I would love to see an article written about just what chemicals are used in barrel cleaning and why one product should be used over the other. I.e., Hoppe's has been on the shelves for decades, but why is Hoppe's, for instance, better or worse than some of the newer products that are being marketed. Each brand screams that "I am the best" for barrel cleaning, but never have I seen research as to what the stuff is made of, why any particular product is "best," nor do I see any research that compares one brand to the next. I would like to see some information that compares price, price per ounce, some measure of effectiveness, etc., such as I see in products reviewed by Consumers Reports.
What "secret" ingredient (if any) is used in each product, or are most of the products offered using virtually the same base chemicals? In other words, I want to know why I should plunk my money down for one product over another. I know that the answer is probably not to be found, but each gun owner seems to have a favorite cleaning method, and each owner seems to use a different product and cleaning method, saying his is the "best." As far as I am concerned, we really don't know the best method of cleaning at this time because there is no valid research out there....or at least I haven't seen any; or maybe there is no real "best" method, and that wear factors and copper buildup in a barrel are not so much related to cleaning methods and chemicals as they are to barrel heat, barrel quality, phase of the moon, or whatever..
