WS2 Coated Bullets

[WrzWaldo]

Anyone wanting to try some danzac coated bullets but not looking to get into the messy bit?

Well actually it's not all that messy. If you want to try some without having to get all the stuff together I'll coat them for you.

I can buy the bullets and coat/send them or you can send me the bullets you want coated. I am limiting this to 17/20 calibers right now and in lots of 50. Coating will be with .6 micron WS2.

Let me know and we'll discuss how much it'll cost you.

KO


Here is how I do it.

I use large pill bottles, that way I can tumble brass at the same time if I like. The bottles I use will hold a couple hundred bullets but I only do 100 at a time per bottle (I have 5 bottles).

AA battery for size comparison.


Here is what the inside looks like (with burnishing media).

Yep them are .177 BB's


See I told you! Shhhhhhh, don't tell my wife, I took them from her Red Rider stash!



Here is how my 39BK's turned out.

If you think handling the little 20 and 17 caliber bullets is a chore just wait until you get your hands on some of these slippery little gems!

[Matthew]

Wrz

Just out of curiuosity how does one clean that out of the barrrel atfer shootnig danzac coated bullets?? I hear about moly being a chore to clean out of a barrel and was wondering if danzac is better.

Matt

[Rick in Oregon]

Waldo: Ah, another convert! Next time out in the PD or squirrel patch, you'll spend less time cleaning out fouling, and more time shooting! Ain't what we're out there for?

Once you chronograph your pet loads with WS2 coated bullets, you'll find that you'll need to most likely bump up your powder charges, as you'll now generate less pressure due to the coefficient of friction of the WS2 bullets. More speed, less pressure better or equal accuracy = more long range kills. Life is good!

Good luck with the new enterprise, I bet you get alot of interest.

[Keith in Ga]

Is WS2 the same coating that is on Calhoon bullets? I've shot some Calhoons in my .223 and a couple of buddies shoot them, but always wondered why they were silver. His bullets also cut down on the cleaning effort. Is it the same?
For some reason, every time I try to access the Calhoon site, I get some kind of pop-up message, and my computer locks down. Anyone have the same experience?

[WrzWaldo]

Wrz

Just out of curiuosity how does one clean that out of the barrrel atfer shootnig danzac coated bullets?? I hear about moly being a chore to clean out of a barrel and was wondering if danzac is better.

Matt

I have not yet done a cleaning to remove the WS2. I've got another 50 rounds to go then I will do a complete cleaning. I'll post my findings when I get it done. As it stands right now, I cleaned the coating off one of the bullets with Hoppes #9 and a very liberal amount elbow grease, using a shop rag. I expect a brush and solvent will do the trick in short order. Rick probably has some good input on this. What say you Rick?

[Bad Dad]

I’ve been really tempted to try them but it seams to me that if you have to increase the amount of powder in your load, won’t that lead to shorter barrel life not longer barrel life??? Just thinking out loud here, but it’s the powder that ultimately burns a barrel out not heat from the bullet.

[Rugerdogdog]

I are interested! But where would you buy the bullets and at what price? It doesn't SEEM cost effective to send you bullets and have them sent back. (I paid shipping to get them here) Also are there any concerns with cleaning PROMTLY cleaning with WS2? (I clean when I get a minute)

[Rick in Oregon]

Waldo: While not being a scientific study, I've found that the WS2 cleans right out of the barrel with normal (read: Sinclair) cleaning methods. The first few solvent-wetted patches come out black of course, coated with the stuff, but the copper fouling is always less than shooting naked bullets. Some copper will be found, but no where near the amount that would be present if the same quantity of naked bullets had been shot. By having less copper fouling in the bore, peak accuracy is maintained throughout the shooting session.

After a through cleaning, and with a dry bore, I then use denatured alcohol mixed with about 20% WS2 on a couple of wet patches to condition the barrel prior to shooting more coated bullets. You need to shake up the mix at every use, as the WS2 will settle to the bottom when it has sat for a while. This gives a light coating of WS2 for the first few bullets to "ride on".

Dad: You know, you may be right there. I've never seen a definitive study on that subject, but the usual increase in the powder charge is usually so small, say less than 5%, I would not think it would decrease barrel life to any significant degree. My custom Holland rifles in 223 Ackley and 243 Ackley have both never seen a naked bullet. Both are veterans of countless ground squirrel, prairie dog, and rock chuck adventures, and both rifles still shoot well under .5 MOA. These rifles get shot more in one day when in the field, than a casual shooter may shoot in many years.

To me at least, the benefit of shooting more and cleaning less outweighs the possible con mentioned above.....if it exists at all. Unless something changes to the negative, I'll keep on shooting WS2 coated bullets......the varmints seem to hate them!

Below: 25gr Berger HP's WS2 coated in 17 Mach IV cases.....at just over 3,800 fps...at least 50 shots between cleanings. Great Skippy fodder!

[WrzWaldo]

After a through cleaning, and with a dry bore, I then use denatured alcohol mixed with about 20% WS2 on a couple of wet patches to condition the barrel prior to shooting more coated bullets. You need to shake up the mix at every use, as the WS2 will settle to the bottom when it has sat for a while. This gives a light coating of WS2 for the first few bullets to "ride on".

I was just thinking about what to use to pre-treat the barrel. Looks like I can quit thinking about it.

Thanks Rick!

[WrzWaldo]

Is WS2 the same coating that is on Calhoon bullets? I've shot some Calhoons in my .223 and a couple of buddies shoot them, but always wondered why they were silver. His bullets also cut down on the cleaning effort. Is it the same?
For some reason, every time I try to access the Calhoon site, I get some kind of pop-up message, and my computer locks down. Anyone have the same experience?

Sorry for the late reply.

Short answer, no.

It looks like James electro plates his bullets. Here is a tidbit from his page.

"SLICK-SILVERTM" coating is electro chemically applied to the outside of the bullet to privide an ultra slippery bore lubricant which reduces fouling and makes barrel cleaning easier. Cleans with regular bore cleaners. Certech, suppliers of 5mm Remington conversions, has adopted "Slick-SilverTM" plating on their custom 30 and 36 grain 20 caliber bullets. All James Calhoon bullets are "Slick-SilverTM" plated.

[MinotBob]

WrzWaldo - Were do you buy your WS2? I found 8 oz for $76 but I want to coat boolits and not cars.

[WrzWaldo]

WrzWaldo - Were do you buy your WS2? I found 8 oz for $76 but I want to coat boolits and not cars.

You can get it here --> http://www.lowerfriction.com/ or I am selling it for $5.00 per ounce + shipping.

[MinotBob]

WrzWaldo - Were do you buy your WS2? I found 8 oz for $76 but I want to coat boolits and not cars.

You can get it here --> http://www.lowerfriction.com/ or I am selling it for $5.00 per ounce + shipping.

What particle size do you use? They have "We can supply powder with Average Particle Size (fsss) in micron 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0 & higher."

Never mind, I see you used 0.6 micron

[204Shooter]

OK. I want to be convinced of the coating's effectiveness. I have heard the good and bad of moly coated bullets and even tried some a few years back but just decided it was not worth it. By big question is, "Do coated bullets really make a difference?"

In my mind, when a bullet starts into the bore and becomes engraved by the riflings, isn't it "metal on metal" at that point anyway? How would a coating on the bullet have a chance of lubricating the bullet if the riflings are digging into the copper of the bullet? It does seem to me that coating the inside of the bore with moly/WS2 would be more effective but would have to be reapplied between every shot.

I actually do want to be convinced and think it would be a fun process. Do you have any chrono speeds that show a difference? Should WS2 improve bore life? My Barnes TSX bullets would have a very high "cool factor" with this coating!

"Input, I need INPUT!" ... please.

[WrzWaldo]

OK. I want to be convinced of the coating's effectiveness. I have heard the good and bad of moly coated bullets and even tried some a few years back but just decided it was not worth it. By big question is, "Do coated bullets really make a difference?"

If you want to shoot more and clean less then yes. If you want longer barrel life then yes.

In my mind, when a bullet starts into the bore and becomes engraved by the riflings, isn't it "metal on metal" at that point anyway? How would a coating on the bullet have a chance of lubricating the bullet if the riflings are digging into the copper of the bullet? It does seem to me that coating the inside of the bore with moly/WS2 would be more effective but would have to be reapplied between every shot.

Yes you will still end up with a little "metal on metal" contact.

If you pre-treat the bore you improve the effectiveness of the coating on the bullets.

Reducing friction between bullet and bore is a good thing. It leads to less copper fouling. I was trying to explain this to a fellow shooter yesterday and here's what I did (messy). Take your dry clean hands and quickly rub them together, you should feel them warm up. Now toss a little WS2 on you hands and do it again. You will notice a couple of things, first you will notice how easily your hands slide back and forth, secondly (and more important) you will notice that your hands do not heat like your bare skin did. This heat is what helps wear out the barrel.

I actually do want to be convinced and think it would be a fun process. Do you have any chrono speeds that show a difference? Should WS2 improve bore life? My Barnes TSX bullets would have a very high "cool factor" with this coating!

"Input, I need INPUT!" ... please.

There are a couple of us that should have some good chrono data in the next few weeks. I'm working on 2 boxes of 35 Bergers, I'll be shooting both coated and naked of the same loads. I'm hoping to shoot naked (bullets) this Saturday, and coated on Sunday.