The real 'gun problem'! (Monsoons)

[inplainsight]

Hello,

I'm interested in knowing how other members of this forum carry their handguns in the monsoons. My Mauser HSc and I are currently in Easter U.P. for work, and it's been raining here for 24 hours.

Usually, I carry it in a Blackhawk IWB holster but am worried about getting it wet. How do I keep it concealed, accessible and dry?

Also, what's a good way to store ammo? I only ask since my TL got messed up and they only authorized 10 cartridges for UP. So 15 of my rounds are sitting in a safe, in a zip-lock bag with plenty of desiccant packs. Good enough?

Thanks

PS. I should mention that the safe is only accessible to me.

[xl_target]

inplainsight,
You're going to have to field strip it, wipe it dry and then wipe it down with an oil moistened rag every time it gets wet.
If you keep it up regularly in the wet weather, you shouldn't have any problems.

[inplainsight]

XL,

I'm going to try and do this daily.

Thanks for the quick reply.

[TC]

inplainsight keep a good hair dryer in your travel bag for worst case scenarios but, to save the bluing, don't bring the dryer too close to the gun (of course strip it first as XL said) and certainly nowhere close to live ammo

I have always avoided leather holsters because of the monsoons in Bengal

While travelling I carry ammo in the small airtight boxes you get from Tupperware. With the ammo I keep big granules of silica gel (get them from photography equipment suppliers) wrapped in clean cotton fabric (torn dhoti is the best). When the silica gel absorbs all the moisture they turn white. Quickly heat them in a small metal container over a stove/ oven (even a candle will do when you are on the move). Cool them and wrap them again in cotton fabric. Big granules of silica gel don't get crushed easily and can be used over and over again. You don't have to rush for fresh supply in the middle of nowhere.

Hope this helps

TC

PS : Discard the paper boxes in which the ammo comes. Paper boxes are moisture magnets.

[nagarifle]

could use a KS as a cover. or try one of these:

[inplainsight]

Great advice TC. I need to pick your and XL's brain more often!

I toss the paper and any foam packing material before storing my gun or ammo. (my safe had a foam liner)

The worst is condensation when leaving an air conditioned room, this afternoon my pistol was dripping wet with it.

I'm purchasing a shotgun on Friday. Should I just be liberal with oil and leave it in a dry area?

Keep a good hair dryer in your travel bag for worst case scenarios but, to save the bluing, don't bring the dryer too close to the gun (of course strip it first as XL said) and certainly nowhere close to live ammo

I have always avoided leather holsters because of the monsoons in Bengal

While traveling I carry ammo in the small airtight boxes you get from Tupperware. With the ammo I keep big granules of silica gel (get them from photography equipment suppliers) wrapped in clean cotton fabric (torn dhoti is the best). When the silica gel absorbs all the moisture they turn white. Quickly heat them in a small metal container over a stove/ oven (even a candle will do when you are on the move). Cool them and wrap them again in cotton fabric. Big granules of silica gel don't get crushed easily and can be used over and over again. You don't have to rush for fresh supply in the middle of nowhere.

Hope this helps

TC

PS : Discard the paper boxes in which the ammo comes. Paper boxes are moisture magnets.

[inplainsight]

could use a KS as a cover. or try one of these:

[ Image ]

Hilarious. I wish they made little pistol rain coats.

[winnie_the_pooh]

IF you try to dry your gun with a hairdryer,you might get flash rust on parts of it.Better to wipe it with a cloth and then oil the metal with a rag damp with oil.

[Grumpy]

Don`t forget to dry and oil the inside of the barrel.

[Grumpy]

Check-out this article and then try and get hold of a spray can of Eezox Gun Care:

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

http://www.warrencustomoutdoor.com/pl-eezox.html#eezox

[nagarifle]

Eezox is the way to go, i got few cans myself and they work wonders in hot humid climes. not a drop of rust. i had a sling with swerals on and it was in the steel locker, brand new item, within a month it got rust on it. cleaned it up and used Eezox and put it back in the locker to date [after a year letter still not rust.]

[TC]

IF you try to dry your gun with a hairdryer,you might get flash rust on parts of it.Better to wipe it with a cloth and then oil the metal with a rag damp with oil.

Winnie,
I have owned a dozen firearms so far and still own a quarter of a dozen handguns. I guess I know a thing or two about gun maintenance as none of my weapons ever developed rust because of a gust of hot air. If hair dryers started rusting steel I wonder what might happen to the human brain Do you have any insight to share ?
In case you have not read my post I mentioned clearly to strip the weapon and keep the dryer not too close to the weapon/ parts as it may affect the bluing. This is the best measure to get rid of all the moisture in a worst case scenario (that's right, I did not say make it a regular practice) because even after several wipes traces of moisture may still remain inside areas where a cloth cannot reach. At this point a dryer really helps, especially because it is not possible to completely disassemble each and every handgun on the field without tools or a gunsmith. What we basically do is called field stripping.

inplainsight,
Oiling is a must. And, as Grumpy said Eezox or similar moisture proof sprays work great.
High Five bro... I am getting a 12 gauge too in a few months. Oil the shotgun and leave it in a dry place but never let the oil touch the forepart and stock. Always keep the wooden parts dry. That means you cannot be liberal with the oil.

TC

[inplainsight]

Oiling is a must. And, as Grumpy said Eezox or similar moisture proof sprays work great.
High Five bro... I am getting a 12 gauge too in a few months. Oil the shotgun and leave it in a dry place but never let the oil touch the forepart and stock. Always keep the wooden parts dry. That means you cannot be liberal with the oil.

Cool, I'm going to look for this Eezox spray.

I managed to source a Modern O/U in Delhi. Hopefully its not as bad as everyone is making it out to be.

Which gun are you parting with to get the 12 guage? IIRC all your revolvers / pistols are worth owning.

[Grumpy]

One of the advantages of Eezox is that it doesn`t rot wood - has no effect on wood whatsoever ..... although it makes a mess of polyurethane varnishes. lol.
The problem with using a hair drier - or any other form of heat - to dry firearms is well documented. The heating can cause condensation and rust can appear extremely rapidly .....especially if the gun has previously been wiped clean of oil. Using Eezox is the best solution. I only discovered the product comparitively recently when the header tank in my loft sprang a leak causing my built-in gun cupboard to get slightly damp and I had to clean light surface rust from several guns. Eezox worked brilliantly both as a clean-up and to treat all the guns.

[AgentDoubleS]

Could WD40 play a similar role (water displacement) to that of Eezox?