Tumbler for hBN bullet coating

[Dave Marshall]

Do any of you that do your own bullet coating have a tumbler dedicated to just bullet coating?

I use a rotary tumbler for my brass. I am concerned about damaging the meplats if I also use that tumbler for bullet coating. I also don't really want to deal with the small containers for bullet coating in the rotary.

I have no aversion to buying a smaller vibratory tumbler, if there is one suitable for the task. I'd like to be able to just dump all the needed bullets, media, and powder in and let it rip. Is loose dust likely to be an issue with this method? Does the bowl need to be filled to a certain volume to work correctly?

Thanks

 

[Greyfox]

I use a Thumler tumbler. I put the bullets in a square Classico pasta sauce jar with the coating and screw the top on tight with a strip of tape to secure. Jar goes in the drum. The square jar insures that it turns. Been doing it this way for years.

Rick

 

[Baddog0302]

I use the FA rotary wet case cleaner, I put copper BB's, 100 to 200 bullets and HbN in a Tone's spice container, 4" x 2" x 8" or there about's. put it in the rotary tumbler, pack it in place with foam rubber.
IF you're worried about damaging the meplat's use the vibrator type and use a few containers based on the size of the bullets you want to coat.
All the vibrator bowls I've seen lately are larger that the old style that looks like a half a head of cabbage and you will use a lot more HbN that you would by using containers with your BB's,

 

[Shrek]

I bought a used rock tumbler off eBay for @ $35 and tumble in one pound powder bottles. Use enough BB’s that the bullets don’t get too beat up. I also bought a pound of hBN and don’t worry about the exact amount. I keep using the BB’s with a bunch of hBN in them and just add a little once in awhile. After tumbling in the hBN I tumble the bullets in clean corn cob for a couple minutes to remove excess hBN. They end up perfect !

 

[Just Dave]

Rebel 17.
An abundance of old metamucil jars from the 80's (aluminum,with plastic lids) has me using them for now.
Two of them, filled 3/4 full with bullets, hbn, ceramic beads, fit right inside the rebel, then I stuff a towels in between them to keep them steady and cut the noise down.

 

[Greyfox]

I'm not criticizing anybody's method, but I have never found the need to use BB's or anything else in the jar with the bullets. I've been tumbling/coating bullets for twenty years and never had an issue. If you run them 3-4 hours they come out slick and shiny.
Adding BB's or the like to the mix just adds an unnecessary step.

Rick

 

[rimfiremac]

Use two empty 1 lb powder cans, double them up in one of those washbasin style vibratory jobs and let it run for a couple hours. No BB, no whatever, just wash the bullets with dish soap, rinse and dry prior to throwing it all in the powder can and you're off. For moly, same technique but with a water based slurry in the cans.

 

[Gray G]

I use a FA rotary tumbler. I put 300 6mm 105's in a 1 lb powder jar that is wrapped with 1/4 in polyethelyne foam to protect the liner. No media ( I got that tip from David Tubb). Add the Hbn and tumble. Tumbling does shorten the meplats slightly but it really evens them out. Then I repoint in a Widden die. The result is very tiny, and very consistent meplats. Lastly at the end of cleaning my rifle I take Hbn that's suspended in alcohol, wet a foam swab and run it down the bore. Net result is it take two rounds and I'm right back on speed

 

[normmatzen]

I have been using hBN for 10 years or so. I now use a cheap vibrator with a 1"thick Home Depot black foam sheet with 3 holes cut for 8 oz canning jars (glass transfers force better) and a hole in center for lid post stud. Put 1/3 lb steel BBs in each, clean 30-50 bullets in Home Depot alcohol , dry then put 30-50 in each bottle along with a medium flat blade screw driver with blade as a spoon. Not too much hBN as main problem is using too much. Vibrate 2 hours, take out bottles
and separate BBs and bullets. Put bullets back in vibrator with media and vibrate for 15 min. This removes hBN coating but not the hBN impacted into the copper. excess hBN on bullets makes for lousy shooting! When cleaning barrel, last step is one patch with oil dampening and very thin coating of hBN powder once thru the barrel.

 

[people]

I just use an old midway vibrating tumbler. I do use BB's. The reason is with them the whole mass will actually move like it is polishing them. With out the bullets look like they are getting beat up.

Both ways shot well with BB's it just looks better so I use them.

 

[MAGNUM44270]

My hbn kit came with ceramic beads. I use them and they turn out great

 

[boltfluter]

My hbn kit came with ceramic beads. I use them and they turn out great

Magnum,
What kit are you using?
Thanks, Paul

 

[JSH]

Since this thread got pulled up, what do you folks use to separate bullets from your coating/media?
I see guys still using HBN but few and far between on moly anymore.
If I didn’t start the virgin barrel with HBN is it a waste?
I completely understand it won’t fix a problem child or bring back anything lost from use.

I have some Dyna Tek bore coat I am wanting to try on my 17’s and 20’s just to see if it helps keep jacket fouling from sticking as bad, not that I have any issues now.

 

[10XSHOOTER]

I have a FA small vibratory tumbler. I put the steel balls that came with the kit in it, small mount of HBN
and vibrate for a couple of hours. still had to clean off the excess HBN.
I now wet moly my bullets. one step and done.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I use a vibratory tumbler with these bowls from Lyman.

Lyman Turbo 600 Case Tumbler Accessory Bowl

A reloader never knows when a part might break. Be prepared for anything with high quality factory replacement parts that will have your Lyman case...

www.midwayusa.com

Nothing but bullets and powder in the bowl. I can do about 1000 6mm bullets at a time and about 600 or so 30 cal bullets.

I wash bullets in acetone or lacquer thinner and dry thoroughly. I like let them dry outside on a warm, sunny day but it can be done in the oven at low temp. You want the bullets warm enough that they are uncomfortable to hold in your hands. Put them in the tumbler warm and add powder. It doesn't take much. Maybe a thimble full for 1000 bullets. It will take a little more to coat the bowl when new.

Let them run for 3-4 hours and dump them out on an old towel to buff off the excess. Done.

It does work better if you don't overload the bowl. They move around and coat better/faster.

That's all I can think of. Nothing to it. There are different methods that work but this is what I've found to work best. The warm bullets hold heat well and dry the powder while they run. It does much better this way as opposed to the powder being moist from humidity. Some claim it opens the pores of the copper jacket. That may be true but I think it's mainly due to the powder drying out. It just does a more even, prettier job IME.

 

[MAGNUM44270]

Magnum,
What kit are you using?
Thanks, Paul

Bulletcoatings.com

 

[MAGNUM44270]

Since this thread got pulled up, what do you folks use to separate bullets from your coating/media?
I see guys still using HBN but few and far between on moly anymore.
If I didn’t start the virgin barrel with HBN is it a waste?
I completely understand it won’t fix a problem child or bring back anything lost from use.

I have some Dyna Tek bore coat I am wanting to try on my 17’s and 20’s just to see if it helps keep jacket fouling from sticking as bad, not that I have any issues now.

I dump my small pill bottle container into a pie Pan and pick the bullets out by hand. I then put them into a small Tupperware container filled with shredded newspaper And shake them for 30 seconds to a minute and then they're ready to go

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

CENTRAL MACHINERY​

5 Lb. Metal Vibratory Tumbler Bowl​

Probably works just fine. Mine is a 20 year old RCBS tumbler but it still works fine too. I'm not sure how they "weight rate" them but I can assure you, it has more than 5lbs in it when full of bullets...maybe double or so before it acts like its a little over full, weight wise.

You'll notice the bullets begin to "flow" more when they just start coating vs bare and cleaned....fwiw

 

[USMCDOC]

CENTRAL MACHINERY​

5 Lb. Metal Vibratory Tumbler Bowl​

And peanut butter jars..

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

And peanut butter jars..

That's one of the differences in what I do. I stopped using jars or bottles several years ago and never looked back. But either way can certainly work.