HbN users: what's your cleaning regime?

[Catch-22]

I'm interested to know how often / after how many rounds, will users of HbN completely clean their barrels back to bare steel? 

So removing everything (HbN, carbon & any copper buildup) using patches/brush with solvents, NOT just bare patches pushed through, which should happen after every shooting session.

Cheers 👍

[Lukas_K]

My longest-in-use HBN treted bbl is my 6Br. I do the same cleaning routine after every range trip (anything between 30 - 70 rounds): push through one dry patch to get away loose debris, then three soaked patches (Shooter´s choice or Robla) and let it rest for a few minutes. Patch dry. In the beginning I tried to repeat a soaked patch after the routine but got no more copper indication, therefore I believe any further cleaning would be wane. I´m on this routine for almost 2k rounds now.

[Re-Pete]

Why would you want to clean it back to bare steel?

Pete

[Catch-22]

19 hours ago, Re-Pete said:

Why would you want to clean it back to bare steel?

Pete

Dunno...that's why I'm asking if anyone does or not. 

Im simply asking if people just indefinitely dry patch and re swab the bore with a HbN soaked swab (e.g. going thousands of rounds) or strip everything out and start afresh every 500 rounds or so? 

Ive not been using HbN for very long, so unsure if people experience any trace of copper build up over time or not. 

Cheers

[Re-Pete]

I've not seen any copper yet, but at only 250 odd rounds, it's early days.

Having said that, my other rifles use bare bullets, and a smear of copper hasn't bothered them very much.

The 308 Bartlein barrel's had around 1500 through it, and it's not showing enough to warrant de-coppering it.

Pete

[No i deer]

I think some bullets leave more copper fouling than others,some calibres foul more than others.my 6.5x47 with 139gr scenars seem the worst I've noticed.they shoot amazing though.

[Catch-22]

Cool - seems we're all learning as we go 😁

It'll be interesting to resurrect this thread once we all have more insight to share.

Thanks all

[No i deer]

More variables 🤣😂😁

[Bob57]

The first time i cleaned my 204ruger back to bare was after 400 rounds,cleaned with wipeout/patchout and not a bit of carbon or copper showing on any patches, cleaned back to bare after another 300 rounds with wipeout/patchout before i changed my rounds to a different powder and no trace of anything again.

I'm not going to clean back to bare with wipeout until it's done at least 500 again, and I bet there still won't be any copper showing.

I've got 3 rifles running on HBN and they've all been run in with HBN from day one, none show carbon or copper,which definitely is the best way to start using it, as both my 22-250  and 17rem had both had a lot of rounds down them before going on to HBN,  but both showed copper when wet cleaned.

Magic fairy dust😃

[Catch-22]

Good man - superb insight. Thanks for sharing! 

[No i deer]

I would be more intrested in how the throat is wearing more.

If you dry patched my barrels it wouldn't show copper only carbon 😂

[Bob57]

48 minutes ago, No i deer said:

I would be more intrested in how the throat is wearing more.

If you dry patched my barrels it wouldn't show copper only carbon 😂

I've edited my post so you should be able to understand it now mate😂.

Yes I'll be interested to see how the throat is wearing too, but haven't got a bore scope yet, one day!!

[gruntus]

I'm pleased to see some Hbn users on here! 😁

 

I'm about to start down this route later this year (already have the Hbn, just want to finish my OCW so I have a good base to start from).

I asked on a different forum (stateside)  if anyone actually oiled their barrels afterwards and hence the impact on the Hbn coating the barrel.

My current cleaning regimes are wet patch for carbon (kg1) and a decopper at different interims. I usually finish off with a Balistol covered patch to keep corrosion at bay.

Do you guys just patch out (dry) and then leave alone?

I'm interested to see what people do.

All the best

G

[bradders]

14 minutes ago, gruntus said:

I'm pleased to see some Hbn users on here! 😁

 

I'm about to start down this route later this year (already have the Hbn, just want to finish my OCW so I have a good base to start from).

I asked on a different forum (stateside)  if anyone actually oiled their barrels afterwards and hence the impact on the Hbn coating the barrel.

My current cleaning regimes are wet patch for carbon (kg1) and a decopper at different interims. I usually finish off with a Balistol covered patch to keep corrosion at bay.

Do you guys just patch out (dry) and then leave alone?

I'm interested to see what people do.

All the best

G

Pesonally speaking, I don't do any of this cobblers, and that suits me just fine

[gruntus]

Also meant to ask if anyone coats the inside of the cartridge necks with HBn in lieu of graphite etc for consistency of neck friction?

ATB

G

[gruntus]

1 minute ago, bradders said:

Pesonally speaking, I don't do any of this cobblers, and that suits me just fine

Hi Bradders,

From the reviews I've read on the longrangeonly forum there are numerous reports of getting really consistent MVs which can't be a bad thing.

And it doesn't seem as messy as moly coating.

Cheers

G

[VarmLR]

I check my loads every powder batch change but with the powders I use, I seem to get consistent results and low ES without going the to the lengths of Hbn or any of this rigmarole.  Not sure if any current UK BR or F class champs bother with it?  I do clean the rifles after every use be that 1 shot or 80.  KG1 left in for 20 minutes before dry patching as I've found that even Tactical Advantage won't strip out the carbon without repeat applications and a scrub.  I simply KG1 then dry patch before using Tactical Advantage which is left in for an hour before dry patching idf lots shot.  Just a quick patch through with KG1 for anything up to about 10 rounds through.  Job done and no fretting over how slippery or not my bullets are....they're swaged so I am dubious about the claims from any anti-friction coating which can be affected by heat/pressures involved.  Plus I'm tight and don't want to spend the extra in time or cash 😂

[Catch-22]

The core reason and benefit of HbN is to ceramic coat the bore to prevent heat wear, specifically at the throat as already noted.

Any protection in that area to prolong the life of the barrel is welcomed. HbN is rated to withstand several thousand degrees, so should be offering better protection of the throat than non coated.

Im not a gunsmith and don't have the luxury of being able to buy barrels at cost then chamber them myself. If I did, I probably wouldn't worry about wearing the throat out either. If HbN helps maximise barrel life, albeit with a small overhead of tumbling bullets for a couple of hours, then why not?!?

[Bob57]

13 minutes ago, Catch-22 said:

The core reason and benefit of HbN is to ceramic coat the bore to prevent heat wear, specifically at the throat as already noted.

Any protection in that area to prolong the life of the barrel is welcomed. HbN is rated to withstand several thousand degrees, so should be offering better protection of the throat than non coated.

Im not a gunsmith and don't have the luxury of being able to buy barrels at cost then chamber them myself. If I did, I probably wouldn't worry about wearing the throat out either. If HbN helps maximise barrel life, albeit with a small overhead of tumbling bullets for a couple of hours, then why not?!?

You won't convince the can't be arsed people mate, even if they knew how simple it is to clean a barrel when you get home,with none of those carbon and copper fluids to p#@s about with!!

[bradders]

 

[Bob57]

On 4/2/2019 at 12:46 PM, gruntus said:

I'm pleased to see some Hbn users on here! 😁

 

I'm about to start down this route later this year (already have the Hbn, just want to finish my OCW so I have a good base to start from).

I asked on a different forum (stateside)  if anyone actually oiled their barrels afterwards and hence the impact on the Hbn coating the barrel.

My current cleaning regimes are wet patch for carbon (kg1) and a decopper at different interims. I usually finish off with a Balistol covered patch to keep corrosion at bay.

Do you guys just patch out (dry) and then leave alone?

I'm interested to see what people do.

All the best

G

Hi g, when you get on to using  your hbn clean your barrel back to bare (no carbon or copper), push a couple of patches of panel wipe or similar through barrel to squeaky clean, then coat barrel with a few patches covered with HBN solution, shoot your coated bullets,then only dry patch out barrel, every time after shooting until patch comes out clean(normally about 5 patches) for say about 500 rounds then back to a proper wet clean and the same procedure again.

I wouldn't use oil in your barells, no need .

If you've shot your rifle a fair bit already before going on to hbn you might want to try a wet clean after say 150 rounds to see if it shows carbon/copper,just a matter of checking as you go along ,and no reason you can't recoat your barrel with HBN on a patch whenever you feel like it as long as your dry patch is totally clean, you'll get the first bullet going faster on newly hbn'd barrel,then speed will settle down.

Good luck,Let us know how you get on with it.

 

[VarmLR]

Is there any corroborated evidence that Hbn does what it says and exactly by how much does it extend barrel life?  If there isn' t any evidence then I wouldn't bother with it.  If there was I would consider it.  You need more than the say so  of " a bloke on a forum says..." or blind faith to convince that thus stuff is worth it.  I do remain open minded but barrels are consumables and I question why if this stuff is so good why then are new barrels not coated with it as a selling feature?  Manufacturers would have picked up on it by now.

[Catch-22]

47 minutes ago, VarmLR said:

Is there any corroborated evidence that Hbn does what it says and exactly by how much does it extend barrel life?  If there isn' t any evidence then I wouldn't bother with it.  If there was I would consider it.  You need more than the say so  of " a bloke on a forum says..." or blind faith to convince that thus stuff is worth it.  I do remain open minded but barrels are consumables and I question why if this stuff is so good why then are new barrels not coated with it as a selling feature?  Manufacturers would have picked up on it by now.

It's a fair question. Tubb uses and sells the stuff and believes it helps barrel life. As do a number of top State side Benchrest shooters. Other than Tubb, HbN isn't an off the shelf shooting product and those that use it have done so to replace Moly as it's better and cleaner.

Now Moly has been proven to help prolong he barrel life a bit. Norma conducted an extensive test on some 6.5x55 barrels and found Moly DID a good job. But Moly has numerous downsides, a big one is that it's hydrostatic and will attract rust between the layer of Moly and the barrel steel.

HbN is hydrophobic, isn't as messy or toxic, requires fewer steps to apply and has a much higher temperature rating (thus protecting barrels better than Moly).

HbN has apparently been used in research to prolongue the life of naval ship guns and howitzers for some time. Findings suggest HbN does a good job - but I don't know enough detail about that. 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283979429_Innovative_boron_nitride-doped_propellants

[VarmLR]

I can see the benefits over moly which I would never bother with.  Frankly, there are so many things to consider, especially for the newcomers to the sport that adding one more fashionable magic paste to the equation simply tempts people to shell out for a shelf full of this and similar "aids to better shooting" with the net effects that many will forget the real basics of truly important things like optimising your propellant/bullet match and case capacity for the most uniform, repeatable, desired terminal ballistics and fine tuning your brass prep and load development accordingly.  Call me an old duffer, but time spent behind the trigger, with optimised loads I sincerely believe is worth more than a bucketful of stuff like this.  For those already at a level of accuracy and precision, well it may well be of benefit and I can sort of understand why they might want to try this stuff but for everyone else I just think it's another not so magic pill.

[bradders]