Moly or not to Moly...that is the question.

[acloco]

I know this is like asking "what is your favorite ______ (whatever)", but I am seriously considering applying moly to the bullets used in my 204.

I am sick and tired of getting copper fouling in my 204 barrel.

I clean...oh boy do I clean this barrel.

Name your favorite copper cleaner and I probably own it and have used it.

Pros?

Cons?

Thanks in advance...keep it civil as always though! THANKS!

[WrzWaldo]

Have you considered WS2 (danzac)? It's a little more slippery than moly and you can get a few more rounds down the tube before cleaning.

http://www.lowerfriction.com/compare.php

[Rick in Oregon]

acloco: I've been a solid WS2 (Danzac) user now since around '98 or thereabouts, and use it on all my high velocity/high volume colonly shooting rifles, even on a couple of my zippy deer rifles.

Pros: I can go 80 shots without cleaning in the field in a PD or squirrel patch and still have minute of rat accuracy to as far out as the rifle is capable of. I'm still using the 4oz. tub I originally purchased from Tru-Kote (Dave Dohrnan) back in '98, and I do alot of shooting! The rifles shot with WS2 clean right up without any fuss, and with less copper fouling than the same barrel shooting naked bullets.

Cons: Don't know of any, unless you factor in the time spent applying the stuff. I use a RCBS Sidewinder rotary tumbler and 3/16" burnishing balls (available at any industrial bearing outfit) to impact plate the bullets. Takes about 1/2 hour to do 200 bullets. No big deal.

The nice thing about WS2 over moly is that it will not build up on itself; it builds to .001" and that's it. Moly can/does get lumpy, especially with the slightest bit of humidity present. Also, WS2 only needs to be secondary tumbled for 5 minutes with a newspaper-lined drum, and the bullets come out bright and shiny, and do not need wax as does moly.

You will see an increase in velocity, with reduced pressure, so most of the time you can bump up the powder charge, get better velocity with equal pressure.....a very good thing.

Here's some of my .17 Mach IV's freshly formed, neck turned, annealed and WS2'd (Berger 25gr HP):



And just for fun, the .17 Ackley Hornet with the same treatment (20gr V-Max):



Some will say it's not worth the effort, but to me at least, the gain of not spending so much time cleaning a barrel in the rat patch when the shooting is hot is well worth the time spent at home in the winter when it's snowing outside plating bullets and dreaming about the coming spring and the shooting it brings.

[acloco]

Which one do I need to purchase?

I believe it is the "Dry/Solid Lubricants: Tungsten Disulfide (MK-WS2-xx)".

Looks like the smallest amount is a POUND!?!?!

http://www.lowerfriction.com/sample_usa.php

[MinotBob]

Rick
Do you have a dedicated tumbler just for the coating process?

[Rick in Oregon]

acloco: Tru-Kote sells WS2/Tungsten Disulphide (Danzac is a trade name) in 4oz tubs. The price is very reasonable and the product comes with instructions. Here's his email address: DBUGHOLES@aol.com A pound would last several lifteimes!

MinotBob: Yes, the Sidewinder is dedicated just to plating bullets out in the garage where the noise doesn't bother wifey. For my brass chores I use a large vibratory unit. Some guys use a vibe unit with glass or plastic jars inside with the bullets and balls, but the rotary method is much better and takes far less time. I have two tubs for the tumbler, one for WS2, bullets w/balls, and a clean one used with newspaper for lining for the final polishing operation; works most excellent. The newspaper needs changing about every five cycles as it gets pretty coated with the stuff.

[acloco]

I have two spare tubs for my vibe....this will be the way that I will fly on this project.

Rick -What setting on my wife's Maytag dryer would work the best (lined with newspaper, of course)? I am thinking LOW/FLUFF, with just ONE dryer sheet.

[Rick in Oregon]

acloco: You cwack me up! She'd hate you forever, I promise! She's stuff YOU in there and set it on fluff!

Good thing you have a spare tub, as once the stuff is in there, it would be a bugger to remove. On the burnishing balls; use equal weight of balls to bullets for best results. Just an approximation is good, doesn't have to be exact. For separating balls from bullets, I drilled out a pie pan a few thousands larger than the balls, so the balls drop through but the bullets stay behind, then you just pour them into the polishing tub.

[acloco]

Anyplace online to buy the burnishing balls? I am on the western side of Nebraska...not too much for industrial anything...other than locomotives and corn.

[WrzWaldo]

http://www.frantz-mfg.com/index.html

[acloco]

I did buy some ceramic media from Midway...could this be used?

Thanks for the link on the burnishing balls.

[Bad Dad]

any special cleaning involved after using it?
g-

[Rick in Oregon]

acloco: Can't answer the ceramic question, never been asked that question before, but I know all references to impact plating refer to either steel bearings or burnishing balls if that helps make a decision. You could always try it, as you already have the media, and if it didn't work out, just get the b-balls.

Bad Dad: It washes off hands with simple soap & water under the tap, and washes out of clothes in the wash with no problems.

[WrzWaldo]

I did buy some ceramic media from Midway...could this be used?

Thanks for the link on the burnishing balls.

I have not tested it yet, but in theory (if you did enough bullets at one time) you could just let the bullets themselves act as the burnishing media. I'm not to sure about using the ceramic, it may not have enough mass to get the job done.

[BunGhoLeo]

How do the plastic tip'd bullets hold up to this procedure?