What is the Tungsten Disulfide Bullet Process

Many shooters coat their bullets before shooting with molybdenum, boron nitrate, or tungsten disulfide. These materials have low friction which may reduce friction and heat in the gun barrel, causing it to last longer. In the case of tungsten disulfide (WS2), there are several different coating processes. Because tungsten disulfide sticks to things with difficulty, it must be forcefully applied to a bullet for it to stick.

  1. Spray Blasting

    • Sand blasting is a common and quick way to coat bullets with WS2. Before sand-blasting, clean and degrease the bullets. Then sand-blast them lightly with aluminum oxide powder. This powder helps the WS2 stick to the surface of the bullet. Dust the powder off of the bullets using a cloth, then, in a separate sand blasting unit, blast the bullets with WS2 powder at 120 psi. You'll know they are ready when they change to a silvery grey color. Dust off the WS2 powder with a cloth afterwards.

    Tumbler Technique

    • Shooters who coat their bullets at home often use a vibrating tumbler to coat their bullets. According to the website Accurate Shooter, you can coat your bullets with WS2 in less than an hour using this technique. To coat your bullets using a tumbler, put the bullets inside a plastic container with WS2 powder and a generous amount of metal pellets or sand. Tumble the mixture for four to five hours, then remove the bullets and wipe them clean with a cloth.

    Alcohol Paste

    • An easy, but time-consuming method of coating bullets is to use isopropyl alcohol to bond the WS2 to the bullets. Mix WS2 powder with enough alcohol to make a paste, then apply the paste onto both the bullets and onto a cotton buffing wheel. When the paste is dry, buff each bullet with the buffing wheel until it takes on a silvery grey sheen. Clean the bullets both before and after you coat them.

    Compensating For Reduced Velocity

    • For many shooters, coating bullets with tungsten disulfide is a useful way to reduce the friction inside their gun barrels and thus prolong barrel life. However, you can expect the velocity of a coated bullet to be somewhat reduced compared to an uncoated one. Accurate Shooter states that a bullet coated with molybdenum, boron nitrate or WS2 will lose 20 to 80 feet per second. To counteract this, adjust your powder load, adding up to half a grain more to your case.