Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner vs. Home Remedy – Which Would you Prefer?

There will always be an accumulation of abrasive debris in your firearm. The debris results from minute abrasion of firearm interiors; this, in turn, comes from frequent discharge of a firearm. Thus, it is expedient to regularly clean your firearm to avoid it from malfunctioning. Sometimes, however, one is torn between cleaning with homemade products or a custom-made gun cleaning solvent. It is, therefore, necessary to discuss differences between home remedies and a popular firearm cleaning solvent, Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner.

As pointed out earlier, frequent discharge of your firearm will lead to minute accumulation of powder, wads, and flakes off the firearm’s interior. Hoppe’s No.9 Gun Bore Cleaner is a customized solvent that has been in use for more than a century! It is known as a remover of fouling and abrasive debris. The bore cleaner has also been marketed and known as anti-rust due to its highly penetrative formula.

There are a few ways in which you can clean your firearm. You can either use a bore snake, cleaning rod, or dismantle your firearm; all these methods depend on the level of cleaning. For instance, if you want to clean your firearm quickly, you can use a bore snake. First, choose the appropriate size of bore snake for your firearm as it comes in different sizes.

With a bit of Hoppe’s No. 9, Gun Bore Cleaner on the bore snake, you can run it through the firearm bore; this removes any fouling in the bore. However, it does not guarantee that it will remove all the abrasive debris or fouling.

Therefore, to clean the build-up of abrasive debris that is deeply attached to your firearm bore, it will be advisable to use a cleaning rod. A cleaning rod with a soft brush attached to its base is a good tool; with this, you can apply a little of Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner to the brush and run it down the muzzle of your firearm. This process usually removes stubborn abrasive build-ups that a bore snake cannot remove.

However, to remove stubborn stains, you may have to dismantle your firearm by following a manufacturer’s document or manual. After that, you can soak the rod in Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner and run it through the barrel from the breech, where the barrel is attached to the firearm’s action, to the muzzle; do these a couple of times depending on the level of dirt in the firearm’s bore.

Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner is majorly made up of kerosene, ethanol, and propanol and small proportions of thirteen compounds, among which are Amyl Acetate, 2-methyl butyl acetate, and methanol. Overall, the bore cleaner is a product of carefully blended sixteen compounds. Therefore, making it more than just a solvent used in regular cleaning.

For a bore cleaner home remedy, of course, you don’t need many compounds. Even if you do, it will be difficult to know the right proportions to use. Most of the compounds listed above cannot easily be found in a typical home. However, according to a personal experience shared by Gordon Hutchinson in Louisiana Sportsman, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are two ingredients that you can easily find at home.

The two products are usually used as homemade disinfectants. However, some online forums have confirmed the story of Gordon. Indeed, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide can easily be found around one’s home. Nevertheless, if you do not have these products at home, you can quickly get them at your nearest department store.

To use vinegar and hydrogen peroxide as a bore cleaner, you must mix an equal portion of these products. Attach a patch to a cleaning rod, long stick, or any materials that can act as a cleaning rod, swab your firearm bore with it, and leave for some hours. There are amazing tales of how firearms’ bores are returned to their pristine state.

Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner has been around since 1903; thus, it is reliable. It has been tested to have an anti-rust formula. However, a mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide will produce peracetic acid. Peracetic acid is an oxidizing agent; it can chemically react with the metal in your firearm. The long-term effect of this acid is rusting. On the other hand, Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner is a cleaning solvent; this means it doesn’t damage your firearms.

Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner (5 oz. Bottle) from Armory Den comes in a durable plastic bottle with a childproof cap. You don’t need much to clean a firearm bore; with a dab; you can do much cleaning.

Home remedies are not safe either. The peracetic acid formed from the mixture of vinegar and peroxide reacts with the lead deposit in your firearm to create a “bubbling action” the end product is lead acetate. Lead acetate is known to be a highly toxic chemical.

Within a few minutes, you can be done with your cleaning exercise if you use Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner. On the other hand, you will need to “soak” your firearm bore with a home remedy for hours. Although there are some claims that you only need to soak your firearm for a few minutes for peracetic acid to take its full effect, Hoppe’s cleaner can provide more consistent results.

Like all other solvents, Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner contains chemicals that can negatively affect your health if not handled properly. Thus, it is advised that you read through the safety guide before using it.

References
1. https://armoryden.com/hoppes-no-9-gun-bore-cleaner-5-oz-bottle/
2. https://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Boresnake
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWg3B6pLrdw
4. https://www.hoppes.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-HuntShootAccessoriesSharedLibrary/default/dwfbc7ef45/productPdfFiles/hoppesPdf/sds/04e3a446-2860-4fdd-9e91-49ea662e5830.pdf
6. https://www.louisianasportsman.com/general/gun-cleaning-miracle-home-remedy/
7. https://bulkperoxide.com/the-truth-about-mixing-hydrogen-peroxide-and-vinegar-to-make-a-disinfectant/
8. https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52938
9 https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/peracetic-acid-for-de-leading-gun-barrels.283886/
10. https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/cleaning-barrels-with-vinegar-and-hydogen-peroxide.1867446/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_acetate