Re: FW: Underwater weaponry

["kensai" <kensai@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> > > I've even seen a Glock 22 fired after being pulled
> > > out of a bucket of mud with just a quick shaking off.
> >
> >Just because you *can* do it doesn't mean you should do it.  Did they
> >inspect the barrel afterwards, either internally for scoring or
externally
> >for overpressure damage?
> >
> >High stress events dramatically shorten the fatigue life of most machined
> >items.
>
> This was at a shooting expo in Kansas City in 1999.  The particular pistol
> in question was completely submerged in sticky, gooey mud, pulled out and
> quickly shaken off, then discharged sixteen times rapidly at a 25m target
> with sixteen hits on target.  As it was firing, steam was literally
rolling
> out of the gun and mud was being thrown every which way.  Despite this,
the
> gun fired without fail.  The shooter was a rep from Glock and although I
> don't remember the exact number of rounds that particular gun had through
> it, it was in excess of 10,000 rounds.  He also said that the mud test
> wasn't the only abuse this particular gun had been subjected to and ran
down
> a list of brutal trials (burying in sand, dropping onto concrete, driving
> over with a truck, etc.).  From all of this I think one can safely
conclude
> that provided you are using a quality firearm and pay attention to at
least
> rudimentary maintenance you have little to worry about.  Certainly
> submersion in salt water for a few hours isn't going hurt a gun.
>

Glocks in particular have a reputation for handling this kind of treatment
well,  from experience most well made modern firearms (note the well made
bit folks) can fire happily if you just make sure there isnt a solid plug of
gunk ot water in the barrel and ive seen some fire after being shoved barrel
first into a mudbank (NOT RECCOMENDED).  To get to the point most modern
firearms, and certainly most military ones, are designed to be GI-proof i.e
the manufacturers expect a certain level of abuse and engineer it into the
design.  Personally i allways used a condom when my gun was going swimming
but i know people who didnt and thier weapon both functioned fine and is
still functioniong today many year and many acts of stupidity later (hell
look at the average National Guard/Army Reserve/TA rifles and the abuse the
cut luch commandos give em).
The firearms i'd be most concerned about would be custom jobs with fine
tolerances or those firing obscenely over powered rounds through a mechanism
never designed for them (.454 Casgul comes to mind). also on an aside note
that a hot barrel (i.e gpmg after a few hundred rounds of rapid fire) does
not react well with water.

kensai