Information Ref - Hoppe's No9 BP PLUS - (a little long)

[roundball]

FWIW, I've been trying some Hoppe's No9 BP PLUS as additional patch lube during these cold winter, low humidity dry days...just been sprinkling it over some patches already prelubed with Nautral Lube 1000 and letting it soak in for a few days before using them...works fine, etc.

Then last Saturday while using layered loads of 20grns Goex 3F + 50grns Pyrodex RS in a Flintlock (to use up the RS)...I decided to also use wiping patches wet with Hoppe's to wipe between shots...used both sides of a Hoppe's patch, then both sides of a dry patch, then ran a natural lube 1000 patch through the bore...a lot of ramrod action which I'd just as soon not have to do.

So today, I experimented again...used only a Hoppe's wet patch...both sides of it like before, but did not dry patch or lube patch between shots...just poured in the next powder charge and seated a PRB...worked perfectly the whole range session.

The bore being damp from the Hoppe's wipe had no effect on the powder, no change in POI, no effect on accuracy at all...a lot less time and ramrod action this way too...these patches were so damp that liquid occasionally squeezed out on the edges of the muzzle when starting them downbore...just knew I was going to kill a charge but never did.

I guess it shouldn't have had any effect on the powder...it's advertised as Hoppe's No9 BP PLUS "solvent and patch lube". Incidently, the ingredient's also say it contains "kerosene"...which has it's roots in petroleum which I thought was a no-no for use with BP...but evidently not the way it exists in Hoppe's No9...the stuff really works great.

The bore's condition remained very clean throughout all 50 shots...a Hoppe's wiping patch would only have a light trace of pale green color on it...hardly any fouling at all...and that from 70grns of powder. Got home to clean the rifle and hardly a trace of anything came out...the first patch had the slightest discoloration on it but that was it.

Does anyone else use or have experience with Hoppes No9 BP PLUS?

 

[LRB]

Never tried it as a patch lube, but if you are going to use it for hunting, you may not want to use as much on your patch. It may wet the powder a bit, given enough time.

 

[roundball]

Never tried it as a patch lube, but if you are going to use it for hunting, you may not want to use as much on your patch. It may wet the powder a bit, given enough time.

Agree...no plans to use it for hunting...Natural Lube 1000 all the way for that

 

[Swampman]

Tepid water for cleaning and olive oil/lard/bees wax for lube. It's cheap, you make it yourself, and it works.

 

[Al Bateman 1]

roundball...I've used #9 plus as a patch lube & as a bore cleaner and like it. I mostly use Moose Snot (thanks again Stumpy) as a patch lube now, but still wipe with #9 plus after I empty a bullet block (5 or six balls). At the end of my range session, I will normally run a VERY wet patch down the bore a couple times,and leave the bore wet with it till I get home. Like for you, clean up is a breeze.
Al

 

[Liver eatin’ Johnson]

RB-

FWIW Number 9 Plus is about as good an all around lube and cleaner as you can get IMHO and it is all I have ever used for many years.

 

[howdydoit]

Very interesting. Ill have to try this. Mostly because my 5 or 6th shot start to get really tight even with a swab patch after each shot.

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. RB,
Interesting. What was the air temperature? Was it cold enough for you to observe the No9 BP Plus starting to freeze?
We are always interested in a cleaner that will work at sub 0(F). Appreciate the advice.
Best Wishes

 

[roundball]

Mr. RB,
Interesting. What was the air temperature? Was it cold enough for you to observe the No9 BP Plus starting to freeze?
We are always interested in a cleaner that will work at sub 0(F). Appreciate the advice.
Best Wishes

It was 27* when I got there, but taking the stuff out of the warm truck and beginning to shoot in 10-15 minutes there was no time for any effect of cold temps on lube...but I do know that patches prelubed with natural lube 1000 laying out in the open on the bench in that temp would definitely get stiffer than normal...but with some Hoppes added to them, they stay fairly soft...so while it wasn't bitter cold, the Hoppes treated patches definitely were better off than the cold NL1000 by itself.

The big issue for me using store bought prelubed patches is that there doesn't seem to be enough lube on them for the low humidity of our cool weather, in which the fouling drys and hardens very soon after the shot.

I learned to get around that by melting more natural lube 1000 into the patches, but that gets to be a little bit of a pain, and the amount of extra lube can vary from one patch to the next, etc.

So I decided to try the Hoppes as it's easier to just sprinkle it on the patches as extra lube since it's a thick liquid...works great in dry weather.

PS:
If it ever gets so cold in North Carolina that I have to worry about patch lube freezing, I'm gonna be staying under the electric blanket anyway!

:grin:

 

[Dave K]

Yes, it will freeze. I used it exclusively years ago and it really works well. But, on a Ml'er hunt where the temps were below 10º, the lube is froze, and getting a patched ball started is a challenge. Now, maybe if I kept it close to my body it wouldn't have froze, but there were alot of things close to my body that day. I switched to a grease lube the Birddog 6 makes and it works great for all temps.

 

[Bearbait2]

Gentlemen,
Thank you for the input. As lazy as I am (or so the Wife claims) prefer to learn from other's experience; rather than reinventing the wheel, so to speak.
Am not familar with Birddog 6 grease lube. What kind of grease is used in the mixture?
Best Wishes

 

[Stumpkiller]

Does anyone else use or have experience with Hoppes No9 BP PLUS?

Yep. Before I started cleaning with soapy water I always used either Hoppes 9Plus or T/C No 13. I also used to carry a small squirt bottle for use as a patch lube and for wiping between shots.

When I did some rust testing on sheet steel flashed with black powder a couple summers ago the T/C No. 13 region rusted BEFORE the bare steel untreated control region and bare steel wiped with tap water (unchlorinated) region.

 

[jtmattison]

I have four bottles of the #9 I got on Ebay. I tried shooting with it this weekend for the first time. POI did not change compared to a bore butter lubed patch and they did not freeze in the 20 degree weather I was shooting in. The patches are a bit wet for me and I fear contamination of the powder will occur while hunting. I will stick with bore butter for hunting patches. All in all, it's good stuff for shooting however, I did not like it for cleaning. I tried it my usual way by squirting some down the barrel and using a bore brush to do a little pre-flushing scrubbing. After that, when I flush with hot water the #9 makes a scum foam on top of my water and sticks to my barrel. I don't like that aspect. I will stick to alcohol for scrubbing before the flush.

Huntin

 

[roundball]

I have four bottles of the #9 I got on Ebay.

Just to be sure I'm understanding your comment, you got the BP version, right..."No.9 PLUS" ?

I will stick with bore butter for hunting patches.

Yeah, always NL1000 for me...this was just my experiment to improve low humidity/dry shooting conditions during the cold dry months here, and so far it's fabulous.

After that, when I flush with hot water the #9 makes a scum foam on top of my water and sticks to my barrel.

Didn't experience that...I use hot water with dishwashing detergent to clean...maybe the soap dissolves it

 

[jtmattison]

I am talking about the #9 BP solvent and patch lube.
I get the scum on my hot water because it is not water soluable. Your soapy water must disolve it.
I don't like it for a cleaning solvent but it seems to work fine as a patch lube.

Huntin