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Forum Index > Rifles general discussion > Does Hoppes #9 need to be neutralized after use in Tikka Rifle barrel?

Does Hoppes #9 need to be neutralized after use in Tikka Rifle barrel?

03 Apr 2015
@ 03:25 am (GMT)

Craig Henard

I think I am going to use Hoppes #9 solvent to remove light Powder fouling in Tikka T3 Superlight which of course has a stainless barrel.

Does the Hoppes need to be neutralized and removed ?

If so what is the best thing to use that doesn,t attract moisture or water?
I read somewhere that alcohol somehow attracts moisture" Hygroscopic "and that some even has water in it. I am not putting water in the bore of my rifle.

I dont want any rust in this barrel Ever !! And will do what it takes to prevent it.

I have heard that stainless Tikka rifles rust more easily than other stainless supposedly because of the low stainless content.
Any truth to this or just an internet myth?

Thanks
Craig

Replies

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03 Apr 2015
@ 05:34 am (GMT)

Nathan Foster

Re: Does Hoppes #9 need to be neutralized after use in Tikka Rifle barrel?
What a load of shit Craig. Hell there is some rubbish out there.

Hoppes is in some ways ideal for Tikka stainless rifles which produce very low fouling. Hoppes can be left in the bore, but it will turn to a gummy consistency after a while. So before you shoot the rifle, swab the bore with either meths or brake cleaner etc, just to remove the fouling / Hoppes gummy mix.

The inside of your barrel has the same finish as a food grade vessel. The outer is blasted. When stainless is blasted, it can pick up contaminates and these tend to react with the carbon content within the metal. The problem is made worse if an apprentice blasts a carbon steel part in a blasting cabinet that is normally dedicated to stainless parts. This will lead to a great deal of cross contamination of the outer stainless steel. Acid based cleaners can be utilzed to neutralize such problems.

The same does not occur internally and it takes many years to get such a reaction- unless we do something silly. If carbon from suppressors or brakes is allowed to sit for long periods in high humidity environments, this can indeed cause problems as I have shown in the book series regarding the photo of full delamination at the muzzle.

Hope that helps ease your mind Craig!
03 Apr 2015
@ 03:53 pm (GMT)

Thomas Pavelka

Re: Does Hoppes #9 need to be neutralized after use in Tikka Rifle barrel?
Thank You Nathan! The internet can be a source for a wealth of information, such as this very site.

Howsomever, there are times when I think we should have a button on our keyboards that is labeled "Bullshit Eliminator".

Which is the prime reason why I don't last long on many of the websites they have out there pertaining to hunting.

It never fails, somebody posts about for example the killing power of a 380 pistol on Cape Buffalo. The question in itself has to come from a mad man. But not to worry, the thread will come alive with first hand testimony, or rather I should say, "My buddy shoots em right in the eye and kills them stone dead every time."

I once got in to a pissing contest with a very well respected moderator on one of the forums. His favorite caliber was a 280 Remington. In spades the 280 is just about identical in ballistic performance to the 270 Win. What one will do the other will do. He killed a lot of deer with his rifle in New York State but otherwise had not hunted anything larger.

But then the subject of Alaskan Moose came up on a thread. The thread evolved to the point of absurdity. Now this dude with the 280 was betting all who would go for it that he could drop the biggest Moose Alaska ever had with a single shot and at any distance with his 280.

I sent him a PM and asked him to knock off the foolishness because some fool would sooner or later swallow that bunk. It went even wilder from there.

He was so adamant about it that he challenged me to hunt in Alaska for those Moose. The deal was, we each shot a moose. The Moose that was on its feet the longest would be considered the loser of the contest. The prize was to be a a steak dinner paid for by the loser.

I saw red at that point. And so I changed the rules of the game. We each had one shot. And for every second that his Moose was on its feet he owed me $1000 per second. And for every second my Moose way standing I owed him $1000 per second. It was a bet he could not possibly win and his balls shriveled right up.

I have shot enough Moose to know that they are a big animal and can take a lot of punishment. A Moose hit fair in the lungs is a dead moose, but I have not seen a single time when they fell in place. They usually wander off, lie down, and expire. A 243 or a 30-30 can kill a Moose I have no doubt of it. But, it comes down to exactly when, and how long the Moose suffers.

If, that hunt would have happened I would have been carrying the 378 with a very stiff 300 grain bullet. I'd have shot to take out both front shoulders. Without the framework to support the Moose he would be down at the shot. I am glad that hunt never materialized.

But to the original topic of the thread, Hoppes is indeed some wonderful stuff. But as you point out, it congeals over time, and left long enough it forms a hard jelly like substance.

So I do the normal cleaning with the Hoppes and then swab the bore dry. Then I run a patch of Safariland's Break Free CLP in the bore. I use the Break Free on my waterfowl guns too, which spend a lot of time getting wet and have never had a spec of rust show up on a firearm. Good stuff.
03 Apr 2015
@ 06:23 pm (GMT)

Craig Henard

Re: Does Hoppes #9 need to be neutralized after use in Tikka Rifle barrel?
Thanks Guys
I figured maybe the part about Tikka stainless rifles being a low content stainless steel and rusting easier than other stainless rifles might have been just bull.

I know I can always get the straight answer here.


Nathan I picked up a bottle of 91% Isopropyl alcohol to clean the Hoppes out of the bore .
I see the ingredients say "91% isopropyl accohol -Active ingredient"
And "Inactive ingredient-water", one can deduce that 9 % is water !

Nathan why would I want to put anything with water in it down the bore of my rifle ?

It seems to me that putting water in the bore would induce rusting and not prevent it,which is my goal.

I know you know your stuff Nathan but I am confused here,would you explain this to me please.

Thanks
Craig
03 Apr 2015
@ 07:09 pm (GMT)

Mike Davis

Re: Does Hoppes #9 need to be neutralized after use in Tikka Rifle barrel?
when SMLE barrel got really badly "nickled up" men would carefully poor billy of boiling water down the bore...then clean as normal.
Ive done this and can tell you strait there is no plurry moisture left in there afterwards.( heck it helps cleans up a old negleted bore good too I think trick is it helps loosen crap/crud, it was best way to rid bore of corrosive priming compound too...something for users of cheap ex mil x39 etc to consider)
I too use hoppes and then put breakfree CLP rag through before putting away.
03 Apr 2015
@ 07:16 pm (GMT)

Mike Davis

Re: Does Hoppes #9 need to be neutralized after use in Tikka Rifle barrel?
Thomas I hear you re the debate above...my pet one at the moment (very tongue in cheek) is that the mighty .270 winchester is the TRUE 7mm and the .280-7x57- 7mm rem mag not to mention the latte drinkers7mm/08 are all just pretenders
cause if you put a micrometer on projectiles the mighty .270 IS 7mm and even the official book specks have it by far the closest


I laugh when guys start to say how much better the .280 is over the .270
or indeed the .28ga shottie over .410
nit picking they are that close to identical its not funny


03 Apr 2015
@ 07:36 pm (GMT)

Nathan Foster

Re: Does Hoppes #9 need to be neutralized after use in Tikka Rifle barrel?
Hmm. If you have a very high alcohol content and the water is soluble, the water will evaporate with the alcohol.

Guilty- I used to use boiling water and Youngs water soluble oil in my .303 after shooting military ammo. Worked a treat too.

Just a note here for others. The advice I have given Craig is relative to his stainless rifle and also this particular model of rifle / internal bore finish. The Accurizing and Maintenance book goes mush further. I do not recommend Hoppes as long term protection for blued bores. There is a lot more to this than can be answered here.
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