Barnes bullets

[shoot'n hogs]

I am reloading a 300 RUM. (180 gr.)
What are the thoughts on barnes XLC (molly coated) bullets.  I have heard some good and some bad thoughts on molly coating.  If in fact the molly increases barrel life, that would be great.  (I like to also target shot a little)  But, I have heard the build-up of deposits it leaves behind is a pain to clean and sometimes can not be removed from the bore.  I would hate to gum up my bore.  Can I switch between molly and jacketed bullets?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Wlscott]

The XLC doesn't actually have a moly coating on it.  It has a proprietary dry film lube.  Barnes claims that this lube will not build up in your bore like moly will.  They say that whatever is remaining in your bore after you shoot, is burned out by the next shot.  

From the Barnes web site:

Is your coating Moly?
No. We experimented with Moly in our lab and didn’t find consistent, beneficial results. Therefore, we co-developed our own formula, a solid dry film, we call XLC coating.

Will your XLCs coat or cause a coating build-up in my barrel?
No. One of the major benefits of our coating is that it won't coat your barrel. It is designed to burn clean. It will not leave any residue in your barrel . We shoot thousands of rounds through our test barrels without any XLC build-up.

Is the XLC coating made of teflon?
No, it is not teflon. XLC is a proprietary, co-developed formula that is sprayed onto, then baked on the bullet.

How does your XLC coating increase velocity if it reduces pressure?
Because it reduces pressure, initially an increased powder charge over the uncoated X will need to be added. However, once you bring it back up to max pressure, an increase in velocity is yielded.

How much increase in velocity may I expect?
This figure varies cartridge to cartridge, however usually around 100-150 fps.

Is there a standard percentage of increased velocity with your XLCs?
Our testing did not show a standard increase. That is why we recommend you use our data every time you load a XLC.


I have shot moly in my .223 for a couple of years, and it will build up in your bore, and it is a PAIN to clean.  I am right now trying to get it all cleaned out so that I can go back to jacketed bullets (you shouldn't switch back and forth).

Hope this helps.

[skb2706]

...........but what they do not tell you is that the coating is put on their standard diameter bullets. If you mike an XLC bullet with the coating .....it mikes out as much as .002" oversize. This is not a problem for the average gun...but if you have a tight chamber and particularly a tight neck they can be a problem. I have a box of their 6mm with the XLC coating and they are virtually useless to me as loaded ammo using those bullets do not chamber in my gun without neck turning.....I don't do neck turning.

[Donna]

Hello Wlscott,

It will take you along time to get the moly out of your barrel IF you ever do. I’ve used moly that was suspended in specially formulated oil that did not give the problems that dry moly exhibits. But about a year ago I changed to Brake Free products and stopped using the specially formulated moly oil and I’m still cleaning out that product.

Your right, it is not recommended to switch back and forth between moly and non-moly coated bullets. But if you want to stop using moly coated bullets then scrub the bore out really good using a product like “Kriol” several times, then get the Kriol out (unless you intend using it) with 99% Isopropyl alcohol, you can find it in the pharmacy area of you local drug store. Then treat the barrel with whatever oil based product you want to protect the bore. You would be surprised at how good 99% Isopropyl alcohol works cleaning gun parts, just don’t forget to protect those parts a immediately after cleaning. Then start using non-moly bullets.

Donna