Boron coating……

[TonyinKY]

What’s the smallest caliber anyone is coating their bullets? Or does it make a difference?

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

What’s the smallest caliber anyone is coating their bullets? Or does it make a difference?

22 for me but I don't shoot anything smaller. If I did, I would.

 

[Bill Norris]

6mm

 

[neckturner]

Do you use boron? If so what are the pros in your opinion, what are the cons?

Yes, pre-coated DTACs from Tubb.

One of the touted benefits is less copper fouling. I have found this to be accurate.
Another touted benefit is improved barrel life, and I'll know a couple of thousand rounds from now.
A less-touted benefit is that I don't think about lubing the inside of my case necks, because the hBN coating on the bullet takes care of that.

 

[Bill Norris]

Yes, pre-coated DTACs from Tubb.

One of the touted benefits is less copper fouling. I have found this to be accurate.
Another touted benefit is improved barrel life, and I'll know a couple of thousand rounds from now.
A less-touted benefit is that I don't think about lubing the inside of my case necks, because the hBN coating on the bullet takes care of that.

Barrel life may be improved due to the heat factor being reduced somewhat.

 

[Longtrain]

I used WS2 for a number of years, left to go back to bare bullets, but have returned. I used to apply with BB’s tumbled dry in a mayonnaise jar, dusty and a real mess. I saw a post about wet tumbling, it worked great. I dump 100 bullets in a jar, fill half way with very hot water, add a tsp or so of WS2, seal and tumble in my Stainless Steel tumbler for a few hours, rinse and polish with a soft cloth. Be sure to wear gloves when handling them when polishing, the WS2 can cause skin rashes. I only shoot 22 and 6mm now, but do all bullet weights.
No more concerns of cold welding, nice easy bullet seating and by the low SD’s pretty good velocity consistency. I clean at about 200 rounds with no problems.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Barrel life may be improved due to the heat factor being reduced somewhat.

I won't go as far as to claim any improvement to bbl life. Flame is the great, great majority of the heat source vs friction and that remains essentially the same. I've had bbls that last so long they defy all logic and what ya read but I've also had them die earlier than hoped with no changes whatsoever.
Bottom line, I'm not convinced on that claimed benefit but reduced copper fouling and ease of cleaning...I am.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I used WS2 for a number of years, left to go back to bare bullets, but have returned. I used to apply with BB’s tumbled dry in a mayonnaise jar, dusty and a real mess. I saw a post about wet tumbling, it worked great. I dump 100 bullets in a jar, fill half way with very hot water, add a tsp or so of WS2, seal and tumble in my Stainless Steel tumbler for a few hours, rinse and polish with a soft cloth. Be sure to wear gloves when handling them when polishing, the WS2 can cause skin rashes. I only shoot 22 and 6mm now, but do all bullet weights.
No more concerns of cold welding, nice easy bullet seating and by the low SD’s pretty good velocity consistency. I clean at about 200 rounds with no problems.

I've never tried wet due to my concern, probably wrong..that it would accumulate more on one side than the other inside of a hp bullet. Again, possibly a complete non-issue but trhat's why I've steered away from it. I should give it a try and see. Testing is how we knopw stuff.

 

[wboggs]

I’ve contemplated using HBN before but never have. Years ago I used moly coating in a few rifles and have gotten away from moly for a few reasons but HBN is of interest….. that being said I know next to nothing about it, pros and cons, thus the thread.

I’ve had a couple overbore cartridges made lately. The increased velocity and heat has a tendency to foul the barrel more than usual and I’m hoping that trying HBN will do a couple things. One is making cleaning the barrel easier with less fouling, two, help with cold bore shots striking home, not to mention SD and ES numbers.

Tubes sells a kit and so does bulletcoating.com, links below.

Do you use boron? If so what are the pros in your opinion, what are the cons? I did a search and there’s a lot of coating threads, many of which are very dated. Hoping maybe some of guys have insights or know of other products that help with what I mentioned above.

Hex boron Nitride (hBn) reloading bullet coating tumbling vibrating kit

hex boron nitride (hBn) reloading bullet coating is the proven process to increase first shot accuracy and barrel fouling. DIY kit for 1000's of rounds!

www.bulletcoatings.com

Tubb Precision Blended Boron Nitride Bullet Coating Kit

Tubb Precision Blended Boron Nitride Bullet Coating Kit. Coat thousands of bullets.

www.davidtubb.com

I used Tubb 6mm coated bullets in a 6xc for many years and then stopped because it took extra time. They worked well but my round count on this rifle dropped way down and I figured it wasn't needed. If I were doing a high volumn, I would use it.

 

[nakneker]

I won't go as far as to claim any improvement to bbl life. Flame is the great, great majority of the heat source vs friction and that remains essentially the same. I've had bbls that last so long they defy all logic and what ya read but I've also had them die earlier than hoped with no changes whatsoever.
Bottom line, I'm not convinced on that claimed benefit but reduced copper fouling and ease of cleaning...I am.

This is why I have some interest, reduced fouling and easy of cleaning. I’m gonna try some in this 22-6.5 PRC. Thanks for all the input to you and everyone else.

 

[Longtrain]

I've never tried wet due to my concern, probably wrong..that it would accumulate more on one side than the other inside of a hp bullet. Again, possibly a complete non-issue but trhat's why I've steered away from it. I should give it a try and see. Testing is how we knopw stuff.

This is from…

Tungsten Disulfide (WS2) Low Friction Coating per AMS2530

Tungsten Disulfide (WS2) is a 1/2 micron thick low friction coating applied per AMS2530 that improves performance by reducing friction & noise.

www.microsurfacecorp.com

• Maintains the dimensional integrity of the substrate to within 1/2 micron with no build-up. Tungsten Disulfide (WS2) particles will not adhere to themselves so the coating thickness is limited to 1/2 micron.

Other sites also have declared that WS2 does not build up upon itself.
N.B. Vampires and werewolves do not know they are not silver bullets. An undisclosed plus.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

This is from…

Tungsten Disulfide (WS2) Low Friction Coating per AMS2530

Tungsten Disulfide (WS2) is a 1/2 micron thick low friction coating applied per AMS2530 that improves performance by reducing friction & noise.

www.microsurfacecorp.com

• Maintains the dimensional integrity of the substrate to within 1/2 micron with no build-up. Tungsten Disulfide (WS2) particles will not adhere to themselves so the coating thickness is limited to 1/2 micron.

Other sites also have declared that WS2 does not build up upon itself.
N.B. Vampires and werewolves do not know they are not silver bullets. An undisclosed plus.

I've read and heard the same many times. Just reporting my own experience with both is all. I like and continue to use ws2.
I've had to re tune with hbn and seen the velocity change but never either with ws2. That's the main reason I use it over hbn, right there.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Also, I've mixed naked vs coated with ws2 and they go in the same hole..a few times. I couldn't do that with hbn...fwiw

 

[Longtrain]

WS2 allows the elimination of cold welding, aides in consistent bullet seating and release, lowers SD and ES, along with good brass preparation and loading practices. I couldn’t care less about cleaning or barrel life (although I do see some longevity).
For me and how I do things, WS2 is a plus. Accuracy has never been compromised with using WS2. I have a pile of one-holers that prove that fact. Basically, I see no reason not to try coating.

 

[TonyinKY]

The only time I’ve encountered cold welding was on several Danzac 30BR bullets left loaded from the fall season and pulled in the spring. Besides the extra effort of pulling them there was a considerable (.003+/-) amount of material taken from the bullet and left in the neck. I just no longer leave coated bullets loaded for any extended period of time.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

The only time I’ve encountered cold welding was on several Danzac 30BR bullets left loaded from the fall season and pulled in the spring. Besides the extra effort of pulling them there was a considerable (.003+/-) amount of material taken from the bullet and left in the neck. I just no longer leave coated bullets loaded for any extended period of time.

I've seen bullet weld with and without it but never that bad

 

[RegionRat]

Folks, most impingement dry lube coatings cannot prevent bullet weld.

To completely eliminate that risk, there has to be a closed layer of dry lube, or a pretty healthy coating of wax, as in enough to cut off any ionic connections between the neck and the bullet.

Think of it like taking an electrical resistance meter and measuring between the case and the bullet, if it conducts it can fail.

Even "pitch" neck sealants were not 100%, but they did add a magnitude of margin.

 

[wedgy]

Some guys do HBN coating in a clothes dryer to stay warm after heating the bullets in a oven. Tape the heck out of a nalgene water bottle or it will come open. You can also swab the bore with a mop of HBN suspended in 95% or greater iso alcohol , can get at a pharmacy. Reduce your powder for the first shot after mopping the bore as it will have higher pressure. The two hunting rifles I run it in both have cold bore shots in the pattern and minimal fouling. The Tubb Dust will greatly reduce copper fouling as well.
Jeff at LRO has a really good HBN video;