HBN, not for me!

[T-shooter]

This is bound to start arguments but I'm just stating my findings, nothing more or less. I ordered 1 oz of Microlubrol Hexagonal Boron Nitride Ultra Fine 0.5 µ micron powder. Just got to experiment with it yesterday. Tumbled a few bullets for over an hour. They felt slick on the surface. Loaded a few cases (no powder/primer) for a test. The cases are all new, never fired, Hornady .308cases from the same lot, all neck turned and resized the same way. The bullets, except one, were all new A-Max 208g and all were inserted to provide full neck contact. All cases were cleaned inside the necks with alcohol along with the bullets. All had .002" interference fit. I tried pulling them out using a collet die in my press and for lack of a better way, used a 50 lb package scale held against the press handle and applying pressure gradually until they broke loose to get a ballpark reading. I was expecting good things. Not this time!

Dry & clean bare metal ............. 14lbs, 16lbs
Graphite coated case & bullet ..... 11lbs, 16lbs
HBN tumbler coated bullet, and wiped into neck ... 29 lbs
HBN wiped into case and on bullet ... 44 lbs

Same case used with HBN (44lbs) cleaned, resized, and coated with graphite ... 14 lbs
Same case as the Dry (14 lbs) except wiped with HBN and used a tumbler coated 200.20X ... 23 lbs
Same case and bullet as the 11lb graphite, not resized, cleaned and wiped in neck and bullet surface with HBN ... 30 lbs
Dry case and same bullet (that was 16 lbs), re-cleaned with alcohol, not resized. Bottomed the scale out at 50 lbs a couple times and it did not release.

Kind of a trend here. Seating forces aren't as relevant as the force needed to push/pull them out of the cases when fired. I also saw quite a bit of galling damage on the bullet surfaces with HBN. These were all new before the test.

Does anyone have any ideas? This is my first experience with this lubricant. At this point, unless I see and can verify that it works, I won't use it again. A $21 education.

 

[Milo 2.0]

HBN not for me either, but can tell you upfront, you wiped way too much off the bullets to do any good. They need to look frosty.

 

[JRS]

hBN is slick stuff. It doesn't take much force from your thumb and index finger to pick up a bare bullet. It takes a great deal more pressure using your thumb and index finger to pick up a bullet properly plated with hBN. The collet die works the same way.

 

[JRS]

HBN not for me either, but can tell you upfront, you wiped way too much off the bullets to do any good. They need to look frosty.

hBN plated bullets look frosty when they are removed from the tumbler. Once you shake them out in a towel, that frosty appearance disappears.

 

[Milo 2.0]

hBN plated bullets look frosty when they are removed from the tumbler. Once you shake them out in a towel, that frosty appearance disappears.

Ok

 

[T-shooter]

HBN not for me either, but can tell you upfront, you wiped way too much off the bullets to do any good. They need to look frosty.

This picture was after I pulled them and wiped them down. The cases were wiped down inside and the bullets with HBN to apply a good coating before seating them. The tumbled Berger bullet was just wiped to remove an loose material and the inside of the neck was wiped down with HBN using a Q-tip. Here is the tumbler coated bullet for comparison.

 

[rardoin]

It does not look like bullets I have coated nor like my DTAC factory coated bullets. I coat them in a small polypropylene bottle nearly filled with bullets (about 200) and 1/4tsp of HBN and tumble in clothes dryer on med heat for 40 minutes. The bottle is wrapped in about 5 inches of foam rubber during the process. The bullets have a distinct white/gray haze (just like the Tubbs coated DTAC's), are slippery to the touch and the coating is rather durable to all handling. The only time I have seen scratching like that on bullets is when seating in new cases without running a mandrel through the necks first and/or not chamfered on the ID.

 

[BenPerfected]

Try a little more inside chamfer.

 

[T-shooter]

Try a little more inside chamfer.

I chamfer the necks with an RCBS VLD cutter. They have a generous chamber.

 

[swd]

Definitely not enough HBN impregnated into the bullets. Like others have said they should look silver and be fairly hard to hold onto the ogive area.HBN is slick as snot when done right.

 

[rardoin]

HBN is slick as snot when done right.

...and slicker than owl $hi+ too. As far as it's merits...I'm still undecided on that one.

 

[tuttlefarm]

Not enough HBN.............. If done correctly they are very hard to pick up with your fingers because they are so slippery.

 

[JasonT]

Those are deep scratches, deeper than they should be whether or not you're using a powder lubricant. I'd try putting some 0000 steel wool on a plastic bristle brush and spinning it inside the case mouth to smooth any burrs in there. Just a second or two should be enough.

 

[T-shooter]

It does not look like bullets I have coated nor like my DTAC factory coated bullets. I coat them in a small polypropylene bottle nearly filled with bullets (about 200) and 1/4tsp of HBN and tumble in clothes dryer on med heat for 40 minutes. The bottle is wrapped in about 5 inches of foam rubber during the process. The bullets have a distinct white/gray haze (just like the Tubbs coated DTAC's), are slippery to the touch and the coating is rather durable to all handling. The only time I have seen scratching like that on bullets is when seating in new cases without running a mandrel through the necks first and/or not chamfered on the ID.

This was my first attempt. I did use steel BB's to help impact the coating into the surface. Didn't try heat. Here are a couple pictures of the ones I tumbled and wiped off all the loose powder compared to a couple new bullets. The cases all had an expander mandrel ran through them, then neck resized which is spun inside the necks, and resized with an expander ball which is glass smooth. The necks are all chamfered with an RCBS VLD cutter. I've pulled a lot of bullets before and never seen anything like this either. And these were very clean when seated. But the HBC had by far the most damage. I may try a couple older cases, Hornady and Lapua, that's been fired several times and see what happens. If other shooters have good luck with this I don't think I should be having a problem. It's crazy, 50 lbs of force on the press handle with a neck interference fit on no more than .002" and it wouldn't move.

 

[rardoin]

Hmmm....that is about what mine look like. The VLD tool chamfer should be good to go and 0.002" NT is not really heavy. ????

 

[JRS]

This picture was after I pulled them and wiped them down. The cases were wiped down inside and the bullets with HBN to apply a good coating before seating them. The tumbled Berger bullet was just wiped to remove an loose material and the inside of the neck was wiped down with HBN using a Q-tip. Here is the tumbler coated bullet for comparison.
View attachment 1017493

Trying to apply hBN with a Q-Tip is a complete waste of time. It appears, you have a problem with the interior of your case necks. When I plate bullets with hBN, I tumble them for 2.5 - 3 hours. If you'll modify your procedure, I believe you'll be happy with the results. Personally, I use a fine aluminum oxide cone for chamfering.

Edit: Plating bullets with hBN is similar to making a good Gumbo. Ingredients and time Everyone has their own secret recipe. My recipe for plating bullets works great.

 

[T-shooter]

Trying to apply hBN with a Q-Tip is a complete waste of time. It appears, you have a problem with the interior of your case necks. When I plate bullets with hBN, I tumble them for 2.5 - 3 hours. If you'll modify your procedure, I believe you'll be happy with the results. Personally, I use a fine aluminum oxide cone for chamfering.

Edit: Plating bullets with hBN is similar to making a good Gumbo. Ingredients and time

Giving it a try now. Tumbling a few more new bullets and a fired resized Lapua case which is decarboned down to bare metal. I'll let them tumble several hours. and test again tomorrow morning.

 

[JRS]

Giving it a try now. Tumbling a few more new bullets and a fired resized Lapua case which is decarboned down to bare metal. I'll let them tumble several hours. and test again tomorrow morning.

Don't over do it with the hBN. Use the right amount, depending upon the size of your container.

 

[WyleWD]

Did you rinse the raw bullets with IPA or acetone and allow them to dry before putting them in the tumbler with the HBN? Here's a link and there are some YouTube videos to walk you through the process. It seems that not everyone uses the same or any directions. Here's the link to the accurate shooter discussion. http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2008/08/boron-nitride-source-and-application-procedures/

Good luck with it and it's definitely worth a try in my experience. WD

 

[people]

That is a lot of scratches on those bullets. I might have missed it but when you say they were sized did they get to see an expander ball or bushing. I don't use a scale when seating bullets but it can't be that much.