Lubalox, Winchester Ballistic Silvertips

[RavenTai]

Winchester ballistic silvertips are one of the two loads available locally. a buddy recommends them, but I have been curious about this Lubalox stuff,

From Winchesters website.
http://www.winchester.com/learning-center/faqs/Ammunition/Pages/FAQ.aspx

24.
Lubalox Coating:

Black oxide
First used in early 1990
Does not increase diameter of bullet
Used on Accubond CT®, Ballistic Silvertip®, E-tip and XP3® product lines
Does not harm barrel
Reduces barrel fouling
Does not require barrel "seasoning"
Moly Coating:

43. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF LUBALOX?
The primary benefits of Lubalox is reduced barrel fouling. The process creates a surface on the bullet jacket, which increases the amount of shots possible between cleanings. Unlike moly-coated bullets, Lubalox coated bullets leave the barrel residue-free and do not require barrel "seasoning". Additionally, unlike uncoated bullets that tarnish over time, Lubalox protects the surface of the bullet jacket, keeping it looking like new

45. WHAT IS LUBALOX®?
Lubalox® is the trade name Winchester® uses to describe a black oxide process. It is a very thin oxide bullet coating, often compared to the bluing on a steel firearm.

If it does not increase the diameter of the bullet then it is not an applied coating but instead a chemical conversion of the jacket material itself. bullet jackets are usually mostly copper with a small amount of zinc, and sometimes a little tin, usually called gliding metal sometimes Lubaloy

there is this Wikipedia article about Black oxide, usually steel but there is also a process for copper.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_oxide

Black oxide for copper, sometimes known by the trade name Ebonol C, converts the copper surface to cupric oxide. For the process to work the surface has to have at least 65% copper; for copper surfaces that have less than 90% copper it must first be pretreated with an activating treatment. The finished coating is chemically stable and very adherent. It is stable up to 400 °F (204 °C); above this temperature the coating degrades due to oxidation of the base copper. To increase corrosion resistance the surface may be oiled, lacquered, or waxed. It is also used as a pre-treatment for painting or enamelling. The surface finish is usually satin, but it can be turned glossy by coating in a clear high gloss enamel.[7]
On a microscopic scale dendrites form on the surface finish, which trap light and increase absorptivity. Because of this property the coating is used in aerospace applications for light rejection.[7]
An applicable U.S. military specification is MIL-F-495E.[8]

cupric oxide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupric_oxide

Copper(II) oxide or cupric oxide (CuO) is the higher oxide of copper. As a mineral, it is known as tenorite.

It is a black solid with an ionic structure which melts above 1200 °C with some loss of oxygen. It can be formed by heating copper in air:
2 Cu + O2 → 2 CuO

Could Lubalox be cupric oxide? it seams to fit.


If it is cupric oxide how would this reduce fouling? will ammonia based copper removers like Hoppes no.9 still remove it from the bore?

 

[Horsemany]

Standard bore solvents will remove it. It's been my experience the lubalox is soft and comes out gunky after a brush/patch session. I don't use them anymore mostly because I haven't been impressed with their performance on game. I used to shoot moly coated bullets too but have gone back to copper which works fine and gives slightly higher velocity.