Budget pocket gun for saltwater

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armedaccountant

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With any luck I will be moving to the Northeast in a year or so. Once I move I plan on Sea Kayaking. Any recommendations for a pocket gun that can stand up to saltwater? Prefer something inexpensive. Anything above .22lr is welcome as a suggestion. Wheel or Auto are both fine.
 
Unless you see a need for immediate "fast draw", an easy solution is to simply put the gun in a "zip" type plastic storage bag. The bag is waterproof, yet can be opened or even ripped open pretty quickly if needed; you could even fire the gun in the bag if you have a strong trigger finger. Wash down both your hands and the bag with fresh water before removing the gun.

Jim
 
What Jim said. But for a job like that, I'd maybe get LC9S
 
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P3AT in a quart freezer ziplock in a chest pocket. Very compact, reasonably effective, not so expensive so you to worry about if you flip the boat and lose it, not so heavy it will drown you.
 
Stainless Taurus tcp 380. They work great , are inexpensive and my caustic sweat hasn't done a dang thing to mine.
 
Depends on the 'budget'. Glock 42 if .380 floats your boat and Glock 43 if 9mm.

The tennifer finish is extremely salt water resistant.

Deaf
 
Something stainless, polymer, and relatively inexpensive; all placed inside a waterproof baggie.
 
I have been swimming in the Gulf a few times with a Beretta 21A in a freezer bag with as much air squeezed out as possible with no problem. I carried in Fresh water on many occasions like that in a bathing suit pocket.

Unfortunately on the few occasions I shot the gun on returning home trying through the bag generally made it a single shot. In fresh water I used sandwich bags which if ripped open before the shot allowed multiple shots.

I will say that "This looks like a job for NAA mini revolvers!" I would consider trying to seal the .22 mag ammo and then carry in a sandwich bag.

I guess it all depend on what you think likely uses for the gun are.

I would think a revolver would be a better choice than a semi or two shot pistol. I was just warry of loosing a more valuable handgun and felt the need for improved concealment when I carried the little .22 Beretta 21A. A wet bathing suit does not conceal much. My little nylon "wallet" for my Driver's ticket and CWL served to break up the outline.

I have carried a Charter Undercover .38 in blue in a bag on boats in the Gulf when getting gin the water with the gun was not an issue. In a dry bag the Charter still managed to hole a sandwich bag just from moving the bag around, but not a freezer bag on a later trip.

-kBob
 
Whatever you decide on, bag it anyway. Salt water + brass cased ammo is a bad combination. Clean and oil after each trip.
 
Hi-Point, chose your caliber/ Saw new ones at local hardware store for $129 to $149.
 
Cheap stainless revolver in 38 Special. That is if you want a beater gun. Now if you want a quality gun then an expensive stainless revolver along the lines of a S&W in 38 Special. I only suggest 38 Special because it is common and an effective round, if bigger is better then a 357 Magnum. I suggest a revolver simply because for the better part they are reliable. I am not saying that a semi-automatic is not reliable. Regardless of the choice any gun should be properly maintained in a salt air environment. That means looking the gun over and keeping it cleaned with a light coat of oil. Nickle plated ammunition is fine and while not perfect would be my choice over brass. Sea Kayaking, I assume you will only have the gun with you when actually Sea Kayaking, the rest of the time it will be in a less hostile environment.

Just My Take....
Ron
 
I would go with a Ruger SP101. A lot of gun for the money, and just about everything that can be stainless is stainless. You still need to clean and oil regularly, even if you don't shoot it.

I would stay away from any non-stainless budget guns, especially Rugers. The LCP and LC9s I have are non-stainless, and they might as well not treat the metal at all for all the good it does. Both guns attract rust more than my other guns. They don't pit, but when cleaning them after a week of carry, they will have surface spots.
 
Look at the Diamondback offerings. Poly frame and coated SS slide. You won't find any gun that's immune, as all have at least some carbon steel parts, and the stainless used in guns (usually 416) is not as corrosion resistant as 304 or other "cookware" grade SS, but the more polymer and stainless the better in caustic environments. Still need to protect it well or clean & lube frequently, though.
 
armedaccountant said:
Budget pocket gun for saltwater
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The thing that I would prefer in such a situation is a gun that can easily be taken apart in case it got dunked. Even the firing pin would have to be easy to remove.

For me, that leaves revolvers out as they depend on fairly fine mechanicals to work well. Many metal framed autoloaders are very similar.

The first one that comes to mind to me is a NAA Guardian as it is very easy to take completely apart. Even the firing pin comes out easily. Plus it's stainless. The downsides are they are only close range belly shooters and you need a small screwdriver for taking it all the way apart.

I think I'd have to go with a polymer framed striker gun like a Glock where all the components come apart fairly easily. Even the slide parts can all be pulled without much trouble. Maybe a stainless barrel would make me feel better about it in saltwater.
 
kBob said:
I have been swimming in the Gulf a few times with a Beretta 21A in a freezer bag with as much air squeezed out as possible with no problem. I carried in Fresh water on many occasions like that in a bathing suit pocket.
Click to expand...

In the past, I had taken my ol' Beretta 21 to the beach a few times. Without a bag.

I never went in the water, but I was surprised how the salt air took some of the finish right off the magazine. :(
 
Along those lines, it might be worthwhile to spend a few minutes researching and find out which handguns are issued by modern navies around the world.
 
S&W SD9VE in 9mm Luger caliber. Stainless barrel and slide, polymer frame, budget price. What's not to like?
 
Go as cheap as possible with a gun that is still decent.

Armscor M206 .38 Special

SCCY in 9mm

Both are just above $200 if you shop around
 
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