This time of year here in Florida, the uniform of the day is shorts and tee shirts to cope with 95+ degree heat and 90%+ humidity. For comfort and concealment's sake, I switched from carrying a stainless steel J-frame .38 Special in a inside-the-waistband holster to a parkerized Kel-Tec .380 in a pocket holster. The little .380 just disappears into the nylon sleeve in my pocket, and I hardly notice it's there, a big contrast to the S&W 640 revolver. I generally run a magazine or three through the Kel-Tec at least once a week when I'm at the range, and it's proven pretty reliable, and I've gotten used to the long trigger pull to the point I can keep everything inside a 8" bullseye at 7 to 10 yards. I'd been keeping it loaded in condition 1 in its holster on the dresser, where I could just pick it up and slip it in my pocket on the way out the door.
I didn't get to the range last week, due to other comittments and pouring rainstorms, but I did still carry it daily, and did a lot of walking (and sweating) in the heat and humidity during the day. When I took it by the range to fire off a few rounds day before yesterday, I was surprised and disappointed that the first shot failed to eject the case, and jammed the next round tight against it. Dropping the mag and letting the slide slam forward, I was able to eject it manually, and feed the next round, which also failed to eject. Three out of six rounds in the mag jammed, which is unacceptable in a self-defense pistol.
I took it home and broke it down to examine it, and noticed little speckles of rust on the extractor spring. There were also little speckes of rust on the breech face, and little speckles inside the chamber. The nylon pocket holster is not waterproof, and in spite of the fact that the gun was well cleaned and oiled after the last time I used it, the humid, sweaty environment in my pants pocket had turned it into a jam-o-matic after two weeks of carry without use.
After a thorough cleaning, scrubbing, and relubing, I took it back to the range today and cranked off 40 rounds without a single failure, which made me feel a lot better about it. From here on out, it comes out of the holster when I get home, unloaded, and swabbed with Breakfree CLP inside and out, until the next time I load it up to carry it.
I'd recommend the same procedure to anyone else who carries concealed on their person in the Sweaty Lattitudes this time of year. It could be right embarrassing in some situations it you could only fire a single shot, when you needed to fire two or three.
I didn't get to the range last week, due to other comittments and pouring rainstorms, but I did still carry it daily, and did a lot of walking (and sweating) in the heat and humidity during the day. When I took it by the range to fire off a few rounds day before yesterday, I was surprised and disappointed that the first shot failed to eject the case, and jammed the next round tight against it. Dropping the mag and letting the slide slam forward, I was able to eject it manually, and feed the next round, which also failed to eject. Three out of six rounds in the mag jammed, which is unacceptable in a self-defense pistol.
I took it home and broke it down to examine it, and noticed little speckles of rust on the extractor spring. There were also little speckes of rust on the breech face, and little speckles inside the chamber. The nylon pocket holster is not waterproof, and in spite of the fact that the gun was well cleaned and oiled after the last time I used it, the humid, sweaty environment in my pants pocket had turned it into a jam-o-matic after two weeks of carry without use.
After a thorough cleaning, scrubbing, and relubing, I took it back to the range today and cranked off 40 rounds without a single failure, which made me feel a lot better about it. From here on out, it comes out of the holster when I get home, unloaded, and swabbed with Breakfree CLP inside and out, until the next time I load it up to carry it.
I'd recommend the same procedure to anyone else who carries concealed on their person in the Sweaty Lattitudes this time of year. It could be right embarrassing in some situations it you could only fire a single shot, when you needed to fire two or three.
