Going to try some of the hex boron nitride coating powder. Tumbled a test batch of Berger 105 gr 6mm with some old copper coated BBs and a pinch of the magic dust. Looks good, but what else should I know about the stuff? I usually shoot moly coated. Did not use the old moly BBs and tumbler, to avoid contamination. How many round does it take to foul the bore with the new stuff? Will start 1/2 gr below my moly load for a start.
- Thread starter xs hedspace
- Start date
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
You should know you don't need bb's, use -5 micron Hbn, load bullets in a 3" or so diameter plastic jar I use two to balance, tumble in vibratory tumbler for minimum 2 hours preferably 3+. The trick is round containers small enough to rotate in the tumbler bowl.
You should know you don't need bb's, use -5 micron Hbn, load bullets in a 3" or so diameter plastic jar I use two to balance, tumble in vibratory tumbler for minimum 2 hours preferably 3+. The trick is round containers small enough to rotate in the tumbler bowl.
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
Don't have a vibrating tumbler, it's a rotating rock tumbler. Never tried it without the BBs. Always took 3 hrs with moly, and BBs. Any difference in the loads/pressures from moly to hex boron??
Don't have a vibrating tumbler, it's a rotating rock tumbler. Never tried it without the BBs. Always took 3 hrs with moly, and BBs. Any difference in the loads/pressures from moly to hex boron??
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: xs hedspace</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Don't have a vibrating tumbler, it's a rotating rock tumbler. Never tried it without the BBs. Always took 3 hrs with moly, and BBs. Any difference in the loads/pressures from moly to hex boron?? </div></div>
Use BBs but get some stainless BBs if you can. The tumbler works just fine, I run about 50 bullets per batch for about 4-5 hours with about a teaspoon of hBN. I use a strainer to knock off the extra powder outside and then pick the bullets out returning the BBs to the container. Then I towel them off and spray them with an air compressor. Make sure you store you hBN in an air tight container and toss in a bag of desiccant. The idea behind hBN is that it prevents fouling so there is no amount of fouling shots to be shot.
Before and after pic:
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: xs hedspace</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Don't have a vibrating tumbler, it's a rotating rock tumbler. Never tried it without the BBs. Always took 3 hrs with moly, and BBs. Any difference in the loads/pressures from moly to hex boron?? </div></div>
Use BBs but get some stainless BBs if you can. The tumbler works just fine, I run about 50 bullets per batch for about 4-5 hours with about a teaspoon of hBN. I use a strainer to knock off the extra powder outside and then pick the bullets out returning the BBs to the container. Then I towel them off and spray them with an air compressor. Make sure you store you hBN in an air tight container and toss in a bag of desiccant. The idea behind hBN is that it prevents fouling so there is no amount of fouling shots to be shot.
Before and after pic:
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
My advice is 1 clean every bit of Moly out of the barrel before you shoot HbN coated bullets, and 2 HbN is not good for the lungs, so take steps to ensure your not breathing it in, I wore a paint respirator when I coated bullets with HbN.
My advice is 1 clean every bit of Moly out of the barrel before you shoot HbN coated bullets, and 2 HbN is not good for the lungs, so take steps to ensure your not breathing it in, I wore a paint respirator when I coated bullets with HbN.
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: xs hedspace</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Don't have a vibrating tumbler, it's a rotating rock tumbler. Never tried it without the BBs. Always took 3 hrs with moly, and BBs. Any difference in the loads/pressures from moly to hex boron?? </div></div>
Then use BB's like your doing the stainless good idea. Don't know if pressure difference only shot hbn never moly. I did have to bump up to get same velocities as naked. I shoot 223- 338 so can't give exact amount.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: xs hedspace</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Don't have a vibrating tumbler, it's a rotating rock tumbler. Never tried it without the BBs. Always took 3 hrs with moly, and BBs. Any difference in the loads/pressures from moly to hex boron?? </div></div>
Then use BB's like your doing the stainless good idea. Don't know if pressure difference only shot hbn never moly. I did have to bump up to get same velocities as naked. I shoot 223- 338 so can't give exact amount.
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
I have alternated them in my rifle. Same group, same POI.
I have alternated them in my rifle. Same group, same POI.
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
Any measurable real world advantage to this stuff?
Is it less messy than moly?
Thanks
Any measurable real world advantage to this stuff?
Is it less messy than moly?
Thanks
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
Thanks, y'all. Will test these out Thurs at the Forbes 600 yd practice day in Colonie, NY.
Thanks, y'all. Will test these out Thurs at the Forbes 600 yd practice day in Colonie, NY.
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
BTT
Nooby wants to know about hexy moron?
BTT
Nooby wants to know about hexy moron?
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
i tried coating some today and did it for 3 hours and i just didnt think they looked good enough so i threw them back in for a couple more hours. I hope it works out!
i tried coating some today and did it for 3 hours and i just didnt think they looked good enough so i threw them back in for a couple more hours. I hope it works out!
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kylongshot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i tried coating some today and did it for 3 hours and i just didnt think they looked good enough so i threw them back in for a couple more hours. I hope it works out!
</div></div>
Whoa! Not even close, they need to look like my picture above. Try less bullets, make sure you're using BBs and add a little more hBN.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kylongshot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i tried coating some today and did it for 3 hours and i just didnt think they looked good enough so i threw them back in for a couple more hours. I hope it works out!
Whoa! Not even close, they need to look like my picture above. Try less bullets, make sure you're using BBs and add a little more hBN.
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kylongshot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i tried coating some today and did it for 3 hours and i just didnt think they looked good enough so i threw them back in for a couple more hours. I hope it works out!
</div></div>
Those don't look like they have near enough coating. It should have a white frosted look to them.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kylongshot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i tried coating some today and did it for 3 hours and i just didnt think they looked good enough so i threw them back in for a couple more hours. I hope it works out!
Those don't look like they have near enough coating. It should have a white frosted look to them.
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
they had a shit ton of frosting on them but it wasnt even looking, im gonna try to clean them and try it again.
they had a shit ton of frosting on them but it wasnt even looking, im gonna try to clean them and try it again.
Re: Hex Boron Bullet coating questions
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kylongshot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">they had a shit ton of frosting on them but it wasnt even looking, im gonna try to clean them and try it again. </div></div>
It sounds like your hBN is clumping up on the bullets instead of being burnished into the jackets? Does that sound right? Could you take a pic?
Keep 'em going until they look like mine in the above picture. They'll feel "soft" and have zero shine like a matte type of finish. You might need to try a bigger container s that there's more room for movement which equates to more significant impacts. The process is actually a lot like "burnishing" (I do a lot of metallurgy as a tribologist) so like burnishing you need space/force between bullets/BBs so that under vibration/tumbling they can hit each other or rub against each other with a relative amount of force to force the hBN into the copper jacket. Keep in mind that hBN loves water so if it's exposed to air it's going to want to clump up and not work for shit.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kylongshot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">they had a shit ton of frosting on them but it wasnt even looking, im gonna try to clean them and try it again. </div></div>
It sounds like your hBN is clumping up on the bullets instead of being burnished into the jackets? Does that sound right? Could you take a pic?
Keep 'em going until they look like mine in the above picture. They'll feel "soft" and have zero shine like a matte type of finish. You might need to try a bigger container s that there's more room for movement which equates to more significant impacts. The process is actually a lot like "burnishing" (I do a lot of metallurgy as a tribologist) so like burnishing you need space/force between bullets/BBs so that under vibration/tumbling they can hit each other or rub against each other with a relative amount of force to force the hBN into the copper jacket. Keep in mind that hBN loves water so if it's exposed to air it's going to want to clump up and not work for shit.
Similar threads
