Originally Posted by
Cut'em Jack
Could someone explain what it is and why, how, if it works?
On a microscopic level moly (Molybdenum disulfide) is made up of round or oval platelets. The platelets have a magnetic-like attraction to metal. As the platelets attach to the the metal the attraction weakens so they will only build-up to a certain thickness (a few microns), the rest of the platelets slide off.
When you coat a bullet with moly and fire it through a barrel some of the moly on the bullet attaches to the bore of the rifle. After a few rounds the bore is coated with moly as well as the bullets so the contact between the bore and the bullet is reduced which means less friction.
How less friction? As Tubbs (I believe) explained it.
You take a board, prop one end up on a table with the other end on the floor (a ramp), you put some magazines in a cardboard box (for weight), put the box on the high end of the board and give it a little push. The friction between the board and the box doesn't allow the box to slide very well. But, if you take a few decks of cards and spread them out the length of the board then put the box on the board it will side down the board very easily. The cards kind of act like the moly platelets.
That's the best explanation I've heard for the lubricity of moly.
It does work. Take your pet load and load a few rounds with non-moly coated bullets and load a few with moly bullets and fire them through a graph. Fire the non-molys and watch the velocities, then fire the molys. With each moly shot the velocity will drop until the bore is coated and the velocities stabilize. Less friction, less pressure, lower velocity.
As far as the moly debate goes...I'll just pass along this information and leave it at that.
