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Hoppe's #9

There probably have been multiple formulas in recent times as dictated by the EPA and especially the CalEPA which deems everything is hazardous to your health (exc. cannabis -which they hail as the new miracle drug).
IME the current stuff works fine if one does not let the round count get too high between cleaning sessions. It's distinctive pleasant smell is worth the extra work due to the need to run through a couple more passes with the brush and patches when compared to some harsher cleaners.
 
#9 seems to work as well as the old. Key is to wet bore & soak a few hours or over night.
The Benchrest solvent works faster on copper.

Edit/Add- Google- Hoppes No 9 Safety Data Sheets

Now my first choice for rifles is the foam cleaner.

No9_FoamingBoreCleaner_907_Front.jpg
 
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The current stuff works well on my cm barrels imo. If its safer to use that's a plus. I have one barrel on my BAT action IBS HV rifle that likes a couple of wet Hoppe's patches between targets.
 
Government regulations mean there are MSDS on these things. Page 2 lists the current complete ingredients:


From here https://www.shootersforum.com/threads/did-hoppe-change-no-9s-formula.242744/...
The original formula, probably. I gather it was changed not that recently but before reporting requirements so there's no official list of the WW1 era ingredients.
The name, № 9, came from the fact the formula was the ninth one tried by chemist Frank Hoppe and Townsend Whelen who were in search of a bore cleaner that would eliminate corrosive primer residue and attack the heavy copper fouling from cupro-nickel jackets. Hatcher said an analysis done about the time of WWII showed it was:

Ammonium oleate 16%
Neutral saponifiable oil 24%
Nitrobenzene 6%
kerosene and amyl acetate 54%

The neutral saponifiable oil is probably banana oil.

Nitrobenzene is toxic and a carcinogen, to boot, so it has been removed since then.

FWIW:
Nitrobenzene is highly toxic (Threshold Limit Value 5 mg/m3) and readily absorbed through the skin.

Prolonged exposure may cause serious damage to the central nervous system, impair vision, cause liver or kidney damage, anemia and lung irritation. Inhalation of vapors may induce headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, cyanosis, weakness in the arms and legs, and in rare cases may be fatal. The oil is readily absorbed through the skin and may increase heart rate, cause convulsions or rarely death. Ingestion may similarly cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and gastrointestinal irritation, loss of sensation/use in limbs and also causes internal bleeding.[10]

Nitrobenzene is considered a likely human carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency,[14] and is classified by the IARC as a Group 2B carcinogen which is "possibly carcinogenic to humans".[15] It has been shown to cause liver, kidney, and thyroid adenomas and carcinomas in rats.[16]

It is classified as an extremely hazardous substance in the United States as defined in Section 302 of the U.S. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (42 U.S.C. 11002), and is subject to strict reporting requirements by facilities which produce, store, or use it in significant quantities.[17

Gloving up doesn't help either as it'll go through nitrile gloves in less than 1 minute.

I've been (lightly) poisoned by industrial chemicals and didn't enjoy it at all. I am all good with not having stuff like this that's hard to protect against around me all the time.
 
True Confession: I am a "closet" Hoppe's No. 9 user. :rolleyes: I went back to it about 3 years ago after trying other products which the internet experts told me were better.

With a bronze brush and cleaning every 50 rounds or so, I cannot detect any difference from other products I have tried based on results on target. The only time I ran into trouble with other products is when I used an aggressive copper solvent (Cu+2). I developed clean barrel flyers and need to fire several rounds before a consistent POI returned. This was not good for hunting applications.

The few times I looked down the bore with my smith's bore scope I had the "King Kong" affect. o_O If you remember in the movie when they opened the curtain to show the large ape (King Kong) in the theater, everyone screamed and ran out of the theater. I had the same reaction with the scope and wanted to run out of the shop. But my smith calmed down and asked one simple question, "How does your rifle shoot?" Great I replied for my needs. Then he told me just to keep doing what I am doing until it doesn't work anymore.

But what do I know, I am just a varmint and predator hunter, not an expert.
 

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