Guns in water

[Macmac]

I wouldn't discount a well loaded flinter from going off after being dropped in a pond.. I hunt ducks and in the rain with flint locks and once I flipped my canoe, and that gun still fired. Of course I wiped out the bore to be sure there wasn't anything else in the barrel first.

It was raining so extra precautions had been taken before i got in the canoe.

 

[franconialocal]

Bore draining aside (that's a given) it would be safe to assume that if your weapon were cleaned and oiled/greased properly, then you petroleum-product-of-choice would tend to bead the water up and slough it off natrually, by gravity (give it a shake or drain for a while). Metal will still oxidize underwater if suspended for a long time, but occ. dipping with good maint. in-between is just fine.

I've hiked and forded streams where my weapon was suspended a few feet under for a few moments (on my pack strap) and it was fine afterward. I would have felt comfortable using it if I needed to. As soon as I had a chance I would take it apart and at least dry it off with my shirt or a rag as much as possible. Oil it ASAP.

I would tend to worry more about wood accents like grips and stocks. Even finished ones would probably start to soak up water and swell (?) after some time.

 

[woad_yurt]

Double. Sorry.

 

[woad_yurt]

A more important question or two:

If one is under water in a giant fish tank traveling at the speed of light towards a black hole and one simultaneously shoots a .45 ACP and a 7.62X25 (both with night sights) into said black hole, would the 7.62 exit the far side of the black hole before the .45? Before answering, make sure you take into account the 7.62's superior penetration. Also, would one be able to see the night sights at that speed?

 

[jakk280rem]

patrick sweeney did a series of tests for his books "gun digest book of the 1911". he shot several 1911 under water, including a oly arms, a wilson, and a rock island armory, and some others i can't remember. none blew up or recieved damage, some even cycled completly. i'm not sure how other designs or cartridges would fair.

 

[Acera]

woad_yurt to answer your question in one word: Cheetos.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

If one is under water in a giant fish tank traveling at the speed of light towards a black hole and one simultaneously shoots a .45 ACP and a 7.62X25 (both with night sights) into said black hole, would the 7.62 exit the far side of the black hole before the .45?

Although Cheetos is a decent answer really....


No, nothing *exits* a black hole. Neither would exit; therefore it's impossible for the 7.62 to "exit [....] before the .45".

Also, would one be able to see the night sights at that speed?

Yes. You and the gun held in front of you are both going at the speed of light, so the "relative speed" between you and the gun is a zero vector. So the light which *emanates* from the sights' tritium (remember, it's not a reflection, so the light doesn't need to catch up to it), back toward you, will still reach your eyes at the speed of light (relative speed between the gun and your eyes).

Back to shooting pistols underwater, you really need to shoot ball ammo, not hollowpoints, to prevent the water in the bore from trying to expand the bullet, putting outward pressure on the bore, which will bulge the barrel, or worse. As for functioning in a semi-auto gun, it may or not function, but if it's tuned correctly, it will function. Such as when the Glock 17, for example, is used underwater after installing the "maritime spring cups" specifically made for this purpose, as a replacement part.

Rifles underwater ==> NO. Kb. The water in the bore cannot displace fast enough.

As for "is this a good idea (pistols underwater)?". Sure, why not, but only if your head is above the water while shooting. If your head is under with the gun, you will most likely lose your eardrums, and not hear a sound ever again. At least that's my understanding.

 

[bobmcd]

Duke Of Doubt: I think it would be Mrs. Gorsky that propels Mr. Gorsky, but only after that Armstrong kid walks on the moon ...

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Glad SOMEbody finally picked up the Gorsky ref.

I can almost hear Neil wishing him good luck as he tumbles along in low lunar.

 

[woad_yurt]

Dr. Tad:
Thank you. I have been tossing and turning for weeks. Tonight, I rest easy!

 

[wyocarp]

Okay, so we are on our way towards developing our rules for underwater shooting events.
Rule #1: No Hollowpoints.
Rule #2: ?

 

[LibShooter]

"I hunt ducks and in the rain with flint locks and once I flipped my canoe, and that gun still fired. Of course I wiped out the bore to be sure there wasn't anything else in the barrel first."

Wow MacMac... what did Lewis and Clarke say when you tipped over their canoe? Were they vexed?

 

[FiREhAwk]

as far as cooling goes, shooting in the water would be great as long as it is low velocity. Shooting in space would be problematic as there no atmosphere ie.. air to transfer heat from the barrel, so you better make a em count.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

True, Firehawk; but as the late Ricardo Montelbahn told us in "Wrath of Kahn": "It is very cold ... in space."

 

[wyocarp]

as far as cooling goes, shooting in the water would be great

So, one event could be full mag dumps and we could score a very large underwater target.

 

[ChCx2744]

I'm sure there are special guns made to be shot underwater. Unless I own ammunition/a gun that is DESIGNED/SPECIFIED to be used underwater, I will use my guns out of the water. Also, whether or not there are torture tests/myth buster crap, there is always, ALWAYS the chance that something can go wrong if you use any tool or object in an enviornment it is not meant for.

Rain is a different story. Depending on the material and quality of your gun, it should be fine..Just give it a nice rub with a silicone cloth

 

[Max]

In "No Country for Old Men", in which Moss blows the water out of the barrel before shooting it was just retarded. He didn't need to do that. all it did was wast valuable time with a "useless action" that he could have better spent lining up his shot. It was probably done to make the scene more suspenseful. "Hitman" sucked!

 

[moooose102]

way back when, tony knight would throw one of his muzzle loaders into a pond, fish it out, shake it off, and shoot it. so they can get pretty wet without to much worry. the big thing is to get the majority of water out of the barrel before you shoot. most ammo is pretty water resistant from the factory. but if you want to be certain it will fire under any circumstances, you can buy a sealer and seal around the primer and bullet. then you can leave your gun / ammo underwater as long as you want. but remember the basics, water still causes corosion, and almost always carries some amount of dirt with it. rust and / or dirt can raise pressures in the barrel to unsafe levels. basicly, i guess what i am saying is if i dropped my rifle in a river while out hunting. i would check it out thouroghly. if it was not filled with mud or other debris, i would keep hunting, and not make a 15 mile trek back to camp to clean it. when i was done for the day, i would certainly give it the tlc it deserves.