Tumbling bullets

[Spot-on]

I'm experimenting with BN coating on bullets, but have a rookie question -- won't tumbling in stainless steel shot or ceramic shot dent the bullets? I thought these projectiles had to have an ultra smooth surface but having SS hit into copper doesn't seem right somehow.

 

[DocB]

SO,

I've never had any problems moly coating bullets with ball bearings as the application media. I've coated over 20k at this point, and found the bearing will remove any swarf from meplat trimming (done in a separate step) and only slightly round the trimmed edge. Don't know about stainless steel media, I'd be reluctant to use it for coating. The moly is completely removed from bearings if washed in Dawn and then tumbled in walnut. I do tumble the bullets in walnut to remove any wax used to keep the bullets from tarnishing before coating.

HTH,
DocB

 

[rsplante]

I coat with BN and although I have considered tumbling with my Thumblers with stainless media, I didn't because I was concerned that water would enter at the meplat and I might not get it all out (or at least I would never know.) I just follow David Tubb's instructions (where I get my BN) and vibrate them in untreated walnut shells to remove any oil on the surface. Then I place the supplied plastic bottle with bullets and BN inside an empty vibrator bin for 2 hrs. DocB, the advantage of BN over moly, according to David Tubb, is that the moly melts at a much lower temp and coats your barrel. Supposedly the BN will not melt in the barrel. In any event, I have had no problems with BN accumulation in my barrel. I cannot prove that it does any good, I am just going on faith based on David's 11 Camp Perry wins.

 

[Unknown]

My guess is that there aren't but a handful of people in this country with the expertise to argue about firearms items effectively with Mr. Tubb. Simply put, it ain't braggin' when you can make good...and Mr. Tubb has made good too many times for me to want to be a fool and disagree with him over a thing such as bullet coating, or shooting at Camp Perry.

 

[Spot-on]

So you don't use any other media, just the bullets and BN? No bearings, SS, or ceramic at all?

 

[rsplante]

So you don't use any other media, just the bullets and BN? No bearings, SS, or ceramic at all?

During the coating process, nope. I guess the other bullets do the work. I usually coat around 300 77gn SMKs in a batch.

 

[Temp9]

I've been coating with steel BB's for some time now. No issues to speak of. I've also cleaned some grungy bullets (factory seconds) off in stainless media and they shoot just fine. Word of caution, though. If you're planning to coat the bullets after the stainless media, make sure you dry out the bullets very, very well. Several hours under heat or at least a day at room temperature. If there is ANY water in the meplat when you coat the bullets, it will make the hBN/WS2/moly agglomerate, pretty much forcing you to clean the bullets again, along with your coating container and BB's. Ask me how I know....

 

[Spot-on]

So no noticeable dents or ripples in the bullets tumbled? I am having a hard time believing that any force that could embed BN would also not alter the surface contour.

I am trying it as we speak, but the results so far seem iffy -- the bullets do come out with a white coating of BN, but pushing them into a mag can remove this.

 

[rsplante]

So no noticeable dents or ripples in the bullets tumbled? I am having a hard time believing that any force that could embed BN would also not alter the surface contour.

I am trying it as we speak, but the results so far seem iffy -- the bullets do come out with a white coating of BN, but pushing them into a mag can remove this.

If there is too much white powder, you are wasting BN. It only takes a little. After two hours in the vibrator, I pour them out of the plastic bottle onto a terri cloth towel and sort of gently rub them down, en-masse. Something tells me that loose powder THAT small is not good for your lungs, so I sort of hold my breath until I have removed loose BN from the bullets.