1911 firing under water test

[scubie02]

the thread in the rifle section about the M1A torture test on Guns & Ammo tv or whichever program reminded me of the one last week or so where they fired a 1911 under water--anybody else see it? Yhey used a Springfield Mil Spec I believe, submerged it in a swimming pool in a rest and fired it to see what happened. What astounded me was that it not only fired, but actually succesfully cycled the action and loaded a new round! Twice! They were able to fire it, then fire it again. The third shot stovepiped, so they cleared it and fired it again and again it cycled successfully and loaded the next round. They were also shocked at how far the bullet traveled through the water and that they could apparently feel the concussive affect in the pavement around the pool.

A shocker to be sure.

 

[ccmdfd]

No I haven't seen that one.

I keep seeing references to the Glock 19 in the backyard garbage can test, but not a 1911.

cc

 

[critter]

I saw it and I, too, was amazed! After firing 4 rounds, it was taken apart and they said they could feel a bulge in the barrel. However, evidently the bulge was not huge as it did cycle and the barrel bushing was not bound up so that it could not be dismantled. Very interesting indeed.

 

[jwr_747]

saw an article,somewhere a while back that said the military had developed a pistol that could be fired underwater,with an effective kill range out to 30 ft. didn't say what kind of ammo,but must be non typical ammo,I can't see any regular bullet going the far when fired underwater. jwr

 

[AJ Dual]

HK has some weird pepper-box revolver that fires darts out of sealed chamber/barrels. If you go to hkpro.com you can find a write up on it.

And the Russians/Soviets have the APS, it's loosely based on the Kalashnikov, but fires long metal rods that look like knitting needles stuck onto cartridge cases. IIRC, The magazine looks like a HUGE SKS "duck bill" magazine, to accommodate the rods. I believe they've now developed a version that can switch to fire standard assault rifle cartridges by changing the magazine. world.guns.ru probably has pictures and a write up as well.

 

[SDC]

Here are a couple of pictures of these systems; H&K developed the P-11, while the Russians developed the APS rifle and the SPP pistol. All of these fire darts of one kind or another, since the darts have less drag and are less likely to veer off-target in the water.

P-11:


SPP:


APS:


APS in use:

 

[halvey]

So it didn't cycle all the time and the barrel buldged. Sounds like the 1911 failed the test to me.

 

[JDGray]

Seen a vidio on You Tube of a G19 shooting a full 33rd mag, under water. It ran flawlessly. Maybe a better platform for UW shooting than the 1911

 

[trbon8r]

So it didn't cycle all the time and the barrel buldged. Sounds like the 1911 failed the test to me.

Sounds like a bunch of idiots doing a completely worthless test that bears zero resemblance to the real world to me.

 

[S.P.E.C.T.R.E.]

So it didn't cycle all the time and the barrel buldged. Sounds like the 1911 failed the test to me.

I believe the test was to see if it would fire, which it did, so you are wrong.

 

[halvey]

I believe the test was to see if it would fire, which it did, so you are wrong

So it fired underwater. Big deal. Any gun can do that.

Sounds like a bunch of idiots doing a completely worthless test that bears zero resemblance to the real world to me.

You never worked in LEO or the military have you?

Which would you rather trust your life to:
1) The third shot stovepiped, so they cleared it they said they could feel a bulge in the barrel.
2) a G19 shooting a full 33rd mag, under water. It ran flawlessly.

 

[halvey]

 

[jhunter]

would it really matter? I highly doubt that I will ever need any of my handguns underwater. Yea, Yea, you never know. But what I do know is that I do not carry my guns when swimming, so it really will never be a case to begin with.

 

[trbon8r]

You never worked in LEO or the military have you?

No never did. I'm willing to bet you never shot a perp while submerged under water either. It's a dumb test, period.

I just can't wait to hear the stories about all the LEOs firing their guns under water at some scumbag.
I think I hear crickets.

Even in a military environment this would be a ridiculous requirement and an unrealistic expectation of any sort of conventional handgun. Such a requirement becomes even more ridiculous in an LEO environment.

 

[hapuna]

But what I do know is that I do not carry my guns when swimming, so it really will never be a case to begin with.

jhunter,
Yes but could you imagine being pushed into a pool or off a dock or the like. Knowing that your gun will fire at least 1 good shot would be something I'd like to know. 33 good shots of course would be a bonus

 

[Shark32]

I won't make any CCW purchases based on underwater performance. remember, you can swim and raise the gun out of the water. i doubt anyone here will ever have to fire from the bottom of a pool. interesting, but irrelevant.

 

[W.E.G.]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yYGCxgcJIf4

 

[Hoppy590]

ya, i dont plan on shooting any one for pushing me in the pool. that seems like an over reaction. even if your in the pool and being shot at. shooting totaly underwater at another submerged target and shooting out of the water target from submerged poses ever more problems.

if im in the water being shot at my prioritys are distance, cover and oxygen. i am not a fish. and being in the water is a serious disadvantage. if i cant fight on my terms, id prefer not to fight. and in a situation where i have no choice. most defensive shooting dont go past 2 or 3 rounds anyway.

 

[jhunter]

Hapuna, not really. In that case I would be worried about trying to live. If they do not have a gun, I would never take mine out to begin with. If they did, and were shooting at me, my gun would be above water. If I was under, my sights would be off and I would never hit them anyway. If we were both under water, I guess we would just see how things work out. I am not big into gun fights, and for sure not underwater gun fights. One last thing, the only body of water here are lakes. You can't see 1 foot in front of you under water anyway. I do not visit public pools, and know nobody with a backyard pool. Again, really dumb test other than just to see what would happen.

 

[CWL]

There's a video for sale (Paladin Press?); if anyone wants to lay out cash to see it, some guy shoots something like 20 different pistols underwater in a swimming pool.

 

[halvey]

I just can't wait to hear the stories about all the LEOs firing their guns under water at some scumbag. I think I hear crickets.

No, but you'd hear certain guns jamming wouldn't you?

The point is, this is a stress test. If a gun shoots 33 rounds underwater, chances are it will shoot in other "stressed" situations. There's a reason LEO and military require certain stress tests.

 

[hrgrisso]

Require???

I'd love to see references where LE "REQUIRE" a traditional handgun to fire underwater WITHOUT an allowance for complete weapons failure, negating the test to begin with.

 

[halvey]

Man, a 1911 fails and you guys sure get defensive!

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

If you fired a gun underwater with your head underwater also, would that be the end of your eardrums?
I saw some write up of a g19 with maritime cups and they said it's only good for about 10' underwater, after that it won't penetrate a 1/4" sheet of plywood.
What caliber for sharks/aquaman?

 

[jhunter]

halvey, can you really say fail when the test is not related to real world situations? Its like laying them in a fire pit and seeing what would fire afterward. Would a Glock melt faster than a 1911? Would they still fire? Who cares, you would not ever lay it in a fire pit and then try to fire, just like you would never need to have a gun battle under water.