Captain Frank A. Hoppe (you got it!)

[ohland]

I had to get sneaky on this, a whole lotta advertising, but no product reviews back then...

Story of Philadelphia, printed by Harry G. Joseph, 1919, pages 587-588

http://www.hoppes.com/bore-cleaners/no-9-solvent

https://books.google.com/books?id=Wh8VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA588&dq=captain+hoppe+1903+philadelphia&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4ACbVZObIsG8sAXht6ugDg&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=captain%20hoppe%201903%20philadelphia&f=false

FRANK A. HOPPE, manufacturer of rifle cleaning compounds, was born in Philadelphia, May 15, 1869. He attended the public schools of this city and, in 1882, while still a boy, began his business career with William Waterall, paint manufacturer, with whom he remained for five years. He then became associated with Achenbach & Miller, taking charge of their paint department, in which position he remained for twenty years.
During this time Mr. Hoppe was a member of the National Guard of Pennsylvania. When there arose a difficulty over cleaning a new type of high-power rifle the Government had adopted, Mr. Hoppe became interested in the problem and after much experimenting discovered a chemical compound which thoroughly cleaned and preserved firearms of every kind, and he called his discovery Nitro Powder Solvent, No. 9. It is the first compound of it's character that has been endorsed by nearly every military authority and is the only one that satisfactorily removes burnt powder from high-powered rifles. Mr. Hoppe started in business for himself, putting his cleaning compound on the market. There was a great demand for it and the business grew until the product became universally known and used.

143835


Mr. Hoppe is a life member of Melita Lodge No. 295, F. and A. M.; Kadosh Commandery, Knights Templar; Lu Lu Temple, A. A. O. M. N. S., and also of Lu Lu Patrol. He is also a member of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce; the Philadelphia Rifle Club; the New Jersey State Rifle Association; the Philadelphia Tall Cedar of Lebanon, Forest No. 10, and the Pen and Pencil Club. He is treasurer of the Pennsylvania State Rifle Association and of the Harry Davis Republican Club of the Thirty-eighth Ward.


In 1901 Mr. Hoppe married Mary A. Bell, of Philadelphia. They had two children, only one of whom is now living, Frank C. Hoppe.


Mr. Hoppe's military record dates back to his youth. He enlisted as a private in Company D, Second Regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania, June 28, 1887. He re-enlisted in Company E, November 10, 1896, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant June 26 the following year. He served in the Spanish-American War and received his honorable discharge at the end of that conflict, being mustered out October 17, 1898. He then enlisted again as a private in Company E, Second Regiment, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in October, 1899. In 1900 he was elected Second Lieutenant and September 25 of the same year was elected First Lieutenant and July 11. 1903, he was elected Captain. He retired as Captain, N. G. P., in 1916. He served as Battalion Adjutant, Sixth Regiment, from December 15, 1903 to 1910. Mr. Hoppe was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Home Defense Reserve and was Captain, commanding Company E, Fourth division. Mr. Hoppe resides at 1917 Somerset Street, Philadelphia, and his business address is 2314 North Eighth Street.

[junkbug]

I remember being told Hoppe's No. 9 was no good for cleaning surplus rifles after corrosive ammo had been fired in them. This was in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

So, what is the real story?

[curator]

Hoppe's #9 is good for preserving the bores of rifles having shot corrosive primed ammo AFTER the bore has been rinsed with hot water to flush out the (water-soluble) corrosive salts. On its own, it will not remove chloride compounds from corrosive primers. It does prevent the "after rust" that sometimes comes the next couple of days. Personally, I love the stuff, particularly the odor. I have advised my daughters to put a dab of Hoppe's #9 behind each ear when going out on dates, hoping that they would attract the right kind of guy. So far, it hasn't worked.

[country gent]

I have always "precleaned" when corrosive ammo has been fired. Light dish soap and water first to remove salts and corrosive materials then solvents to remove carbon and any Jacket fouling. This is followed by a light coat of oil or if long term storage a light coat of grease or bullet lube to preserve bore.

[tdoyka]

when i was a kid, we always used hoppes #9. now we use shooters choice, sweets 7.62 or gunslick foaming bore cleaner. i always figured that hoppes #9 took powder out but left copper in.

nice to know that hoppes was from PA. its a real nice story about him.

[smokeywolf]

The smells that hold the earliest and strongest places in my memory are:

Bacon, Eggs and Coffee when camping
Campfire smoke
Black powder smoke
Hoppe's No.9 (Dad was a Gunsmith)
Leather (He was also a Saddle Maker)

[Outpost75]

I was taught that initial cleaning with water, spit, or urine, if that was all you had, was needed to dissolve the potassium chloride salts and then the Hoppes would safely work on the copper fouling overnight, and that the water cleaning was to be repeated the next day to remove any residual salts left under the copper removed by the Hoppes. After the second day's cleaning weapons could be oiled and stored.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Oddly, I just phoned Hoppe's with a similar question a couple of weeks ago. They're very friendly and happy to chat. My question was about No.9 being used in black powder arms. They do make a Hoppe's specifically for black powder usage and advised that the regular No.9 would not be enough to prevent corrosion in a barrel used with black powder because No.9 is not a water based product, whereas the black powder version would do the job. Therefore, although I did not specifically ask about corrosive ammo, it follows that if one initially cleaned a bore that was fouled with corrosive primers with the black powder solvent and then followed up with No.9 it would do the job. I may have to get back to them for clarification, as we did not specifically discuss what the base of the black powder solvent is, but sometimes manufacturers are reluctant to talk about exactly what their product is composed of.

[Outpost75]

Oddly, I just phoned Hoppe's with a similar question a couple of weeks ago. They're very friendly and happy to chat. My question was about No.9 being used in black powder arms. They do make a Hoppe's specifically for black powder usage and advised that the regular No.9 would not be enough to prevent corrosion in a barrel used with black powder because No.9 is not a water based product, whereas the black powder version would do the job. Therefore, although I did not specifically ask about corrosive ammo, it follows that if one initially cleaned a bore that was fouled with corrosive primers with the black powder solvent and then followed up with No.9 it would do the job. I may have to get back to them for clarification, as we did not specifically discuss what the base of the black powder solvent is, but sometimes manufacturers are reluctant to talk about exactly what their product is composed of.


Hoppe's Nine Plus blackpowder cleaner works WONDERFULLY for cleaning after military ammunition loaded with chlorate primers. Its action is very similar to US Army WW2 rifle more cleaner, but better, because its greater viscosity permits it to coat surfaces better and not run into the action as badly.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Great, Outpost75, good to know! A lot more convenient than the hot soapy water treatment if one is at the range on gone off in the woods for an extended period.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I recently read and article in "Handloader Magazine" by Charles Petty. It talked a lot of about this and that BS in as related to guns and shooting.

One thing that stuck with me was a comment he made on new Wonder CLP's and how they are supposed to be the be all end all.

I am, or at least was, and big proponent of Frog Lube,,, right up until my Browning Citori seized at a Skeet Shoot. I was devastated as this gun was pristine and I love it dearly. I couldn't open it! it was stuck at the hinge.

The ultimate fix given to me by my local shotgun guru was Vaseline! Which works perfectly whereas the Frog Lube failed miserably. My new go to gun lube is now Vaseline and I made a special trip to Rite Aid to buy several small jars of the stuff as we had none in the house. This used to be a house hold standard item in every home.

It is working well on every gun I have used it one and my Enfield #4Mk1 is a prime example of one that has responded very well to it and has become slick as snot to operate. I loved this gun before, but now it is much smoother now and I love it more!

The thing that Charlie stated in his article that stuck with me was "as soon as someone could show him that their gun would only work with the new products, and not the old, he would switch over."

And this is the major point here. All of this stuff was figured out 100 years ago! Most anything new is just reinventing the wheel.

He did an article in the current "Handloader Magazine" Entitled " Reinventing the Wheel... Again!" which pretty much covers all of the current BS out there on a variety of gun related products. It's a good read.

If something demonstrates that it is superior in some way to existing products I am all for trying it. However that doesn't mean it is a replacement across the board.

I still use Frog Lube on my Glocks and some parts of my AR, but I also use Vaseline and molybdenum disulfide grease on triggers, sears and other slow moving sliding parts.

That's my story.

Randy

[smokeywolf]

I don't use Hoppe's as a lube or corrosion prevention/anti oxidant, just use it as a light duty bore cleaner. Prefer Lubriplate (such as used on the Garand) as a grease and Mitchell Camera (heavier weight cam oil) oil for hinge points.

[M-Tecs]

Hoppe's #9 was my go to cleaner until 1989 when they took the nitrobenzene out of the formula. The old formula worked very well.

[Char-Gar]

Like others, I like the smell of Hoppe's No. 9, but this is what I have been using since 1959 to clean rifles fired with old corrosive primers.

For ordinary cleaning and power residue removal, nothing is better than Ed's Red. It makes a darn good honing oil as well, keeping the stone lubricated and the pores not clogged with gunk.

[leadman]

I use Hoppe's most of the time. I do have a can of Outer's foaming bore cleaner but seldom use it.
I read an article about damage caused by the cleaning rod in the bore from it flexing. The lead me to do very little scrubbing and more soaking. My Outer's Foul Out II is almost out of chemical so I use the chamber plugs from the kit to plug the bore if I am doing an initial cleaning on an old gun and fill with #9.
For regular cleaning with #9 I run a couple of wet patches then let it soak while I do other stuff. I flip the gun to the other side so both sides soak well. Has been working very well for me. Don't have to worry about leaving it in the bore too long like with some other solvents.

[Multigunner]

A young lady brought a .22 Marlin to me to clean up for her. She had cleaned the rifle with Hoppes and left it laying behind a sofa with bolt locked back as her home defense gun.
Her cat was attracted to the odor of the solvent and had uriniated and sprayed directly into the ejector port. it was a real mess, the aluminum receiver was badly pitted on the inside and most steel parts were badly rusted. It took a complete chemical stripping and refinish to get rid of the cat odor.

[W.R.Buchanan]

One of our Cats peed in my truck about 18 years ago. It still stinks to high heaven when left with the windows up on a hot day.

There is no getting rid of Cat Piss.

Randy

[Multigunner]

There are a couple of brands of urine destroyer cleaning solutions. These use an enzyme that breaks down the molecules of the urine into not so stinky elements that can be more easily removed.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Multi: Tried everyone on the shelf at Petco! Nothing works very well at all. Big claims, disappointing results.

I am reminded everytime I open the door on a hot day. After 18 years it is starting to subside, but for the first 10 it would knock you down.

I took pity on him on the way home from getting his nuts removed and let him out of the box.. He rewarded my by peeing under the seat!

Should have changed the carpet out.

Randy

[Scharfschuetze]

Thanks for that Ohland. It was interesting to read about the inventor and his history.

In the evenings after a match or training at different military bases, I would sometimes investigate the surrounding areas of the ranges. As they are usually located away from the cantonment areas, they are largely undisturbed. I almost always found old (and rusted) 1903 stripper clips, M1 Garand clips and other assorted detritus. Once I found an old Hoppe's bottle with raised letters and logo instead of the familiar paper label and no threads at the cap. It must have had a cork stopper, although that wasn't present in the bottle. That find was at Camp Bullis in Texas in the early 70s.

Update: I found this photo of a similar bottle on the Internet. It was selling for $50 USD. Silly me. I just gave the bottle I found away to a fellow soldier.

[Adam Helmer]

Hoppe #9 was a great bore cleaner in the 1950s up until it was "declawed". Now days it is better used as an after shave, in my humble opinion.

Adam