What Is Hoppes Solvent?

Why It Is Needed

• Firearms are a complex working of chemical powders, moving parts and basic physics. Even when everything works as it should, the firearm quickly gets dirty inside from the burnt gunpowder residue, everyday dirt and dust, and used oil and grease used as lubrication. Some firearms can seize up and refuse to work after firing as few as 50 rounds. Others can go longer, but eventually all will have to be cleaned to ensure that the next time you pull the trigger it goes "bang." Hoppes No. 9 cleans away almost all the problems.

How to Use

• Most gun cleaning is done with the firearm field-stripped or just minimally taken apart to get to the major moving parts and the interior of the barrel. Hoppes is liberally poured on various brushes, swabs, clothes and other items to reach into the nooks and crannies of the firearm and clean off the residue. Much of the problem is cured by just wiping on and wiping off, but some stubborn areas need to be wet down and left for a few minutes. The area is considered clean when you can rub a clean cloth over it and not pick up any black marks on the cloth.

Weaknesses

• Hoppes No. 9 must be kept away from the plastic parts that are commonly found on newer guns. It dissolves the plastic. When bullets are fired down the barrel they leave a minute amount of either copper or lead on the lans and grooves that make a rifle. After time, this adds up and fouls the barrel, making it shoot poorly. Hoppes No. 9 does not remove copper well and gun owners strongly disagree about its effects on lead fouling. To overcome this, Hoppes came out with a special solvent for removing copper and lead, named Hoppes Benchrest-9.

Competitors

• Technology and chemistry knowledge have changed greatly since Hoppes No. 9 first appeared. Newer gun cleaners such as Breakfree CLP, Eezox, Mil-tec 1 and Strikehold have gained a foothold in the market. The newer solvents sometimes combine a lubricating oil with the solvent, allowing completion of two tasks with only one product. Solvents contain harsh chemicals necessary to clean out difficult deposits of hard material. Caution is a must regardless of what brand you are using to clean firearms. Always follow the instructions on the package.