Completely removing moly from a barrel

[Hobie1]

I have a bunch of self coated Moly rounds in .308. Moly is a PITA and not worth the time involved all the way around for me, personally.
I found that Acetone will quickly remove the moly from the bullets. Just a couple of turns in an Acetone dampened rag will completely remove it.
Do you folks think it would work in the barrel as long as I immediately patch the barrel after with CLP or Kroil just to name a few good lubes?
I won't let the Acetone touch any synthetic parts and like I said, I'd follow up with a proper cleaning of the barrel to finish the job.

??

Hobie

 

[Hobie1]

Bueller? Bueller? Can anyone help a brother out?

If I don't a reply soon, I may be forced to write a poem...don't make me do it.

 

[Troystat]

Acetone should not hurt blued steel but will play hob on the finish of your stock or anything plastic. I would take the rifle out of your stock and put some acetone on a patch and see if it affects the finish on a part of the receiver that you can't see. That being said if you do use it acetone will remove any oil on the rifle so be sure to follow up with an oiled patch. If you are as paranoid as I am I would follow up the acetone with Hoppe's #9 then oil.

 

[Big Cholla]

IMHO, I would try "Simple Green" liquid cleanser on normal fitting rifle patches pushed thru the barrel once. I am absolutely amazed at how fast and how thorough a clean barrel is reached using "Simple Green". I use it first and then dry the barrel and then look for copper fouling. If non is found, I oil the barrel with CLP and leave it damp. I just learned of the use of Simple Green this year and I have been cleaning rifle barrels for 50 yrs plus. I also think it is the 'best' I have ever used for cleaning the gunk that .22LRs build up in the action and the chamber. .............. Big Cholla

 

[Hobie1]

From my original post:

"Do you folks think it would work in the barrel as long as I immediately patch the barrel after with CLP or Kroil just to name a few good lubes?
I won't let the Acetone touch any synthetic parts and like I said, I'd follow up with a proper cleaning of the barrel to finish the job".

I appreciate the responses folks.

Moly actually "embeds" itself into the metal and is truly a be-och to remove. I'll try the simple Green but I'm leaning towards the Acetone as long as I follow the procedures I laid out in the OP.

Hobie

 

[MarkDozier]

the man said simple green and he is right. According to a bullet maker who uses simple green to clean his barrels when he goes from lead to moly or moly to lead. Take the barrrel soak it in full strenght SG and normal cleaning after and you are good to go.

 

[rojodiablo]

I have a bunch of self coated Moly rounds in .308. Moly is a PITA and not worth the time involved all the way around for me, personally.
I found that Acetone will quickly remove the moly from the bullets. Just a couple of turns in an Acetone dampened rag will completely remove it.
Do you folks think it would work in the barrel as long as I immediately patch the barrel after with CLP or Kroil just to name a few good lubes?
I won't let the Acetone touch any synthetic parts and like I said, I'd follow up with a proper cleaning of the barrel to finish the job.

??

Hobie

Put a non jacketed round in the chamber, close the chamber, and pull the trigger.

The barrel will be magically cleared of all moly.

I would run a patch with acetone 3 or 4 times, then go shooting to clear it.
Acetone is NOT going to kill a barrel interior. There is no level of oil embedded into the barrel other than whatever you put down it after shooting. I have used acetone down barrels to remove barrel cleaning foams that turned to gunk and would not clear any other way. After a couple acetone passes, send ammo down hot, and the residual IS burned away and all is normal.

 

[Hobie1]

Thank you one and all! I'll pick some Simple Green today. Sounds like just the ticket AND won't melt my synthetic stock.

Hobie

 

[rwsmith]

I was on the verge

When I got back into reloading I'd read all this stuff about how great moly was and was about to go that way but I got the real word just in time. Thank goodness.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Moly is a thing that you use and let the barrel get coated all the way so it will shoot better and stay with them or..........

Never shoot them in the first place.

Since I don't shoot matches, I just use standard copper or lead bullets and survive, with just a dab of solvent and plain oil.

 

[Hobie1]

I think when the Moly hype going, the negative effects either weren't completely known or just not reported as they should have.
Moly is a pain, definitely not for me anymore.

Hobie

 

[JohnK]

I love straight Simple Green, to clean,and de-grease metal gun parts. It will REALLY de-grease them, and they will rust right now, if not oiled.

I did use straight cleaner, on a Volvo outdrive once, which has one of the best paint jobs in the business. It took that paint clean off !

Be careful with it !

 

[H Richard]

I thought I had heard that Simple Green would damage bluing? Apparently not. Does it do very good as a copper remover?