Boron Nitride Vs Tungsten Disulphide Vs Moly bullet coating

[RDavies]

OK, Ive read the bit on different bullet coatings available now, but it doesnt compare the different coatings much. Who has used Hexagonal Boron Nitride,HBN) or Tungsten disulphide,WS2) and compared them to moly. The article shows HBN as being the latest and greatest, but shows WS2 and being slipperier. What are the pros and cons of each? How do they compare to moly which is a known quantity?

 

[JRS]

The difference in lubrication you mention is so small, we humans would never know it exists. hBN will clean up faster, is cleaner to work with, withstands moisture,something moly and WS2 won't), and is not a health hazard as are the other two. hBN is also more heat tolerant.

 

[6BRonwheels]

I have used all three bullet coatings and in my opinion, HBN is by far the best. Much easier barrel cleaning, and with most of my loads I can get an additional 50-100 fps without pressure problems.

 

[FALPhil]

I have been impact plating with moly disulfide using the NECO method. Do you apply HBN the same way, or is there an easier method?

 

[RDavies]

Sounds like HBN is pretty good then. What got me wondering is that Tungsten Disulphide has a better friction coefficient than HBN,.03 Vs .15) so I thought it would be the top dog. I was mainly after it for 2 of my barrels which must be pretty tight or something. To get to the velocity node they like,which is still slower than others are getting), the pressure is higher than I would like. I was hoping that with HBN, I would be able to keep the velocity but lower the pressure a bit.

 

[Forum Boss]

I have been impact plating with moly disulfide using the NECO method. Do you apply HBN the same way, or is there an easier method?

Yep, use same technique,except no waxing needed). You may want to tinker with tumble time, amount of powder, # of bullets in container, to get the best results with HBN. Moly is definitely hydro-philic, so it tends to cling if there is any humidity. HBN stays "dryer".

The HBN-coated bullets are REAL slippery when you're done so you may want to use latex gloves to pick them up.

 

[1shot]

I've been reading a lot about the application of hBN as well as other coatings, and people refer to using the NECO method with "steel balls". I have plenty of steel shot left over from reloading from my waterfowl hunting days. Will they work?
Thanks in advance,
Lloyd

 

[Forum Boss]

I've been reading a lot about the application of hBN as well as other coatings, and people refer to using the NECO method with "steel balls". I have plenty of steel shot left over from reloading from my waterfowl hunting days. Will they work?
Thanks in advance,
Lloyd

Lloyd, part of the patented NECO system is the use of steel balls. Appropriately sized steel shot should work fine. Take note, however, that some guys prefer BBs or even lead shot. There are different points of view as to which impact media works best.

 

[tenring]

I have been using 00 steel shot to coat moly for years. Don't remember where I read that.

 

[Conrad]

I always moly coated with just the bullets, and got a good coating. Now I use HBN and also only tumble/vibrate the bullets without any kind of shot or media. It seems to work ok, but I was curious if any one has done a comparison to know if it'd be better to use some steel or lead shot mixed in with the bullets? My bullets definitely lose their copper luster, and have that dusty look, but sometimes different batches vary so I think I'm still tweaking my methods. I think with the white powder/transparent coating it's harder to know if one is coating the bullets as best as possible. Ideas? Experiences?

 

[jo191145]

Lloyd, part of the patented NECO system is the use of steel balls. Appropriately sized steel shot should work fine. Take note, however, that some guys prefer BBs or even lead shot. There are different points of view as to which impact media works best.[/QUOTE]

Lead shot?? I never tried lead but would'nt it be to soft for impact plating copper. Might be just the ticket for coating cast bullets tho.
Concerning moly coating I've read somewhere that exposed lead tipped bullets should not be tumbled in the same media as full jacket bullets. That really doesn't make much sense to me seeing both can be coated, oh well?

I use #4 steel shot with WS2 and moly. I chose #4 because its easy to sift it out of .204 caliber pills.
I much prefer WS2 over moly. Never tried HBN yet.

 

[Will]

A shooter on Long-range.com did an evaluation under electron microscope of the Tubb coated hBN bullet and a home tumbled hBN bullet. goto;
www.shootingsight.com
then click on the Technical Notes for the report. For you dial up users beware LARGE images !!

 

[jo191145]

I don't know Will. Those look like satellite photos of the Iraqi desert to me. No wonder I always fail the Rorschach tests.

 

[Will]

Well if you sent Tubb,SSS) 1K of bullets it will cost $50 then you have to include shipping to and from. IF you did that twice then you could have ordered a pound of BN and you'd have enough for several 10's of K of bullets.
So far my tumbling has really impressed me with the lack of change in CBS and the rest of group. Not only is that @ 100 but also 600 & 1000 yds. That was with 178 AMAX, Varget in 308 WIN.
YMMV,
Will