Subjected to water, semi-auto or revolver?

[eastenn]

For those of you that carry a gun on your boat, kayak, or maybe just fishing have you thought about whether you want to carry a semi-auto or a revolver? Of course you don't plan on getting the gun wet but the probability is much higher during these activities.

Assuming you are in water you can reach the bottom. You drop your gun in, it sinks 3' lands on the bottom. It wasn't in a bag, and had time for water to penetrate most areas. Would you rather this be your $350 CW or your $350 Ruger?

I don't have either of those guns and have some ideas of my own but I would like to hear what others have to say.

[stu454]

Interesting.

Autos seem to be more forgiving of abuse. Which is to say, retrieve the gun from Davy Jones' locker, shake it out, and keep going. Give it a thorough cleaning when you get back.

Of course the same could be said of a revolver.

As far as preference, I'd rather drop an auto in the drink than a revolver.

A lanyard might be a good idea, as well.

[onegun]

I chose my kayak gun just because I like that particular one. My autos are SIGs or Kahr - My revolvers are S&W or Ruger. The one I chose as a kayak gun (and that's about all I use it for) is a Ruger Vaquero Sheriff's model .44 Special in stainless. I keep three snake shot followed by three HP in it. The issue of which would be better if they got wet didn't even enter my thoughts in selecting this. All would have to be dismantled and thoroughly cleaned.

I have an Uncle Mike's nylon holster with strap permanently attached to the inside of my kayak and that's where it rides.

[mr surveyor]

given the choice of which I would want to detail strip and clean it would have to be the Ruger SP101 (not a S&W or other side plate revo). Very easy to detail down to the frame...no side plates or hidden clockworks to deal with. Otherwise, if a semi-auto, it would have to be a 1911. I would not want to dunk a Kahr poly gun with the inaccessable trigger bar side plate.

I always carry the revo for a "field gun".

surv

[MW surveyor]

I'd use my Ruger stainless steel SP 101 around water rather than my CW9. However, now that I think on this a bit more.....either one. If either of these got wet, they would certainly be cleaned as soon as possible.

[wyntrout]

Before I got my smaller Kahrs, I used to carry a stainless Walther TPH .22LR. I took a header off the back of my 21-ft walk-around cabin boat one time near Saint Augustine. My wife was at the helm and didn't even notice. I'm glad the engine was off! I was trying to reset my depth finder transducer which had gotten knocked out of the detent in rough waves. I thought I was hooked on well enough with my legs and feet, but slipped and slid into the water. I got out so fast that my wallet didn't get completely soaked. I wiped down the gun and magazine and bullets and washed it and lubed it when I got home. If it had been blued, it would have rusted by then... salt water! I love stainless.

Wynn

[Bawanna]

The MK9 shown with the new grips over in the emporium is the one that spent 45 days at the bottom of Puget Sound. It needed a major makeover but its fine and dandy now.
I didn't drop it, a deputy who owned it at the time dropped it and the holster while crabbing. My guys recovered it and he didn't want it back.

[eastenn]

Good responses, thanks for the input guys. The reason I brought this up was because my wife and I are planning on getting 2 sit on top kayaks sometime before spring. We live close to 3 lakes that are part of TVA each of which are connected by rivers (of course). I had the opportunity to go out on the New River last year with a friend and borrowed a sit on top kayak and it was a lot of fun. Therefore our uses will be floating around out on the lake or going up river and floating back down to the lake.

I was trying to think of which of my guns I would take out. I have a S&W 442 but I have read over on the smith forum that you don't want to take the side plate off if you don't have to, and not to mess with anything inside unless you are competent with revolvers (i'm not). I also have a Sig Pro 2022 in 9mm. It is a poly gun with high capacity but it seems a little too large for what I want. Then there's my K40 which is stainless, but I hate to think about taking such a nice gun (maybe a relative statement, but it is to me) out on the lake in a kayak.

So, I was thinking maybe I'll just grab a CW. Keep on tossing out your thoughts, I like to hear from those who have come across the same kinda deal.

[onegun]

S&W side plate's an easy deal. Just gotta pay attention to what you are doing. that's the way you clean them.

[Bawanna]

A double zip lock bag to store whatever gun you choose can be your friend. That along with some sort of lanyard to attach it to the kayak or yourself. Back in my younger be prepared for anything and live forever days my gun always went in the shower with me in a zip lock bag doubled up. The zip lock was a new invention and the double zipper didn't exist.

Now that they could shoot 500 rounds of 50 cal outside the bathroom door and I wouldn't hear it I no longer go this extreme but leave it on the counter under a towel. I chuckle at myself over the whole deal. Who wants to live forever anyhow. Ya know?

[Dietrich]

Carry a can of WD40 (the "WD" means water displacement) if it should happen. Thoroughly spray it inside and out. That should get most of the water out until the weapon could be thoroughly cleaned later.

+1 on the WD 40.

[mr surveyor]

just wondering how one is supposed to thoroughly clean out the area of the trigger bar and springs under the side plate of the poly Kahrs? And I wouldn't be hosing it out with WD40. I like WD40 on door hinges and pliers, followed by a decent lubricant, and even on gun parts that I can reach to remove all the residue, but not on precision, inaccessable parts that will end up with the thin layer of dried goo left behind.

surv

[Bawanna]

My thought also. I'd be hosing afterwards with brake cleaner or gunscrubber to get the WD out and then relubing. I think with a compressor and aerosol a guy can get things hosed out enough and relubed.

WD does turn into an adhesive after a period of time and incredibly flammable. I keep powder in my man cave with little worry but WD stays out in the garage.

[eastenn]

just wondering how one is supposed to thoroughly clean out the area of the trigger bar and springs under the side plate of the poly Kahrs?
surv

I have handled a few CW's but don't own and never shot one. I take it the trigger area is inaccessible? Is the plate removable, or is this something most would leave to a kahr smith?

[eastenn]

better question, is the trigger group more easily accessible in my K40? I have never looked at trying to disassemble it any further than necessary for a standard cleaning.