What ccw for humid harsh conditions?

it may be an off the wall choice, but a bond arms derringer is all steel, super tough and has no moving parts to become gummed up. yes, just two shots, but a couple of 410 handgun specific, 45lc or 38sp (my favorites) rounds are more than enough accurate for lawfully acceptable and effective social work. if buying used get the new model with upgraded action (denoted by indented trigger and flared hammer) and replace wood with rubber grips (large size for “4” calibers, small for others).

A lot of those old revolvers people carried out west in the day got pretty rough and it was accepted. Now we insist on better - knowing better can be had, but the limit is how much a metal gun largely made of commodity gun steel will be rusty. None yet discovered is rust PROOF however. This is why a lot of revolvers in the 50's got nickel plated and in the '60s they moved to stainless as it got more affordable.

You can add nitriding and cerakoting but for the most part internal parts won't be and it requires cleaning after it gets dunked. This is where a gun designed for fleet service in a military unit will prove more easily strippable compared to a civilian sales design. For example, the Winchester 94 lever vs the M16. Hours of detail stripping vs about 15 seconds getting down to the gas rings.

Choosing a pistol would entail the same, a woods gun with marine finish should be oriented toward GI versions where taking it down repeatedly is the norm and part of the design. That means duty rated auto pistols with a design for government submittal (not necessarily acceptance) would top the list.

When I went thru that decision loop a S&W 4566 stainless came out on top. Ruger stainless "P89" would meet that, along with the newer SIG, too. Even the 1911 could meet that standard in a compact stainless. My standard requires a larger duty caliber for woods use - feral dogs and some wildlife species are a significant threat and conforming to hunting standards in season also came to mind.

YMMV.

I backpacked for a week in PA...a week where it rained every day, and when it wasn't raining, it was very hot and humid
The Glock 23 I carried spent the week in a cheap, cloth Uncle Mike's clip on IWB holster that was damp the whole time.
In fact, that holster was trashed after that trip.
The Glock 23 looked like it never left the house...like new

Simplify Simplify, Simplify.
Stainless revolver in a large caliber. Charter Arms Bulldog or Ruger SP 101.
Simple maintenance, good power, high rust resistance, high reliability.
In the case of the Charter Arms, inexpensive to replace.

IronHand

Ironhand54 writes:

Simplify Simplify, Simplify.
Stainless revolver in a large caliber. Charter Arms Bulldog or Ruger SP 101.
Simple maintenance, good power, high rust resistance, high reliability.
In the case of the Charter Arms, inexpensive to replace.

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Yep. Though not for bear, I've been carrying a mid-eighties vintage stainless Undercover 38 when working or trailing outdoors these hot, steamy, and intermittently stormy days. I hadn't even known the Undercover was made in stainless back then before coming across this one (I own two others that are blued.)

Here in the Fl jungle, I have not been able to get my shield to rust yet. This includes sweating all over it during normal CCW, and it getting soaked in the rain while riding my motorcycle. I just put some motor oil on a small paint brush, slap it on the slide, and re-holster.

Sounds like a ruger LCR 357 (or 9mm) vs LCP would go great here. Maybe just the 38spcl if weight is an issue. Can’t beat the rugged simplicity of lcr for this situation to me. Live in humid woods and fields of SC. No rust yet here.

Jeb Stuart said:

If


If you want something that is all Stainless Steel, I mean every thing to include the guide rod, magazine and even the magazine follower. All except the modular grip and the trigger, then get a Pico. And you can easily take down the entire pistol. And extremely mild to shoot. You can put a rubber grip on it, or even a sandpaper grip or simply get a Hot iron and get it as rough a texture as you desire.

View attachment 799948
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Enabler.

Picked one of those up today, just because I saw what I liked in your post. Yes, there are a couple of quirky things about it, like the mag release, but it appears to be a very well built pistol. I also ordered an extra grip frame from Beretta (1/2 price right now, only $18.50) so that I can experiment on some texturing.

The Pico trigger is like the LCP Gen 2 but a little heavier. I have two and they have broken in nicely. About 8lbs of pull, but smooth and deliberate. I have become so use to shooting them that I do not even think of the trigger. The controls of the gun you become very use to it as you handle the gun. Actually very easy to do. There is a learning curve, but once you get it down, you can do it blind folded and fast. The gun has tight tolerances, but both mine ran a 100% flawless right out of the box. Magzine springs are strong. Top quality. I load them up to max and let the spring set for a few days before using them. I now have about 12 mags and they all run perfectly. The first gen had a really heavy trigger pull, the new models are much lighter and the receiver is much easier to rack. About the same as my Kahr and LCP. But the recoil spring again is very good quality and it will need some time to break in. These guns are meant to last a life time. You get use to them very quick and if you are like me, you never want to go back.
I have about 4,000 PLUS rounds through my first one and about 1500 rounds through the second one. I use on for range work and one for CCW. Both guns run flawless and the only failures I have had are from some cheap bulk reloads where I get a few primer strike failures. However the Hammer spring is very strong and it has double strike capability and the bad primers have alway's fired on the second shot.
These guns are not for every one, but the guys that own them love them. I have always enjoyed shooting pocket guns and shoot them often. I have a size large hand and long fingers yet the slim design fits like a anchor in the meaty tissue between my thumb and fore index finger. The are very MILD to shoot. And very LITTLE muzzle filp. The thin design is snag free and can carry virtually anywhere. I have even carried in my Watch Pocket of my Jeans.

The trigger is not a light crisp striker fired feel. It is more like a smooth double action. If you shoot often you will love it. If you are the type that does not, you make not like it. Hickcock45 said when reviewing the gun "I really like this trigger:" But triggers are subjective, so that decision will have to be made by the shooter. I have a Ruger LCR and love that trigger, I have known people that do not. Just the way it is.

My black anodized Colt 1991A1 has served me well for what...27 years now? No issues with rusting.

Even took a total dunking with me in a river once with no problems.

Cosmose said:

I Think I'm going to just upgrade to a lcp stainless (maybe ss lc9) I love the rugers and shoot very well. I'm just going to go stainless and quit worrying about it. after watching some vid's detailing the ruger's they aren't much harder then anything else. and ruger's website sells all kinds of parts for them.

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How badly rusted is your current LCP and EC9? I went through a similar search last year. I wade fish regularly so whatever gun is on me is getting submerged in muddy river water for hours on end. I ended up staying with the LCP I already have, because it’s cheap to replace. Even before fishing with it the slide has rusted and I’ve sanded it with brass wool a few times just from pocket carry (it’s humid here in the Ohio river valley too). But honestly it hasn’t gotten much worse since I’ve been using it while fishing. I just field strip it at the end of the day, rinse it out under a facet, dry as best I can and spray some CLP down in the frame, blow it out and let it air dry. I put a thin coat of Eezoz over the slide, barrel and spring before re-assembling which seems to protect from rust much better than the Rem-oil I used to use.

One of the things that works best for me is using a 100% kydex holster instead of the Desantis Nemesis pocket holster I typically carried it in. The kydex won’t absorb water like the Nemesis material would.

I’m not trying to talk you out of a new stainless gun, but as long as your internals aren’t rusted beyond hope you might as well save some money and just keep using what you got.

Cosmose said:

you don't detial stip after getting submerged?

The rust is not that bad really, it's was on the outisde of the slide on my ec9 and around the mag relase, the lcp is just spots here and there. but neither one is rusted on the inside (that i know of) and the rust spots are small. been using leather pocket holster for the lcp and uncle mikes nylon pocket holster for the ec9. just started using hoppe's oil (elite or something) before that rem oil.

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No, I don't detail strip. A rinse and light spray down with an aerosol lube seems to work fine.

Get rid of that leather holster for the LCP! I went fishing once with my LCP in a leather IWB holster. I knew it would be bad but it amazed me how bad it really was. At the end of maybe a 5 hour fishing trip my LCP had quite a bit of rust already starting to form from the wet leather. When using a kydex holster I haven't seen any rust form on the same day.

If you've got time check out this test somebody did on different lubricants and rusting. He did a great job covering most of the common gun oils we use. Something to consider since you're already in a rust prone environment.

http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

Its a bit pricey but you may want to look into a protective finish for your carry pistol. I had Robar Industries apply their NP3 finish to my .22 target gun amd it is really good stuff. NP3 is a nickel teflon finish that requires less oul than standard metal and is corrosion reaistant. The other finish type that would be less expensive is Cerakote (also good stuff). You may even have an applicator in your area. Hope that helps.

For Southern Louisiana, I just coat all the metal parts with marine grease, and then wipe down the surface contact areas as well as the bore with a paper towel which still leaves a film.

Marine grease has detergents and corrosion inhibitors specifically formulated for a saltwater environment.

If they get sweat on or dropped in a marsh or the Gulf? I just hose'em off or dunk'em a few times in a bucket of fresh water and then leave'em out in the sun, of on the dash of the truck, to dry.

What rust.




GR

Any. Its a carry gun. If it doesnt show use, you dont carry it.

I'll second the Pico. Reminds me of a LCP in several ways but a smoother trigger, better sights, and stupid simple takedown.

Cosmose said:

you don't detial stip after getting submerged?

The rust is not that bad really, it's was on the outisde of the slide on my ec9 and around the mag relase, the lcp is just spots here and there. but neither one is rusted on the inside (that i know of) and the rust spots are small. been using leather pocket holster for the lcp and uncle mikes nylon pocket holster for the ec9. just started using hoppe's oil (elite or something) before that rem oil.

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My IWB holsters are all GALCO Stow-N-Go suede, my hog-leg holsters are Hunter's, and my new 1911-A1 holster is an Adirondack M7/M9 Tanker shoulder rig.

...All leather.

I treat them all with Atsko's Original formula bee's wax SNO-SEAL.

Spread it on both faces of the leather (tanned and split) like honey, and them bag'em in a dark plastic grocery bag, tie the top, and leave it on the dash of your truck for a day. Repeat until it quits soakin' in. (Suede will take one or two, and Leather two or three. The M7/M9 took Four, but then it started out lookin' like a dog's chew treat.)

After that, the holster is as good as the greased pistol.




GR

Remington RM380. All stainless and aluminum is in my pocket a lot. In the Texas heat and sweat. No issue. And, it’s a great value and very reliable.

More horsepower? A Ruger SP 101 in any caliber you choose. All stainless. It’s a beast. Mine has a little pitting under the grips but, it’s truly been run hard and put away wet. Often.

S&W alloy snubbie revolver in a kydex holster and a wipedown with a silicone rag every night.

For a polymer framed gun, M&P Shield, Glock 43, Walther PPS M2, Springfield XDS would be a good place to start. The caveat is that the M&P Shield is the only one of the lot that has a manual thumb safety. The XD has the grip safety, I'm not crazy about the grip safety for a few reasons that I won't get into here as a number of folks run these with no problems whatsoever.

If looking for a metal framed gun, I'd say take a look at Sig's P238, Sig P938 or Springfield 911.

I am about as far south as you can go here in SW Florida, and I carry a Ruger LC 9s everywhere. I am not worried about it because if anything happens I will simply send it in to Ruger under their lifetime warranty. And they do stand behind that 100%.

Labguy47 said:

I am about as far south as you can go here in SW Florida, and I carry a Ruger LC 9s everywhere. I am not worried about it because if anything happens I will simply send it in to Ruger under their lifetime warranty. And they do stand behind that 100%.

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I own a lot of Rugers, I seriously doubt they will replace a gun simply because you let it rust out. I have owned The LC9 since it first came out and then and now own the LC9S. Personally do not think they have the best coating or blueing for Rust protection. You really have to watch them.