I see that I mis-spoke. The patches do come out dark, but not red.

I do not have any Kroil yet, but will get some, and some J-B Bore Paste too. I did not know that Hoppes #9 was a danger, I have used it on blued barrels for years, is it a problem only to stainless? I keep guns in a fairly low moisture environment--an a/c home, and have never had any problem with them rusting. I do have a weakness for used guns that have seen some abuse and try to revive them if I can buy them cheaply.