were/are sort of true, but the the velocity gains were small and moly fouling turned out to be harder to get rid of than copper fouling, plus apparently damaging the occasional bore.

You'll find a lot of folks that were all gung-ho for the stuff and now hate it. I think there's a lesson in there...

 

[R.W.Dale]

Well you see some folks have a self esteem disorder commonly associated with an overabundance of MONEY it appears as though shooting moly bullets helps alleviate the symptoms that accompany this affliction.

While the symptoms are similar you should take care not to confuse this disorder with the much more common and debilitating barrelbreakinitus.

 

[farmmer dan]

+1 for .38 Special I have not used it but I asked my gunsmith about it and he gave me a funny look. Some like it, some don't. I have also heard that the stuff rusts out chrome lined barrels. but I have never seen that happen.

 

[rangerruck]

The only moly I will do, is a molyfusion job on the bore, it is not the same moly material that is put on bullets, it is a chemically diff compound, that combines with metal in bbl.

 

[pbrktrt]

from what i understand once you shoot moly coated bullets you'd best stay with them. apparently no going back to non coated. this is from someone that shoots .223 competively. i personally have not used them. this post is worth what you paid for it.

 

[72coupe]

I have shot many thousands of moly bullets that I coated myself. Cost for coating around 160,000 bullets, not counting electricity, is $45.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I've got one rifle I shoot moly ammo in, no I don't have gobs of money. I shoot Hornady 139 heavy magnum in it. I get sub MOA with it in 7mm Rem mag. The bore was broke in with jacketed ammo prior to the switch to moly. Of all the ammo I tried, the rifle liked this best.

Any benefit? Biggest one is the round performs well in it. No issues with the bore, rifle shoots well, however it is a hunting rifle with 120-130 rounds through it.

 

[Auburn1992]

Are Winchester Ballistic Silvertip bullets the same way as moly-coated bullets; once you shoot, you stick with it? Will they have the same effects as moly (i.e. pitting, hard to clean)?

 

[JWarren]

I've shot Winchester Ballistic Silvertip's for years in a Remington 700 30-06. I've never noticed any problems.

I shot Winchester Ballistic Silvertip's in a Saiga 308 with chrome-lined bore a number of times and never had any issues.

I'll be using Winchester Ballistic Silvertip's most likely in my DPMS LR-308 w/stainless barrel this hunting season. We'll see.


-- John