Hoppe's labeling change ???

Scout1 said:

I haven't used Hoppes 9 Plus in a long time, poor decision on my part, as it is truly excellent patch lube. I had a old batch of it in my stash, the kind with the white squeeze bottle, that I started using again. I noticed this older container says "9 Plus" on it. While the current tall bottle container does not say this on the label. Is this just a change in the labeling ? Is this newer stuff the same as the older ?

Thanks in advance,
Jim

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I think some time ago, the company was bought out by a larger firm; I recall guys went nuts when the 'smell' of the No.9 changed; like women having the perfume Chanel No.5 undergo
a fragrance change!

I checked on their website and this is the only product for black powder. Funny thing is the picture on Hoppes website has a,different label. The stuff I just received today has a label that says Traditional and then states Black Powder Gun Bore Cleaner. Nowhere on the label, front or back states Patch Lubricant. It's a very thin tan translucent color and smells like it has a healthy dose of solvent. Nothing like the stuff of old.

Jim

The old 9 Plus milky stuff that smells like the original Hoppe’s 9 nitro formula that many of the more senior types remember is what I have, and it works great as BP cleaner and patch lubricant. No experience with the clearer more liquidity product. Have enough of the ‘good stuff’ that I will not be reduced to having to to try the California approved formula, unless I live beyond my ‘best if used by’ date.

It all does sound a bit confusing. I still have a supply of the old white milky stuff. It does work well as a patch lube. Sort of like cleaning the barrel between shots. It does seem to allow more shots between cleanings.
I remember when the 9+ was first introduced back in the early 1970's I believe. Many of us newer muzzle loader shooters back then would clean their barrels with the typical soapy hot water and then dry patches till clean. Then, run a patch of REGULAR No.9 down the barrel before storing the gun till next trip out. Of course, we would retrieve the gun for the next outing only to discover rust in the barrel. What the @#$%&* We soon found out that the regular No.9 was not compatable with black powder. Seems like Hoppe's introduced the No.9+ almost overnight. LOL

Rick

springfield art said:

I think some time ago, the company was bought out by a larger firm; I recall guys went nuts when the 'smell' of the No.9 changed; like women having the perfume Chanel No.5 undergo
a fragrance change!

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Oh, right, I didn't realize they had a Black Powder product as well.

Have been using since 1972, never noticed a small change and the stuff, for me anyway, could come a liquid or a bit more of a lotion like texture. Both worked and smelled the same? Other than dutchs system for the BEST accuracy Hoppes IMHO can not be beat

If the old original stuff sat long enough or got cold, it got runny. This new bottle says not to let it freeze. They must whip air into it before bottling..

This might clear up some confusion The new bottle that does not say plus on the front label but has a product number 999 is Hoppes 9 plus if you read the back of the bottle it gives cleaning directions and states 9 plus several times.They have at least two other product numbers that say Black powder lube and solvent but I have no experience with either of them. Look for the product Number 999.

EC121 said:

If the old original stuff sat long enough or got cold, it got runny. This new bottle says not to let it freeze. They must whip air into it before bottling..

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Don’t know how long it has to sit to get runny, but the stuff I’ve got is at least 30 years old and still milky. Bottle does say to protect from freezing, but imagine that has to do with breaking the bottle if the liquid were to freeze and expand. Have never noticed a change in appearance or performance from freezing.

I had some in my shooting box that sat in my unheated shop for many, many years that liquified. Only had one squeeze bottle of that, and it is gone. I'll move the new stuff to my computer room.

As has been posted my first Hoppes lube was thin, but still worked. Later it was much thicker in a squeeze bottle and was a light brownish color; it needed shaking occasionally because it did some "settling". It's hands down the best patch lube I've ever used although I lube with TOW mink oil before going into the bush after deer. Later I bought a small "drum" of Hoppes and it was still the thicker stuff I had gotten used to. The current bottles I ordered from Amazon are flip top squeeze bottles and the stuff is thin. It says BP cleaner and doesn't mention being a lube. Still, I'm anxious to try it and will report back on how it works.

This was my last purchase before I used it all up.

After much research and effort I finally found and bought the last two bottles from a mail order supplier. Fortunately they arrived today just as I returned from my weekly shoot at the range. Ole Sure Shot ( .54 cal.Bedford County Flintlock) had received it's customary preliminary range cleaning so I thought it would be interesting to see what more Mr. Hoppes solvent would find in the bore. Wow. patch after patch came out black and dirty. Far more then I expected and beyond my expectations. Now for next shooting session lets see how it performs as a patch lubricant. My sincere thanks to everyone in this forum, this is a perfect example of the strength of being able to share info with your shooting peers. Hmmm. Anyone still got some whale oil stashed away?

Ordered Hoppe's 9 Plus from Amazon, as pictured and listed for sale. Order was filled by "Green Top Hunt Fish". Received Hoppe's BP Bore Cleaner". Complained; Green top apologized but said I received Hoppe's 999 and that was the correct item. I complained again and Green Top says "sorry, no longer have patch lube, erroneous info on Amazon", issued a refund.

Baxter, that's been my experience also. They all, old to new, carry the same product number.

MidwayUSA has the Hoppe's #9 black powder bore cleaner and patch lube available for $5.99 an 8 ounce bottle.
Midway product #815817
Manuf. #999

This is where I got my last few bottles. It is the correct stuff. Their shipping charges are high but I wait for a free shipping offer and when I have other items totaling over the fifty bucks needed to make the free shipping kick in.

BTW, I keep the Hoppe's, BP and regular #9, and a few other such liquids in the house so they aren't exposed to extreme heat or cold. I do the same for Lee Liquid Alox. Don't know if it matters but it keeps all those products together where I can find them and certainly doesn't hurt them.

Jeff

Baxter said:

Ordered Hoppe's 9 Plus from Amazon, as pictured and listed for sale. Order was filled by "Green Top Hunt Fish". Received Hoppe's BP Bore Cleaner". Complained; Green top apologized but said I received Hoppe's 999 and that was the correct item. I complained again and Green Top says "sorry, no longer have patch lube, erroneous info on Amazon", issued a refund.

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It's the same stuff!

rickystl said:

Then, run a patch of REGULAR No.9 down the barrel before storing the gun till next trip out. Of course, we would retrieve the gun for the next outing only to discover rust in the barrel. What the @#$%&* We soon found out that the regular No.9 was not compatable with black powder.

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Yeah, that's not really true. If you got rust- it's from the the water clean up not the #9 Nitro.

AlanG said:

It's the same stuff!

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Green Top Hunt Fish said, in an email response to me, today: "Sorry, no longer have patch lube, erroneous info on Amazon."
That is sufficient information for me; "bore cleaner, to me, is water."

Baxter said:

I complained again and Green Top says "sorry, no longer have patch lube, erroneous info on Amazon", issued a refund.

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I wanted their old patch lube, just as I have said.

Baxter said:

I wanted their old patch lube, just as I have said.

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Not sure I follow- It's all the same stuff. They never had 2 different products- 1 labeled BP patch lube and a separate 1 labeled BP cleaner. It's always been the same product, just different bottles over the years. They have tweaked the formula a bit, but not for a long while.

Going to the Hoppe's web site, they only show one thing for muzzleloading guns
It says it is both a cleaner and a patch lube. I don't know if it is the same as their older stuff but I rather doubt it. If someone has a bottle of this new stuff, maybe you can tell us about it?