guns and water?

today was kinda a nasty day out raining and foggy. and i was thinking what if you got your gun soaking wet? not just a sprinkle or two. i mean sopping wet...maybe it started raining, maybe you took a dunk in the creek..etc..etc. what would you need to do? especially a revolver would you need to totally detail strip it.or just oil and clean like normal?

and I can't speak from experience on this one (Thank God!)

I'd detail strip any gun that got soaking wet, wipe off as much moisture as possible with a rag/paper towel, and get the rest off ASAP with warm air. Use of a hair dryer comes to mind, or set it on a furnace heat register.

If it was well lubed in the first place you won't have much rust, if any. After thorough drying, and cleaning off any rust found, you'd oil/grease the parts as appropriate, and reassemble.

Closest I've come to soaking a gun is deer hunting in constant drippy rain and wet pine plantations all day. Outsides of the guns got wet of course, but the internals proved not to have done so when checked. At day's end, we cleaned and lubed everything and that was that. Hunting that day wasn't much fun, but it beat not hunting.

There are several solutions to a soaked gun. Getting the water out is first and foremost. Heat works fine, as does water displacing oils like Ballistol or that accursed WD-40 (clean it off afterwards!). Even 91% rubbing alcohol will displace water then evaporate. Be sure to reoil everywhere, inside and out. I've dunked my guns more times than I care to remember, but I've never had a rust issue afterwards since I dried them off and reoiled as soon as possible.

I have had this happen many times over the years, with rain pouring in my
duty holster directly on top of my famous West German SIG-SAUER .45 cal
P220A. Once home, I fully detail stripped it (as if too clean it), and reapplied
a good coat of Break Free C-L-P. That combination (SIG P220A and Break
Free CLP) served me well for many, many years; and now this weapon
looks as good as it did the day I purchased it~!:scrutiny: ;) :cool: :D

I've had my gun quite wet several times over the past few years.

At the end of the day, strip it down & dry it off.

Or ... get a Glock. ;)

pax

I'd lock the slide back on an auto and drop the mag (in reverse order, though). Dump the water out of both. Put 'em back together. Once you get back home, clean 'em up good.

P.S. - I think grease is a better protection against water than oil is.

We switched from Colt 1911 to Sigs then to Glocks because of this problem. Now with a glock I make sure to dry my web gear. The gun takes care of itself.

Many years ago, while camping, I dropped my 22lr wheelgun in a small creek & didn't notice missing til the next AM :( I tried, cleaned & lubed it up as best I could at the time but by the time I got home, to give it the proper attention it needed, it had a couple rust spots :(
Since then, I'm ALOT more careful and I really haven't had to worry about it ;)

I can't recall ever soaking a handgun, but have many a time a shotgun, while deer hunting in rain and/or snow.

Wipe 'em off. Oil 'em. Back in business.

If you soak a revolver, make sure you bought a Ruger first and then your water problem is trivial due to the ease of disassembling the SP-101, GP-100, Redhawk and Blackhawks relative to the "leading brand."

I like birchwood casey "barricade' (used to be called sheath) for displacing moisture.

Just like oil and water, car keys and liquor, gas and fire, none of them mix well. I will also state: Do place a gun or rifle into a boat that you do not wish to lose. Boats dip & and turn over. The shotgun will not float. I know, I lost a Browing - Belguim made 'Sweet - sixteen' in the Lumber River, Lumberton North Carolina.

I have carried pistol and long guns for outings in the rain. Back home (or camp) I spray the stripped firearm down with brake cleaner (should disperse water as well as oil & crud), clean reoil/grease and they're ready to go again.

LOL, read my post, it even has pics...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=276189

cliffs: My .38 special was stolen 10 years ago and buried in the ground here in THE rainy city (Seattle, WA) in a college campus landscaping no less for over 10 years. A little bit of elbow grease and CLP and my gun is in perfect working condition. Not bad for a Rossi .38 snub. Just goes to show the power of BreakFree CLP. That gun was constantly cared for and well oiled with CLP.

As stated above.
Inspect, and Maintain.

Small container of Water Displacing lube, works. Rem-oil, CLP, Ballistol.

In my truck "should be" a eye drop bottle refilled with Ballistol.
*Somewhere* I have a itty bitty Tabasco bottle with Rem-oil.

Not long ago-
I was attacked by a rampant garden hose in the rain. [it happens]
Lady friend has these itty bitty Tabasco bottles , inside a translucent pill bottle with a few cotton swabs, patch , pipe cleaners and some string.
Mini clean kit.

She keeps these in her vehicle, at work, in a canvas briefcase...scattered.
I used one of these "kits" when I needed to wipe off and protect my gun.

"Cute" is the itty bitty Tabasco bottle with really small zip tie, with a beaded key chain.
We made these, when the sauce is used, we refill with gun oil. :D