Water resistant pistol

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J_McLeod

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I'm planning a hiking/backpacking trip where I'm planning for just about everything getting wet. Not really worried about large critters. I have these pistols, which do you think would tolerate being wet and maybe submerged the best?

XD9 and 40
Taurus PT709
PF9
SP 101
 
get you a small can of wd-40 and quit worrying about it.

also, get a 1941 tanker holster for your gun to keep it as high up as possible. easiest way to carry with a backpack imop. (el paso saddlery).

murf
 
Any one of 'em should work ok for the short term. But you will want to strip it, wipe it down, and relube it when you get home. So go with the one that's easiest to strip. Since you own them, you ought to know.

I dunno why the SP101 is getting the popular vote. I suppose it's cuz (some) auto's need lube on the slide rails to function reliably. But IMO, revolvers and water don't go so good together. There are dozens of metal on metal parts on a revolver that can turn the gun into a paper weight if allowed to rust or be stripped of lube. And they're a pain to detail strip and clean.
 
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I'd say that any of them are fine for a quick dunk'n drain then shoot.

If you're worried about underwater swimming bears there's that video on YouTube of the guy that shoots his Glock while it is submerged.... :D

I would not even worry about bringing any WD40 if you slick the gun up with a decent oil ahead of time. A good quality oil is pretty tenacious at staying with the metal even if you dunk the gun.

Mind you first thing after your return I'd be doing a fairly major cleaning and oil if it DOES get overly wet. Or if you're looking at more than a weekend then by all means bring along a can of WD and some proper gun oil as well as a very basic cleaning kit. And don't forget to clean out the mags.
 
I was going to say the SP101 but then I thought about it. Take the Taurus. If you ruin it, you can just throw it away, as it is bound to fall apart eventually anyway. :evil:

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Serious vote would be for the 101 and a can of WD40. It displaces water so it should help, and yes, a good holster is a good idea too..
 
I have observed that Navy SEAL operators have carried Smith & Wesson 686+ with 6 inch barrel when they insert/operate with SCUBA gear. The reasoning is that water drains quickly from the revolver and no magazine to retain the water.
 
Actually the preferred weapons of combat divers world over seem to be MP5D and the USP
from firm started by two guys from Mauser Werke.
From the ones listed I would choose stain-resistant steel revolver. It goes nicely with diver's knife.
 
I would go with the SP 101 as well. I don't know if you are planning on being submerged or just rained on, but I would think that shooting an auto underwater would really mess with it cycling. Plus the SP 101 can shoot more powerful loads and there are less nooks and crannies to worry about forgetting to oil. I'd feel more comfortable taking a stainless gun if I thought it would be getting wet.
 
the lockwork on a stainless gun is not stainless. i would still carry the wd-40 if the gun is going to stay wet for any length of time.

fwiw

murf
 
murf said:
the lockwork on a stainless gun is not stainless. i would still carry the wd-40 if the gun is going to stay wet for any length of time.

fwiw

murf
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Or have a gunsmith hard chrome it.

I'd choose the XD9. I've read some of the things people have put those through, and it's impressive. Additionally, it's very easily taken down for cleaning without tools. You do NOT want to take the .40. The .40 round is highly susceptible to bullet setback with repeated chambering, such as might happen if you clear the gun to get the water out of it and let it dry out. This can potentially result in a kaboom. For me, no question it would be the XD9.

One thing you need to pay attention to is your ammunition. You'll want to ensure your bullets and primers are properly sealed. The best way is to paint over the primer and around the front cartridge edge with nail polish or Loctite (the S&B sealant strongly resembles Loctite, so that's what I'd recommend). Between the XD and that, you should be in good shape.
 
murf said:
the lockwork on a stainless gun is not stainless. i would still carry the wd-40 if the gun is going to stay wet for any length of time.

fwiw

murf
Click to expand...
The lockwork on an sp101 is stainless (minus the springs obviously). The whole gun is a stainless steal mini-tank, thats why many people are voting on it and i do too. The wd40 and a good cleaning when done with the trip is still a very good idea.
 
Deleted my post. I didn't realize this was a year and 1/2 old thread until after posting
 
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