I have read that Hoppe's No. 9 on nickel plated firearms.

[JackInCt]

I've read that Hoppe's No. 9 and some other cleaning solutions can damage the plating on nickel plated firearms.
Is this correct or just an old wives' tale?

 

[326MOD10]

You will hear both sides of the argument hear as there are some older threads out there.

I have one nickel Model 19 and I err on the side of caution and found something without ammonia in it.

Some say it will depend on whether the nickel plating is cracked or coming off and that is what causes the issues.

 

[Rule3]

I've read that Hoppe's No. 9 and some other cleaning solutions can damage the plating on nickel plated firearms.
Is this correct or just an old wives' tale?

You can use it but do not leave it on for a long time. Do not use if there are cracks in the finish as it may get underneath.
But why not just use something else

It is mostly kerosene and has a trace amount of Ammonium Hydroxide

https://www.hoppes.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-HuntShootAccessoriesSharedLibrary/default/dwfbc7ef45/productPdfFiles/hoppesPdf/sds/04e3a446-2860-4fdd-9e91-49ea662e5830.pdf

 

[stansdds]

Hoppe's No. 9 has very little ammonia in it, so it may be fine with all nickel plated firearms, but maybe not soak them in Hoppe's No. 9, just use it to clean and then wipe away all the No.9 before oiling or waxing. That being said, the issue of ammonia and nickle plated firearms comes up every month or two. The issue is in how the nickel plating is applied.

If a firearm is first plated with copper, then nickel, if there is any break in that nickel finish, then ammonia will come into contact with and begin to dissolve the copper plating, then the nickel begins to lift and flake. S&W did not use a copper intermediate layer with their nickel finishes, they plated directly to the underlying steel or aluminum, so there is no issue with ammonia and factory nickel plated S&W firearms.

 

[sceva]

I think it was worse when Hoppes had nitrobenzene in it. Hoppes # 9 was a much better cleaner then but ( I think) it was worse on nickel. Lot's of good cleaners now so I would stay away from Hoppe's if I had a nickel firearm

 

[GnarlsR2]

I have used Hoppe’s #9 since 1978.

About 3 months ago I was watching a YT video of a guy using Hoppe’s #9, then using Bore Tech Inc’s Cu+2 Copper Remover in his bore of an AR15. I was very surprised at how much copper comes out onto the patches. I tried it on already "cleaned" rifle and was blown away how much copper was dissolved coming out the barrel bore.

I’ve have now switched to Cu+2 Copper Remover on all parts because it cleans so well on carbon and ammo residue, and especially copper out of the bore. I run a wet cloth patch through bore and let set for about 5 or 10 minutes, then do it again until there is very little to no “green” copper coming out on the patches. It has no ammonia.

https://a.co/d/02g7Nf9

 

[jimmyj]

in place of Hoppes #9 what is recommended ?

 

[chief38]

My very first CCW was a S&W Nickel plated, 2" M10 RB. I shot the snot out of that gun and only sold it so I could buy a smaller and lighter Chief's Special back in the early 1980's. The M10 was cleaned exclusively with Hoppes #9 many many times and never had any damage to the finish. At the time there were no warnings about using Hoppes #9 on Nickeled guns and everyone did just that.

I believe what gave Hoppes a bad rap being used on Nickeled guns was that there were many instances where a gun company would Copper plate their guns prior to Nickel Plating them. Hoppes does dissolve copper. If there are any small flaws in the Nickel plating I suppose Hoppes could possibly get underneath and dissolve the Copper which in turn would make the Nickel plating chip off in that area. IIRC Colt was one company that used Copper plating under its Nickel, however I do not believe S&W ever did that.

I also have my Dad's Baby Chief's Special from 1951/52 that is factory Nickeled. I won't even say how many tens of thousand of rounds he put through it and always used Hoppes #9 exclusively to clean it. He even let the plated parts soak in Hoppes for a hour or two when it was really filthy. Today, I have that gun and while it has many fine scratches all over it (his EDC and BUG for 60 years) there is no peeling Nickel at all. I also have 2 Colt SAA revolvers in Nickel and have used Hoppes #9 to clean the cylinders and barrels more than once - never had any issues at all. So is this just a myth? That answer I will offer up to you to decide.

 

[GnarlsR2]

"Hoppes does dissolve copper."

Hoppe’s #9 may remove or dissolve copper, but my fresh bottle of Hoppe’s #9 Gun Bore Cleaner will not come close to what Bore Tech’s Cu+2 Copper Remover has done to every firearm I have recently cleaned.

Based upon the green-blue color on the cotton swabs, assuming that is dissolved copper, Bore Tech’s Cu+2 Copper Remover is doing an incredibly better job at cleaning copper from the bores.

 

[Doug M.]

I have come to avoid all potentially caustic cleaning products and stick with Slip products as recommended by Pat Rogers and others I respect. It MAY be necessary to have an oddly clean firearm for some uses, but I am not a bullseye or long range competition shooter.

 

[Dashriprock]

I was putting a new shipment of Hoppes on the shelf at the shop the other day, noticed it says right on the label not to leave it on nickle finishes for extended periods of time.

 

[rockquarry]

I've used Hoppe's #9 for regular cleaning on a number of S&W nickel revolvers for more than fifty years. It works well and does no harm. Erroneous tales from misinformed sources often become perpetual, so this thread will be revived in another month or two.

 

[kwb377]

I've used Hoppe's #9 for regular cleaning on a number of S&W nickel revolvers for more than fifty years. It works well and does no harm. Erroneous tales from misinformed sources often become perpetual, so this thread will be revived in another month or two.

So those people that say it can erode the underlying copper layer on guns so plated if there's a chip/crack in the nickel and cause issues are wrong because it's never happened to you?

I've never been struck by lightning...I guess those that claim to have been are wrong and perpetuating erroneous tales.

 

[rockquarry]

So those people that say it can erode the underlying copper layer on guns so plated if there's a chip/crack in the nickel and cause issues are wrong because it's never happened to you?

I've never been struck by lightning...I guess those that claim to have been are wrong and perpetuating erroneous tales.

Please explain the basis for your comments and your own experiences with Hoppe's #9 and nickel finished-guns rather than the acerbic remarks. I didn't say what you claim in this thread, but have mentioned cracks and chips and Hoppe's #9 in other threads here on the same subject. Please do a search on all my comments on the subject.

If there's a chip or crack in the nickel, common sense would dictate not allowing Hoppe's #9 (or any other solvent) to get into the exposed area.

 

[DAT85]

in place of Hoppes #9 what is recommended ?

Been using SHOOTER'S CHOICE BORE CLEANER for years and never had any finish issues to date,even on nickle.
YMMV.