My brother passed along the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Sportsman, and I was pleased to find more than one helpful article in it. It appears to be a publication that I would like to subscribe to myself.

Your recent article on gun cleaning was particularly helpful (“How to 101,” Jan/Feb 2007). Thanks for the primer! Could you please comment on the use of ammunition with moly-coated bullets? I understand that the moly coats the barrel and affects ballistic performance. What does it do for cleaning requirements and difficulty? Are there any websites that objectively state the pros and cons of moly coated ammo? Thanks in advance.

Gordon Latos Moly coated bullets are designed to coat the inside of a rifle barrel for essentially two purposes. The first is less friction and the second is reduction in fouling. The aim here is to provide longer barrel life and less frequent cleaning. If you are a handloader it is also important to know that they additionally reduce pressure and velocity, so load data is not interchangeable with that of non-coated bullets. But to work effectively, or perform to their maximum potential, both the barrel and bullets need to be coated. This process, depending on the manufacturer, can vary. Midway, for example, suggests that at least 30 shots with coated bullets are required to properly coat a bore whereas Berger Bullets recommends a much more complex and detailed break in and cleaning process. The cleaning process alone has 17 steps and can be found at www.bergerbullets.com/faq.htm. Once coated the bore should require less frequent cleaning. When using moly-coated bullets, some shooters report strings of 75 or more shots between each cleaning.

Opinion also varies on how to clean a moly-coated barrel as improper cleaning can lead to a breakdown in the bore’s coating resulting in having to repeat the entire break-in procedure once again. I would suggest that if you intend to shoot moly coated bullets you can't go wrong with the cleaning process recommended by Berger Bullets. They make some of the most accurate bullets on the market. The use of non-coated bullets through a coated bore can also begin a break down of the coating, so my advice here is if you intend to shoot moly coated bullets in a particular rifle, stick with them or be prepared to start the process all over again. At this point I would be remiss however if I did not mention that there has been plenty of debate amongst serious shooters as to the pros and cons of using moly coated bullets — but if you intend on pushing a lot of rounds though a particular rifle they may be worth consideration. Some shooters swear by them, while others do not.

< Prev		Next >