I have always kept a few 1 Qt. bottles of Hoppes 9 solvent in my workshop and had occasion to use quite a bit today. I have always bought the solvent in glass Qt. bottles (usually 2 or 3 at a time) and did not realize I was using my last one up until I looked for another bottle.

My question:

Is the current day Hoppes 9 solvent the same as the original or did they "new & improve it"? I looked online but there was no answer to this question that I could find. Thanks in advance!

I think the original formula had benzine,but that was eliminated quite awhile ago

I did the same thing buying quarts and got down to near the bottom and ordered more. It’s definitely different but it seems to work on krud about as well as the old formula. It smells different too.

I had a little leading and it along with a bronze brush cleaned it right up. I mostly shoot cast bullets so I don’t have to deal with copper.

I kept a few ounces of the old and have a bottle of Ed’s Red if I have some stubborn lead. Anyway if you’re just cleaning unburned powder, carbon and oil out it’ll work just fine.

I’ve tried several different cleaners and found most do a pretty good job.

The "old" stuff with Nitro-Benzine was much better than what they make today, I believe they stopped using Nitro-Benzine in the 1970's, I know I quickly bought the last quart of the old stuff the local gunshop had

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Sceva
OGCA SWCA NRA

Hoppes 9 is also great around the house. It removes, sticky tape residue quickly.

What you guys have said is what I kind of figured - but now know for sure. I can'y even remember when I purchased the last 3 glass Quarts but I know it's definitely the "old stuff". Oh well, I guess it was good while it lasted!

Thanks for the responses!

A little dab behind the ear works wonders with the gals.

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Kevin in Oregon

If your girl likes essence of Hoppe's #9, she's definitely a keeper.
Mine is!

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

Not my gal! My wife flees the area when the bottle of Hoppes comes out.


Original Hoppes No.9 Nitro-solvent contained nitrobenzine, which is a carcinogen. Nitrobenzine was removed from the formula more than 20 years ago.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I tried the synthetic Hoppes, dont like it at all!...still use the new old stuff...first time I used Ballistol in the house,my wife did the smell check,bathroom included.....still use it out in man cave, like it!

My understanding is that they changed the formula about 30 years ago to save us from ourselves. I grew up smelling the old Hoppe's and mourn the loss, but I still have a quart NOS in the cardboard box and every once in a while I'll pop the top and take a whiff. To be honest, I find there are a lot of very good cleaners out there so the loss of old formula No9 is no disaster but a Marlin 39, cheap .22 ammo, and Hoppe's No9 was part of my childhood and I will always miss it.

I bought a "lifetime supply" of several quart bottles of the original formula when they changed it. I'm now 82 years old, and I still have plenty of the original stuff for my heirs to use when I'm gone!

John



p.s. There is no truth to the oft-repeated story that I used a few dabs behind my ears to attract the opposite sex in my youth.

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

It was benzene not benzine.

Benzene is carcinogenic and was removed from the consumer market 40 years ago. Benzine is another name for naphtha (mineral spirits) in the US, though the term is rarely used in this manner anymore. It’s also a common name for gasoline in England.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Don't go by me; I've been using Hoppes 9 since the early 60's and never noticed that it changed.... and I've used tons of it.

IMHO as always,
J.

My wife and daughter both have said they love the smell but from a distance!

For more years than anybody can remember I've used a mixture of kerosene/mineral spirits/ATF in a 1 quart spray bottle for gun cleaning and oil based penetrant. Didn't even know "ED"!

Smiles,

Well I suppose I'l just have to try the new stuff since the original is long out of production now. I used up my last drop about 2 hours ago.

I use #9 all the time. Mop the barrels and leave wet for 2-3 days. Tight patch and all the krud comes out. Buy what I can find at garage sales and estate sales. Lots of old stuff out there. Just have to look for it.

+1 It is a real butt getter .

Regardless of the ingredients in the old or new Hoppe's #9, it remains an as good a solvent as you can find for most routine cleaning. Granted, there are much better solvents for severe copper fouling or hardened carbon, but for regular use on all handguns and cast bullet rifles, I've never found anything better, though Ed's Red and maybe a few others are the equals of Hoppe's.

Years ago Hoppe's said that #9 was good to remove corrosive primer salts residue.
They no long claim that, so it has changed.

Still, it's an excellent primary bore solvent to remove carbon and powder fouling, and given time will remove copper fouling.

My long range shooting buddy uses it in his Bartline Match barrels to remove the carbon and powder fouling, then uses Bore Tech CU+2 to remove the copper.