Hoppe’s #9?

[Conductor562]

I’ve been using Hoppe’s my whole life. I’ve tried other stuff over the years, but always came back to Hoppe’s. It’s always worked great and the smell....well, that’s just what guns are sopposed to smell like.

That said, the last couple bottles I’ve bought just don’t seem to have the punch that it used to. Has anybody else noticed this, or am I imagining it? Maybe they’ve had to tweak their formula to avoid a Prop 65 warning or something?

[goodfellow]

It's been going the same route as many others -- downhill. I think the EPA gets on these companies backs and they start looking for alternative ingredients that meet their new mandates. I often use the old Ed's Red DIY solution on stubborn leading and fouling problems

[bmwrd0]

I go to enough estate sales and garage sales so that when I see a bottle I pick it up. Usually, it is a good 20 years or older one. This is keeping it cheap and effective for me.

[muddy]

My bottle is pretty old and still seems to work great. Agreed Hoppes 9 is THE gun oil.

I'll have to pickup a new bottle and see if I notice a difference.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

[DeadNutz]

I grew up with the wonderful smell of Hoppe's #9. It is part of my soul and I still use it.

[bonneyman]

I’ve been using Hoppe’s my whole life. I’ve tried other stuff over the years, but always came back to Hoppe’s. It’s always worked great and the smell....well, that’s just what guns are sopposed to smell like.

That said, the last couple bottles I’ve bought just don’t seem to have the punch that it used to. Has anybody else noticed this, or am I imagining it? Maybe they’ve had to tweak their formula to avoid a Prop 65 warning or something?

Conductor, you are right. The new Hoppes #9 is not the same.
When I found this out about 5 years ago I grabbed 2 or 3 bottles of the old real stuff from a forum buddy.

Here's the data. According to Hatchers Notebook page 352, the old Hoppes #9 Nitro-Solvent was composed of:

Oleic acid    16%
Neutral saponifiable oil (probably Sperm Whale oil)  24%
Nitrobenzene  6%
Light mineral oil (kerosene) and Amyl Acetate (banana oil)  54%

The EPA banned benzene as a carcinogen, so it was removed. Whaling was banned, and so a synthetic substitute for the whale oil had to be secured.

Hatcher said the formula he used (page 352) at the Frankford Arsenal around 1920 was equal parts acetone, kerosene, sperm oil, and turpentine mineral spirits.
https://www.tngun.com/wp-content/uploads/Hatchers-Notebook.pdf

Ed's Red is a modern equivalent of this, being equal parts acetone, odorless kerosene, ATF (replaces the sperm oil), and odorless mineral spirits (replaces the turpentine). I just mixed up a batch last week and used it. Alot easier on the nose!

[Conductor562]

Thanks for the info B Man. I suspected as much. I buy the big bottles and usually get a couple years out of it, so the timeline works out about right. I didn’t notice it too much on hunting rifles and stuff, but after a 200 round break-in on an AK, I couldn’t remove the copper foulings from the muzzle break. Even after soaking it for the better part of an hour and hitting it several times with a brass bristle brush, deposits remain.

The generic slant breaks can be had for under $10, so I guess it would be more economical to just replace it periodically.

[bonneyman]

Thanks for the info B Man. I suspected as much. I buy the big bottles and usually get a couple years out of it, so the timeline works out about right. I didn’t notice it too much on hunting rifles and stuff, but after a 200 round break-in on an AK, I couldn’t remove the copper foulings from the muzzle break. Even after soaking it for the better part of an hour and hitting it several times with a brass bristle brush, deposits remain.

The generic slant breaks can be had for under $10, so I guess it would be more economical to just replace it periodically.

Unfortunately none of the newer formulas deal with copper. Though it is claimed that if you use Ed's Red religiously it'll keep the bore clean enough that copper fouling won't build up very fast.

I use Sweet's 7.62 for copper removal. But it likes to "eat" copper bore brushes! 

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/643582/sweets-762-bore-cleaning-solvent-200-ml-liquid?utm_medium=shopping&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Shooting+-+Gun+Cleaning&utm_content=643582&cm_mmc=pf_ci_google-_-Shooting+-+Gun+Cleaning-_-Sweet%27s-_-643582&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuumPxPL63wIV7x-tBh2FkQjuEAQYASABEgItd_D_BwE

[ken w.]

I bought a big old glass container of # 9 at a yard sale a few years ago. Mostly full. When I was putting it in the back of my truck it fill off and broke  all over the street and into the storm drain.    .  That would have 2 lifetimes for me.

[Conductor562]

Thanks for the info B Man. I suspected as much. I buy the big bottles and usually get a couple years out of it, so the timeline works out about right. I didn’t notice it too much on hunting rifles and stuff, but after a 200 round break-in on an AK, I couldn’t remove the copper foulings from the muzzle break. Even after soaking it for the better part of an hour and hitting it several times with a brass bristle brush, deposits remain.

The generic slant breaks can be had for under $10, so I guess it would be more economical to just replace it periodically.

Unfortunately none of the newer formulas deal with copper. Though it is claimed that if you use Ed's Red religiously it'll keep the bore clean enough that copper fouling won't build up very fast.

I use Sweet's 7.62 for copper removal. But it likes to "eat" copper bore brushes! 

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/643582/sweets-762-bore-cleaning-solvent-200-ml-liquid?utm_medium=shopping&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Shooting+-+Gun+Cleaning&utm_content=643582&cm_mmc=pf_ci_google-_-Shooting+-+Gun+Cleaning-_-Sweet%27s-_-643582&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuumPxPL63wIV7x-tBh2FkQjuEAQYASABEgItd_D_BwE

I saw the Sweat’s at the store awhile back, but hadn’t heard of it and the bottle lacked much in the way of a description. Should’ve known the best shit usually needs no description. I may give it a try.

[bonneyman]

I bought a big old glass container of # 9 at a yard sale a few years ago. Mostly full. When I was putting it in the back of my truck it fill off and broke  all over the street and into the storm drain.    .  That would have 2 lifetimes for me.

Dang, I hate hearing stories like that!

[Elroy]

The EPA banned benzene as a carcinogen, so it was removed.

Ya mean something like this:





And yes the bottle is nearly full. Elroy's consumption of this precious commodity is judicious



Elroy doesn't intend to bathe in it ...............Piss on the EPA

[Conductor562]

I bought a big old glass container of # 9 at a yard sale a few years ago. Mostly full. When I was putting it in the back of my truck it fill off and broke  all over the street and into the storm drain.    .  That would have 2 lifetimes for me.

Those old glass bottles of Hoppe’s leaked standing up I think. If you tipped it over, even with the lid tight, it was game over.

[bonneyman]

The EPA banned benzene as a carcinogen, so it was removed.

Ya mean something like this:





And yes the bottle is nearly full. Elroy's consumption of this precious commodity is judicious



Elroy doesn't intend to bathe in it ...............Piss on the EPA

Yep, that is the bad stuff.

I think you could add a drop or two to a martini.....give it a little BANG!   

[Conductor562]

I should bottle my mother in-laws gravy and sell as a gun solvent. Does a hell of a job cleaning me out.