boron nitride coating bullets question

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Im having mixed feeling about coating my bullets with HBN.. heres what im thinking.

Pros:
-Possibility of longer barrel life
-easier to clean bore
-higher chance of cold bore shot on POI with the rest of the group (david tubb)

Cons:
-How good is it really to leave in your barrel
-inconsistency in coating
-more powder in case for possible lower velocities
-i heard it takes 30 or so bullets before you get consistent readings on MV, so if you clean you have to shot 30 bullets to get a true DOPE?
-never coated any of my bullets before


Let me know if you guys have any experiences with this stuff that you would like to share!
Thanks

 

[Temp9]

Let me start by saying I have very little experience with hBN, but I have been using WS2 for about 8 months, now. Most people say the two act pretty much identically.

Im having mixed feeling about coating my bullets with HBN.. heres what im thinking.

Pros:
-Possibility of longer barrel life
Correct. Lot's of speculation that barrel life will be increased, but not much hard evidence.
-easier to clean bore
Also, more time between cleanings. I'm coming up on 800 rounds through my AR (.223) with WS2 without cleaning with no noticeable accuracy decrease.
-higher chance of cold bore shot on POI with the rest of the group (david tubb)
Most people agree on this. My rifle didn't have an issue with this to begin with, so I can't comment.

Cons:
-How good is it really to leave in your barrel
Haven't heard of or seen any issues. Don't see why there would be.
-inconsistency in coating
Not a problem, just follow the directions
-more powder in case for possible lower velocities
Huge downside of coated bullets if you're already running compressed loads.
-i heard it takes 30 or so bullets before you get consistent readings on MV, so if you clean you have to shot 30 bullets to get a true DOPE?
I don't own a chrono, so I can't comment on MV, but my clean bore rounds were well within my group at 100 yards.
-never coated any of my bullets before
Don't worry, it's very easy. Abbreviated description below.


Let me know if you guys have any experiences with this stuff that you would like to share!
Thanks

I run coated bullets in my .223 AR because I'm running near max charges. The WS2 coating puts me just a little bit further away from dangerous. I plan to run WS2 in my 6XC bolt gun for extended barrel life (or the possibility of such). Personally, if I wasn't trying to run very hot loads or extend the life of a barrel chambered in a barrel burning cartridge (not that 6XC is a barrel burner, but it's not a .308, either), I wouldn't bother. Coating bullets, though, is actually very easy. Put the bullets in a jar (I use a large pill bottle) with a scoop full of BB's and a few grains of WS2/hBN and toss it in your vibratory tumbler for an hour. Once that's done, move the bullets into a container filled with shredded newspapers and give them a quick shake. Dump into a sock and rub them around for a final polish and you're all done! Total labor time is about 10 minutes per batch of 200 .224" or 100 .243" bullets, if that. Even if the benefits are small, it doesn't take much work or cost much money, so no biggie. In my opinion.

ETA: Don't expect too much. You'll get ~500-1000psi of pressure reduction (around 1%), but that might be the difference between a moderately hot load and one that's on the edge. Don't expect any accuracy increase (or decrease).

 

[chefcam864]

I've been on the fence about trying HBN too, but I think I'm gonna try it though...

 

[nashlaw]

I am running it in a .308 and a 6-250 that both have Douglas tubes. The barrel on the 6mm is chrome moly and has only been shot as is.....no breakin. Douglas CM barels, in my experience, are tough to keep the carbon out of before you get a few hundred rnds through them. This 6mm has been fed steady diet of hbn bullets excepting a few uncoated 70 grainers and has yet to have a patch through it. It does .75" and usually less at 100yds.

Effect on barrel life..... I don't know. Reducing fouling.... a solid yes in my book.

I just started using this hbn in the last few months.

 

[Lt. Arclight]

I've used it for about 2 years with 308,338LM and 50BMG. Velocities are lower-confirmed by changes on the range. Loads that showed pressure in my AEII 308 don't using the coating. No difference in accuracy.

50BMG-total difference. Huge difference in the fouling left by brass monolithic solids. Barrel is much easier to clean. Same changes in velocity were noted. There is no doubt that the hBN is a good lubricant. BUT, to get the same velocities with bare bullets your loads must be hotter. Would there be a big difference in barrel life? 308,338LM and the 50BMG aren't barrel burners. I'd like to try it on a 300WM but currently don't own one.


Its cheap. It doesn't have the fouling issues that moly products have. And it is quite easy. I use steel bb's in glass jars-add the bullets and let them run a few hours in the tumbler. Absolutely worth a try IMO.

 

[doctordoctor]

so Lt. Arclight you are seeing a decrease in MV? In your .308 or 50 BMG?