Anyone tried waxing bullets?

[Picher]

I've experienced consideralbe fouling from Barnes TSX bullets and a bit from Hornady GMX, probably because my rifle has seen a fair number of hot loads.

Ha anyone here tried using auto wax or similar coating on bullets (not molybdenum) to minimize fouling? I'm wondering whether pressures would be reduced too much, causing a drop in muzzle velocity and perhaps, poor powder ignition.

I'll probably try it on a few, just to see if there's reasonable reduction, without causing other problems.

 

[Salmoneye]

LLA

Lee Liquid Alox

 

[PawPaw]

I've been using LLA for years with cast bullets, but I've never tried it with jacketed. I guess you'd coat the bullets before you loaded them, but I'd be interested to see how much scrapes off during the bullet seating process. With cast bullets we flare the mouth of the case so that we won't scrape the lead. However, the three bands on a Barnes TTX might hold lube just fine.

I'm not saying it's a good idea, just war-gaming the possibilities.

 

[Bart B.]

No lube of any kind should be used on jacketed bullets. The wave that stuff builds up as the bullet pushes it in front of it going down the barrel will sometimes "ring" the barrel. That means the barrel steel gets permanently bulged at that point.

Rain water's often the cause of ringed barrels in hunting rifles. Leaving the oil you put in after cleaning it to protect it from corrosion is another cause.

The only lube I know of that can be on a bullet when its shot is the special lanolin mixture Sierra Bullets uses on their copper bullet jackets they're made then stuffed with lead cores and finally pointed at the last stage of production. 10 are grabbed as they fall out of the pointing machine into a barrel then seated in resized, primed and charged cases to test in their rail guns. That lanolin mixture does not cause problems 'cause it's very, very thin.

 

[kraigwy]

Back in the Springfield days soldiers would dip their bullets in grease before they shot them thinking they would shoot better.

All they really accomplished was jacking up pressure and blowing up guns.

 

[sc928porsche]

The only bullets I wax are the ones that get polished before being inserted into my gun belt. I like them nice and shiny there for display.

 

[Gunplummer]

When we hunted squirrels with .22 shorts when I was a kid, they (bullets) had some kind of wax on them. After a day in your pocket the bullets had all kind of fuzz and lint sticking to them. I think these were cast bullets. What about molly-coating?

 

[FALPhil]

Find someone who impact plates their jacketed bullets with molydenum disulphide. Typically people who do this wax their bullets to keep the moly on the bullet.

 

[Picher]

I'm not talking about heavy wax lube, just auto wax that has been applied, then had the residue wiped off. It's hard and bonds pretty well to metal. I wonder whether bullet manufacturers do it already, to prevent oxidation.

 

[old roper]

Here is interesting post

http://thefiringline.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-175226.html

 

[Picher]

I have some soft paste wax, including neutral shoe polish that I normally use as a release compound for epoxy-bedding (best ever). I'll try them both, to see if there's any difference in velocity or fouling in my .270. Barnes TSX bullets were the worst at fouling my barrel, but I don't have many left, so I'll try the Hornady GMX first.

 

[Tempest 455]

Yes and on .22LR only that have NOT been waxed (ie. Wolf, Eley, etc).

Makes a huge difference in .22 when shooting long distances.

 

[Picher]

I understand that ALL .22LR bullets are waxed. However, some waxes are softer and/or have thicker coatings than others.

 

[Tempest 455]

Maybe???

However, if that's the case, some have very little, if any. I have done extensive testing on waxed vs non-waxed and have found a significant increase in accuracy in waxed.

All the match grades appears to have wax. The only bulk ammo I have seen thet appear to be waxed are CCI Blazer and AR Tactical.

 

[Picher]

I understand that the high-speed stuff has a thin, hard wax coating, so they won't pick up lint from people's pockets, where many are placed when plinking or hunting.