I typically like to use Hoppe's #9 as intended: as a general powder solvent, removing the bulk of powder and copper residue from the barrel, chamber, slide, "dustcover," breechface, trigger mechanism, etc.
The chamber gets a good cleaning first to avoid false positives when cleaning the barrel. The barrel gets plenty of Hoppe's patches, followed with a couple treatments of Kroil & JB bore cleaner, however many are necessary to get the exiting patches squeaky-clean, then leave it protected with a single pass of a Kroil-soaked patch.
Frame/stocks, slide, etc get a Gun Scrubber treatment, closely followed with Sheath or Barricade. Reassembly includes drops of FP-10 at the slide-rail interfaces, barrel pivot points and trigger/firing mechanisms. If I have time, I will wipe down the exterior of the slide with Tuff-Cloth and let it air-dry for a while, pointing downrange with an orange flag in the chamber. (How is that for range safety?
)I always like to clean guns immediately after firing them because:
1) it can be a little easier to clean the barrel when it is warm
2) breaking down the gun gives me an opportunity to inspect it for wear and damage
3) I will not trust my life to a dirty or otherwise-suspect gun
My NRA pistol instructor up north, a 1911 IPSC/PSA shooter, was a big stickler for cleaning his gun after every shooting session, always outdoors for proper ventilation, and wore gloves while cleaning the guns to protect himself from the lead particles, toxic solvent, etc. I continue to do the same to this day. Where we parted company was the Tao, or method, of cleaning guns. What did he use? Break-Free, everywhere.
