Hoppe's graphite rods - QUARTERMASTER

Guns Magazine, Jan 1, 2002 by Cameron Hopkins

Hoppe's is a time machine to us, for it conjures wonderful childhood memories of gun cleaning with grandpa. The pungent-sweet scent of Hoppe's No. 9 transports us back to those halcyon days of scrubbing our first gun, a single-shot .410, as grandpa looked on proudly.

Today Hoppe's No. 9 still has that magical smell, although the formulation has changed to appease the tree-huggers and greenies who protested the release of anything stronger than endangered panda flatulence into the globally-warmed, ozone-fading atmosphere.

Another change at Hoppe's is that the bore-cleaner company is no longer just a bore-cleaner company. Hoppe's manufactures all manner of gun-care products and accessories, one of which is before us now -- the new Hoppe's graphite cleaning rod.

Graphite is one of those trick materials of the Space Age, like carbonfiber and Kevlar. Graphite is lightweight, flexible and strong, all of which add up to the perfect pedigree for a cleaning rod.

The Hoppe's graphite rods come in two versions, rifle and shotgun. Both are 36-inches long and come with slotted tips for patches. The female-threaded ends are standard size to accommodate other brands of brushes and jags.

We tested the graphite rods and found the rods themselves twirled easily and smoothly inside their ergonomically shaped plastic handles. The rods did not over-flex when pushing thick patches through a tight bore. We particularly liked the graphite surface because it can't scratch or damage the bore like steel rods. Hoppe's graphite rods retail for $16.99.