Hoppe's Elite and a rusty tale of missfires.

[mcb]

So for about a year now I have been using Hoppe's Elite to clean all my firearms (except my AR that get CLP only) and for the most part I was pretty happy with the results.

Well almost two weeks ago my XD let me down, sort of, in reality I think I and Hoppe's Elite let my XD down. I was shooting a steel match in a freaking whiteout snow storm. I 'm not kidding on the third stage there was so much snow coming down the targets looked gray through the snow despite the fresh coat of black paint.

On that third stage I got several light primer strikes. This frustrated me as up until this point I had never had any real problems that were not directly traceable to bad ammo or something I was doing. I was sure the ammo was not the problem it was freshly reloaded, chamber gauge and none of the ammo from that batch had given me problems to date.

Well I got home that night and cleaned the XD. Nothing appeared broken or damage. So I decided that after nearly 10,000 rounds through it and the fact I was getting the light primer strikes it was time to drive the roll pin out and see what condition the striker was in.

Much to my horror I pulled out the nasties rustiest slimmest striker and striker block you would ever want to see. I had to use a brass brush to get all the rust off the striker and used a bore brush on the striker channel. I was not please.

I am pretty sure a combination of the slim in the striker channel and the very cold temperatures are what cause the light primer hits. The slim had finally built up enough and may have froze. We had had a long pause between stage two and three and my coat had been tucked behind my XD leaving it out in the elements.

I am also pretty sure that the Hoppe's Elite either has water in it or attracts moisture. I would usual spray Elite on the bottom of the slide and breach face to clean. I then always wiped it dry added a small drop of oil to the striker channel along with the other parts. The oil should have kept is lubed and inhibited the rust. Apparently that didn't work.

For now I'm clean the gun with a dry rag and small amounts of Hoppe's #9 when needed. No more spraying the slide down with Elite to clean it. The stuff works good on barrel but it will never get used on my slide again.

I took the gun and shot 100rd at the local indoor range last night and the gun ran flawless, using the same batch of reloads that I used at the steel match.

Any suggesting for cleaners that will not cause rust?

mcb

[Tempest]

Sorry to hear about your XD. Hoppe's Elite, MPro7, Mil Comm MC-25 and others are water based. I only use them on barrels or areas that are easily accessible because the water might cause problems. I'm surprised that the oil did not protect the metal as well. May I ask what type of oil you were using?

I have gone to CLP type products because they seem to work just fine for the intended purpose, and there is no chance of a problem as you have unfortunately run into. My favorite is FP-10, but Eezox and Corrosion X aviation are also good.

[mcb]

I was using Hoppe's gun oil, just an ordinary light oil. Partial do to this problem and also a desire to try a better lubricant I have switch to GunButter.

[Requiem4Senses]

Good to know. I've been using Hoppe's Elite as well. I'll have to rethink that now. Is #9 water based?

[D_Fence]

I only use Hoppes Elite on my barrel, and only every few times. (I use regular Hoppes the rest of the time.)

If you have any concerns about it happening again, you can use something like GunScrubber or Rem Action Cleaner to blast any buildup out of the slide.
Point the spray into the breach face, spray, work the striker back and forth, and spray again.

My routine on the frame and slide is pretty simple. Use a toothbrush saturated in Hoppes no.9 and brush it everywhere. Let it stand while I clean the barrel. When I finish with the barrel, I blast all of the solvent residue off the frame and slide with either GunScrubber or Rem Action Cleaner. Then, I lightly apply oil and wipe off any excess.

I disassemble the slide every 1000 or so rounds to inspect for any signs of wear or damage since this is my carry gun. I've never had any build-up, grime, or rust in the striker channel.

[robinsre]

Originally Posted by Requiem4Senses

Good to know. I've been using Hoppe's Elite as well. I'll have to rethink that now. Is #9 water based?

No IIRC #9 is a mixture of Acetone, Ethanol, and some other solvents that are usually much better than water at what they do.

[Niner4Tango]

Here's Hoppes #9 MSDS. Hmmmmm, trade secret ingredients....
http://www2.itap.purdue.edu/msds/docs/4989.pdf

10k rounds! That's pretty good service anyway!

[mcb]

Originally Posted by Niner4Tango

Here's Hoppes #9 MSDS. Hmmmmm, trade secret ingredients....
http://www2.itap.purdue.edu/msds/docs/4989.pdf

10k rounds! That's pretty good service anyway!

As I said in my first post I really let my XD down rather than the other way around. It has been a champ of a gun. By far mroe rounds through it than probably all my other guns combine.

At about 3000rds I had the locking block replaced. I had the older style. The gun never failed but I notice the hairline cracks and had the block changed to be safe. The trigger spring broke a few thousand rounds later and that was a quick fix. Other than those two times the gun has just run and run.

[Broadside]

MCB that is very good to know. I use Hoppes with a toothbrush to clean the slide & frame and am wondering if I will end up with similar results you are seeing. I'm cleaning firearms tonight and may break out the punch kit for the XD's. I've never taken them past the field strip so maybe now is a good time to do it. I don't use Gunscrubber very often maybe every 2,000 rounds if that. We'll see what mine look like.

[Tempest]

He is talking about Hoppes Elite, which is water based. The typical Hoppes #9 is not water based.