The coefficient of friction between the jacket of the bullet and the steel bore are altogether different than the coefficient of friction between the jacket of the bullet and air. If bullet BCs could be significantly improved by HBN coating bullets, Sierra, Berger, Barnes, Nosler, Speer and other bullets companies would have been coating their bullets some time ago in order to put the larger BC number on their boxes of bullets. Because the cost to HBN coat bullets isn't all that great. A little HBN powder goes a long ways...
Hexagonal Boron Nitride
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The coefficient of friction between the jacket of the bullet and the steel bore are altogether different than the coefficient of friction between the jacket of the bullet and air. If bullet BCs could be significantly improved by HBN coating bullets, Sierra, Berger, Barnes, Nosler, Speer and other bullets companies would have been coating their bullets some time ago in order to put the larger BC number on their boxes of bullets. Because the cost to HBN coat bullets isn't all that great. A little HBN powder goes a long ways...
JJMoody
Well-Known Member
Kinda figgered it would be something like that. Thanks for the explaination.
royinidaho
Well-Known Member
I'm just getting on board with this HBN stuff.
Made up a special small rotary tumbler using a small Gator Aid container, steel BBs.
I got the initial mixture of HBN, bullets and BBs a bit wrong though the end result looks typical.
I'll shoot some 350 SMKs to get base data then see what the HBN offerings do.
Before any comparisons are done I'll be getting a MagnoSpeed or whatever they are called. I'm plumb sick and tired of the Chrony. Which by the way I gave away the other day.
Made up a special small rotary tumbler using a small Gator Aid container, steel BBs.
I got the initial mixture of HBN, bullets and BBs a bit wrong though the end result looks typical.
I'll shoot some 350 SMKs to get base data then see what the HBN offerings do.
Before any comparisons are done I'll be getting a MagnoSpeed or whatever they are called. I'm plumb sick and tired of the Chrony. Which by the way I gave away the other day.
Should be a nice improvement to identify your MVs. You were kind to give your shooting chrony away - maybe... Others shoot them to put them out of their misery.
Let us know how it goes with HBN bullets in that big boomer!
Huffmo
New Member
Hello ya'll! New here, but it seems ya'll have some great info going on about HBN. I too have recently got bit by the bug and unless I missed it being covered here- I've got a question.
I don't plan on coating bullets or bores over .30, and mostly 6.8, 6.5, and .223. My question is- with a Lortone 33B tumbler, is there any valid reason not to use 7.5 lead shot? I get where SS media tends to beat up bullets, but I can't help thinking about the nature of a 'Dead Blow Hammer' to impart the HBN onto the jackets. Why would lead be bad? Or, am I breaking new ground here?
Dangit, I thought of another question already...
Has anyone tried rolling wax lubed hard cast bullets on the bearing surface through HBN on something like a glass or marble slab? Thoughts?
I don't plan on coating bullets or bores over .30, and mostly 6.8, 6.5, and .223. My question is- with a Lortone 33B tumbler, is there any valid reason not to use 7.5 lead shot? I get where SS media tends to beat up bullets, but I can't help thinking about the nature of a 'Dead Blow Hammer' to impart the HBN onto the jackets. Why would lead be bad? Or, am I breaking new ground here?
Dangit, I thought of another question already...
Has anyone tried rolling wax lubed hard cast bullets on the bearing surface through HBN on something like a glass or marble slab? Thoughts?
I use the Lortone tumbler and have seen no sign of the bullets being deformed. The action inside is more like a cement mixer with the media being rolled over the surface of the bullet than being dropped from a height onto the bullet.
I don't think there would be any advantage or detriment to lead shot.
Cliff
I don't think there would be any advantage or detriment to lead shot.
Cliff
If you use lead pellets, it would be a good idea to wash your hands carefully after handling your bullets. Lead is toxic and spreading lead laden dust around where children could contact it wouldn't be a healthy practice.
Anyone vibratory or rotary tumbling with lead pellets? If so, do they turn the interior of your plastic container the color of lead??? I vibratory tumbled some .35 caliber Hornady Interlock bullets for a guy and these bullets had exposed lead tips. Like pointed soft points. Vibratory tumbling these bullets with HBN powder turned the inside of my white plastic container a nasty dark, lead color.
I toweled off the bullets with a white towel and cleaned up the interior of my plastic container. I then placed these bullets back into my white container again with some more HBN powder, vibratory tumbled them a second time, and the same thing happened again. I think the exposed lead tips on the Hornady bullets is the source of the dark dust/staining. So if that's the case, does vibratory or rotary tumbling with lead pellets turn the HBN powder the color of lead? Maybe shotgun pellets are much harder than the lead in these Hornady bullets, so perhaps chilled lead shotshell pellets don't shed lead dust to the HBN powder...
I've vibratory tumbled a lot of other bullets, and some with exposed lead tips, but this is the first time my white plastic container looked like lead dust had been puked into it. When I dumped the coated bullets into a white towel, the towel was discolored also, so the lead stained the HBN powder, which stains everything it touches. Quite the ugly looking mess.
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royinidaho
Well-Known Member
As said lead is toxic.
I don't like the stuff.
When reloading hard cast pistol bullets I wear a rubber glove on the hand that handles the bullet.
For media I'm using Daisy steel BBs. Seem to do a great job.
Haven't loaded and shot any yet. Hunting season is on plus I haven't got the magneto speed yet.
I otta get off my duff, huh?
I don't like the stuff.
When reloading hard cast pistol bullets I wear a rubber glove on the hand that handles the bullet.
For media I'm using Daisy steel BBs. Seem to do a great job.
Haven't loaded and shot any yet. Hunting season is on plus I haven't got the magneto speed yet.
I otta get off my duff, huh?
idaho elk hunter
Well-Known Member
I am sure lead does not produce dust being as malable and heavy as it is. ate bigger concern that WARNING LABLE READERS should be concerned about is the Hex dust. It can burn the lungs and is so small in microns it WILL go through the pours of the skin. It really is not that great of a product health wise. I am sure if you took a bath in it everyday and brushed your teeth you would have to go to the DR.
I truly believe we live in a society that is so "HEALTH SCARED" by lables that we over react. Case in example, as kids we used to breaks thermometers open and play with the Mercury in them.
Even think about this. With the old thermometers made of GLASS and filled with Mercury, how many were broke in the mouth and some Mercury swallowed.
Life is to short to get scared with this BS. Go try new things and use common sense. Have fun with life.
That's my 2 cents.
I truly believe we live in a society that is so "HEALTH SCARED" by lables that we over react. Case in example, as kids we used to breaks thermometers open and play with the Mercury in them.
Even think about this. With the old thermometers made of GLASS and filled with Mercury, how many were broke in the mouth and some Mercury swallowed.
Life is to short to get scared with this BS. Go try new things and use common sense. Have fun with life.
That's my 2 cents.
Anyone tumbling lead tipped bullets, or tumbling with lead pellets, and having the normally white HBN powder turning the color of lead? That's what I experienced when vibratory tumbling .35 caliber Hornady Interlock bullets with exposed lead points - no tumbling media whatsoever. 58 bullets trashed out my white plastic vibratory tumbling container. This happened the first time I tumbled them. So I cleaned the plastic container and wiped down the bullets in a white towel. Reheated the bullets, added more HBN powder and vibratory tumbled them a second time. Same thing. Blackish-gray colored powder coating on the bullets and the inside of my white plastic container looked like it was painted with lead dust.
I've vibratory tumbled close to 2000 other bullets, some with 1/8" stainless steel pellets, and some with no pellets at all, with no similar experience.
These Hornady bullets were tumbled by themselves after acetone wash and heating to ~150F in an oven prior to vibratory tumbling for 1 hour. No pellets or any other tumbling media added. Only HBN powder and 58 Hornady Interlock bullets.
I've vibratory tumbled close to 2000 other bullets, some with 1/8" stainless steel pellets, and some with no pellets at all, with no similar experience.
These Hornady bullets were tumbled by themselves after acetone wash and heating to ~150F in an oven prior to vibratory tumbling for 1 hour. No pellets or any other tumbling media added. Only HBN powder and 58 Hornady Interlock bullets.
idaho elk hunter
Well-Known Member
The Hex will turn to a lead color every time while using lead shot. It is not lead "dust". It is the lead coloring the hex. This is why in the earlier days they called pencils, lead pencils. This is also why they did not make steel pencils. Lead could be refined into smaller particles as shown into smaller lead shot sizes. I am sure it could be even down to a powdery size. But it would not be dust. In order for something to be classified as a dust it would have to have so be able to be suspended in air for a specified amount of time determined off of hoy many parts per million were affected by air movement over a square footage area. Lead, Gold, Mercury etc will not ever be classified as a dust or a inhalable matter, unless burned and turned into a vapor. That is a total different topic. The lead color is absolutely fine and the trace amout of lead that is coloring the particle is actually beneficial. The lead is a lubricator and a heat sink. It is not building up in the barrel due to the fractional amount and the heat of the gasses.
When all said it is so minimal that we are splitting hairs and am really wasting time.
When all said it is so minimal that we are splitting hairs and am really wasting time.
Cold Trigger Finger
Well-Known Member
Glad to see this topic is still going. This summer I started HBN tumbling bullets. . I am not getting the outside the group cold bore shot I do with moly. My velocities are more consistent with much lower extreme spreads.
My only problem is cleaning it out of the hollow point cavity on the 6.5 TSX bullets I've tumbled with it.
I don't bother with it in the Nosler CCs or Hornady hpbt match bullets.
I wash the bullets by hand in a bowl of acetone. Dry with paper towels. Put 1 teaspoons hbn powder in 1 cup Mason canning jars put in up to 75 6.5 bullets put the jars in the tubs on my Harbor Freight rotary rock polisher. Turn it on for 2 hours. When done I dump the bullets into a pair of cotton athletic socks and rub/roll them around for a couple minutes. Bullets come out looking nice. Since I've only ever cleaned the bore with Hopes #9 Benchrest and a 6.5 Bore Snake. And I've shot lots of moly tumbled bullets and none coated bullets. I did not do any pre shooting bore prep. Plus I haven't cleaned the bore in hundreds of rounds and it is still grouping in the. .3s at 100 with a 1-4 power scope set on 4 power.
My only problem is cleaning it out of the hollow point cavity on the 6.5 TSX bullets I've tumbled with it.
I don't bother with it in the Nosler CCs or Hornady hpbt match bullets.
I wash the bullets by hand in a bowl of acetone. Dry with paper towels. Put 1 teaspoons hbn powder in 1 cup Mason canning jars put in up to 75 6.5 bullets put the jars in the tubs on my Harbor Freight rotary rock polisher. Turn it on for 2 hours. When done I dump the bullets into a pair of cotton athletic socks and rub/roll them around for a couple minutes. Bullets come out looking nice. Since I've only ever cleaned the bore with Hopes #9 Benchrest and a 6.5 Bore Snake. And I've shot lots of moly tumbled bullets and none coated bullets. I did not do any pre shooting bore prep. Plus I haven't cleaned the bore in hundreds of rounds and it is still grouping in the. .3s at 100 with a 1-4 power scope set on 4 power.
That amount of HBN per batch may be why the tips are filling up.
I use a .5ml measure (I think that's the size) per 100 bullets. They are well coated and do not plug up.
Cliff
