Any opinions using h-BN for Bullets.

[Dave Hoback]

Has anyone played with Hexagonal Boron Nitride (HBN) on their bullets? I’ve researched it extensively for several years and on paper it’s very good. I have some, just haven’t pulled the trigger on using yes. It’s characteristics make it better than Moly, which I have used in the past.(No nasty buildup) it’s lubricity is very unique. Just a little between the fingers feels like the most slippery grease you’ve ever felt! But leaves the surface completely dry.

It works entirely on the principle of Coefficient of Friction. Of which it boasts an incredibly low number of less than 0.2 under ideal conditions. And being it’s completely non-toxic is nice to know. It’s not even on Communistfornia’s “Prop-65” nonsense! (I think on saw bananas on that list once, LOL!) It’s easy to work with. Just tumble the bullets to coat them.
It can even treat barrels by mixing with alcohol & swabbing the bore. The h-BN particles will fill in the microscopic imperfections.

Initial use & writings of h-BN were first done by David Tubb. Being that, & separating one’s opinion of Tubb, anyone have any commentary?

[RCE1]

Has anyone played with Hexagonal Boron Nitride (HBN) on their bullets? I’ve researched it extensively for several years and on paper it’s very good. I have some, just haven’t pulled the trigger on using yes. It’s characteristics make it better than Moly, which I have used in the past.(No nasty buildup) it’s lubricity is very unique. Just a little between the fingers feels like the most slippery grease you’ve ever felt! But leaves the surface completely dry.

It works entirely on the principle of Coefficient of Friction. Of which it boasts an incredibly low number of less than 0.2 under ideal conditions. And being it’s completely non-toxic is nice to know. It’s not even on Communistfornia’s “Prop-65” nonsense! (I think on saw bananas on that list once, LOL!) It’s easy to work with. Just tumble the bullets to coat them.
It can even treat barrels by mixing with alcohol & swabbing the bore. The h-BN particles will fill in the microscopic imperfections.

Initial use & writings of h-BN were first done by David Tubb. Being that, & separating one’s opinion of Tubb, anyone have any commentary?

I've used it in the past. The process as I understood it was pretty similar to moly and it's a lot less messy. No serious scientific analysis, however.

[Dave Hoback]

Oh yeah…. cheaper & way easier than Moly or Ws2, which is Tungsten; both of these are Disulfides, which are compounds with Sulfur. And can anyone tell me what happens when Sulfur meets water & is left on a metal surface? Really bad stuff! Granted, cleaning the barrel regularly makes this a moot point, I know. But just that h-BN is a Nitride & is chemically inert, is a nice thing. Not to mention the lack of any mess using h-BN.

I’ve had it for sometime, but just have not got around to using it. One reason, because I shoot so infrequently in recent years. And the democrat ‘roni madness made it even less these last 2 years! But I’m getting back to things, (Fall will be more shooting.. AFTER the heat!) So I think I might mess around with it some.

[Robinhood]

If I understand what the guys that used H-BN tell me it;s biggest windfall has been protecting the throat, slowing down erosion. Strictly hearsay as I only used it on 100 bullets. WS2 is not a viable option.

[geezerhood]

WS2 is not a viable option.

Care to elaborate? Thanks

[Robinhood]

It has been proven to reduce velocity. Not a property I prefer anyway.

[geezerhood]

It has been proven to reduce velocity. Not a property I prefer anyway.

My experience is that all friction reducing bullet coatings reduce velocity vs the same load without the coating (easily corrected), because the pressure goes down with less resistance. Are you saying the velocity decrease gets worse over time as more rounds are fired?

I have been using tungsten disulfide to reduce fouling for over 15-20? years with zero reduction in velocity with my loads that were worked up with coated bullets, in any of my rifles. You do need to increase the powder charge slightly if your worked up load was done with naked bullets, to get the same velocity, but the reduced fouling is well worth a few more bits of powder. Is that what you are referring to?

It has made it possible for me to go over 100 rounds with several 17 Remington barrels that previously would not hold a decent group after 15 to 25 rounds. I can go hundreds of rounds with a 22-250 AI or a 204 Ruger before I need to clean it for varmint hunting accuracy, but with naked bullets the several 17 Rem, 204 Ruger and 22-250 AI barrels I have had would copper foul and groups would fall apart after significantly fewer rounds, usually at least half as many sometimes 75% less.

I find it much easier to use than moly, plus it stays on the bullets better and you need a lot less of it on there to do the job. My TDS4 / WS2 coated bullets look like they have been anodized - shiny and chrome like, where as most moly coated bullets I have purchased as well as my own coated ones, clearly showed dark, powdery residue on the bullet and it wiped off very easily. The moly etched into the copper over time as well, which does not happen with TDS4. I stopped using moly years ago when it was still fairly popular, when I saw how it can also etch steel when moisture is present, something that doesn't happen with the lot of WS2 I have.

I would be interested in reading about how / why it reduces velocity in a detrimental way, if it is something different than what I have mentioned above.

[Dave Hoback]

The WS2 can also do that. As I pointed out above, BOTH it & Moly are “disulfides”. They both use Sulfur as the compounding agent. And Sulfur & moister, yes, are bad for Copper, steel & most other things. The h-BN on the other hand, is completely inert.

By the way. What is TDS4? I’m not familiar with that abbreviation.

[geezerhood]

The WS2 can also do that. As I pointed out above, BOTH it & Moly are “disulfides”. They both use Sulfur as the compounding agent. And Sulfur & moister, yes, are bad for Copper, steel & most other things. The h-BN on the other hand, is completely inert.

By the way. What is TDS4? I’m not familiar with that abbreviation.

TDS4 is another name for WS2 / Tungsten Disulfide. A jar of it that I got from some website as a sample pack was labeled by them TDS4. I guess it was their own nickname as Google brings no results that hint at Tungsten Disulfide powder. I no longer have the original can.

With many years of using WS2, I never could get it to leave even a hint of an etching mark on steel or copper. Moly on the other hand, DESTROYED a tub of moly coated Sierra Match Kings that were stored in a humid environment with the plastic bag broken. DEEP markings in the copper that would not tumble out. I was getting low on my WS2 and decided to switch over to H-BN a while ago and no longer use WS2 other than maybe 1500 bullets I still have that were coated with it in the past. I find H-BN much more pleasant to use than Moly or WS2, but haven't noticed any performance difference between it and the WS2.

[Dave Hoback]

Oh, ok.. I’ve never heard that. Guess it’s a brand name? I only know it by it’s compound name. W= Tungsten, S= Sulfar & 2 indicates it’s Disulfide, covalent bond, or a bridged S-S bond.