Moly coated bullets? are they worth it? For AR-15 varmit hunting
- Thread starter NYCOP
- Start date
Freedom in theSkies
New member
Personally I have found no validity in shooting Moly coated bullets. One negative point is that when the moly lifts off the bore, it can promote corrosion.
In the Air Force, we used to use it on throttle quadrants and carb linkages... They stopped using it for the same reason...
BTW, do you want to buy a moly plating kit...going cheap.
In the Air Force, we used to use it on throttle quadrants and carb linkages... They stopped using it for the same reason...
BTW, do you want to buy a moly plating kit...going cheap.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
For a clean kill, absent a head or neck shot, a .223 is about a 200-yard gun, no matter what bullet you use. The effectiveness on any game animal depends on enough speed for fragmentation inside the animal, and any .22 centerfire bullet loses velocity fairly rapidly.
Sure, an animal will die from a slowed-down bullet, but my own ethic sez "right now" is better than "sometime later".
, Art
Sure, an animal will die from a slowed-down bullet, but my own ethic sez "right now" is better than "sometime later".
, Arti'm a huge fan of the v-max's. i do quite a bit of prairie doggin', and the v-max is what i use in my small rifles (223, 22-250).
i don't know what caliber you are shooting, but by art's reply, it is 223. in that case, look for something a little lighter than the 55's. have had best success in 223 w/ 40-45 grain bullets.
the moly debate is still going strong. if you start w/ a clean bore, and shoot only moly, you'll probably notice a decrease in cleaning frequency. velocity increases may/may not happen...it takes more powder to achieve the same velocity as an uncoated bullet. i used to shoot a lot of moly, but have since switched back to uncoated bullets. the problem i had w/ moly was that when it was time to get a thorough cleaning, the stuff was near impossible to get out of the barrel.
as far as effective range of the 223 on varmints, i think that is a function of the varmint you are shooting at. i've no experience w/ woodchucks/groundhogs. lots of experience w/ prairie dogs. for me, the 223 has been an effective killer w/ v-max and ballistic tips out to around 400 yards, +/-. beyond that, the 223 is traveling so slow that the bullets lose their explosiveness. actually, real impressive explosions cease around 280 yards +/-, but on pd's you can get reliable kills a little further.
short answer to your question...i'd pass on the coated bullets. they function fine, but moly is kind of a hassle.
i don't know what caliber you are shooting, but by art's reply, it is 223. in that case, look for something a little lighter than the 55's. have had best success in 223 w/ 40-45 grain bullets.
the moly debate is still going strong. if you start w/ a clean bore, and shoot only moly, you'll probably notice a decrease in cleaning frequency. velocity increases may/may not happen...it takes more powder to achieve the same velocity as an uncoated bullet. i used to shoot a lot of moly, but have since switched back to uncoated bullets. the problem i had w/ moly was that when it was time to get a thorough cleaning, the stuff was near impossible to get out of the barrel.
as far as effective range of the 223 on varmints, i think that is a function of the varmint you are shooting at. i've no experience w/ woodchucks/groundhogs. lots of experience w/ prairie dogs. for me, the 223 has been an effective killer w/ v-max and ballistic tips out to around 400 yards, +/-. beyond that, the 223 is traveling so slow that the bullets lose their explosiveness. actually, real impressive explosions cease around 280 yards +/-, but on pd's you can get reliable kills a little further.
short answer to your question...i'd pass on the coated bullets. they function fine, but moly is kind of a hassle.