Shooting in the Rain

[ajtat411]

I'm heading to the IPSC beginner's training course this saturday and it will likely be raining.

Is there anything I need to worry about if my pistol gets wet before and during target practice? I'm fairly new to shooting but I would think that water wouldn't be a problem but a through cleaning would be required afterwards.

Thanks

[swerv512]

i'd imagine that you'd want to keep those rounds as dry as possible... otherwise, i'm interested in hearing others opinion...

[chickenfried]

Hope you got kydex instead of leather . It rained pretty hard, during my IPSC beginner's class. I had my brand new tucker HF1. Interior a little dried out after the holster dried. Tucker had me rub a little olive oil on it, back to normal. I did a detail strip after. But didn't see any moisture in the nooks and crannies of my gun.

I'm heading to the IPSC beginner's training course this saturday and it will likely be raining.

Is there anything I need to worry about if my pistol gets wet before and during target practice? I'm fairly new to shooting but I would think that water wouldn't be a problem but a through cleaning would be required afterwards.

Thanks

[SCMA-1]

No big deal; clean and dry them later. Unless it's absolutely raining cats and dogs, you should be fine. They most likely won't have the class if it's raining really hard because the cardboard targets will get destroyed.

[dirtnap]

I always keep a can of compressed air in my range box, helps blow out the small cracks when cleaning, it will also help get all the water out...

[ajtat411]

Yeah, I have a kydex holster.

Do you guys know if it's possible to fire a gun underwater? I would think so since the round is fully encased with a primer.

I hope it doesn't rain too hard though.

[Southpaw45]

If your shooting Glocks? No worries at all...

[Voo]

ajtat411-

Like an idiot, I've shot a few matches in the pouring rain and while it's fairly unpleasant, you can minimize your misery. I would say there are 2 things you should be concerned with, 1) your gun 2) your clothing.

Of the two I would say good clothing is by far the most important aspect. The standard wisdom still applies.. Good water proof breathable jacket that won't hinder your movements. Goretex is pricey but there's a reason why peeps are willing to spend money on it.. The stuff works in keeping you dry and properly insulated... Use whatever boots/pants/shirts as you see fit.

If i know it's going to rain, I bring a spare set of clothes/socks/shoes in the car to change into when the day is over..

Also, another tip is to have something for your head.. Wear a baseball hat or something that will keep the rain off your lenses. THiS IS A MUST. You will not be able to constantly wipe your lenses.. It's not about keeping warm (ie beanie) its about keeping the rain from getting on your lenses and disrupting your field of vision..

As for your gun, it should be fine. Just properly clean and lube it the night before. I would go light on the grease as if it's raining, its likely going to be cold. Grease has a way of thickening when the temperature drops. This can* induce some malfunctions if it gets too cold or your grease thickens too much. Im not saying you can't use it, just go easy or use more oil in it's place..

I always have a small cleaning kit in my range bag. It has grease, oil, cleaning brushes, patches, jags.. everything to do a quick clean and lube so if I need to, I can break the gun down and clean/lube it. Your gun isn't going to rust immediately from the salt/rain combination. If there's a moment (say before or after lunch) take 5 minutes to wipe it down and relube the key spots.. rails, barrel, barrel hood.. anything else. Im not talkign about getting out a brush.. Im talking about using a qtip to wipe the rails.. rag to wipe the slide/barrel then a few drops of oil and reassemble. This has more to do with making sure your gun is properly lubricated than with fear of corrosion. Your gun is not going to immediately rust from the rain. Doing this simple wipe down at lunch will help ensure that.. Other than that, the gun will be fine until you get back to your house or hotel for a more thorough cleaning..

In terms of ammo + rain, there's absolutely NOTHING to worry about. Unless you have your ammo in an open military ammo can and it's pouring buckets enough to submerge them, you have nothing to worry about. You're honestly not going to be in a position where you need to worry about this at all. The primer seal on factory ammo is very tight. Rain isn't going to hurt anything.

Oh, I almost forgot, I bring a dry rag/cloth that is dedicated to cleaning magazines. It's cut down so that itll slide more easily into the body.. You will likely drop magazines left and right. Dirt sucks, but wet dirt is even worse. I've dropped my mags in sand, picked them up and whacked on them a few times.. Good as new. I've dropped them when it's been wet out. Almost always they immediately stop working. So bring as many magazines as you can. You might not need them all (which is fine) but if one goes out of commission, you can easily set it aside and grab a good one. You can break them down and clean them out if there's a lull in the class. Also number your mags. This will help with identification both in terms of "which magazine choked" and "hey! thats my magazine" type scenarios. I have a label maker and over the last 4+ years of leaving stuff all over So Cal.., I've always managed to find my magazines (or have them returned to me). :-)

Have fun out there.

[Voo]

No big deal; clean and dry them later. Unless it's absolutely raining cats and dogs, you should be fine. They most likely won't have the class if it's raining really hard because the cardboard targets will get destroyed.

They use big plastic clear bags to cover the targets. Thats the rule if a match starts and there's threat of rain.

If money is involved, I'd be surprised if the class got canceled due to rain- that and gun owners seem to always be gung-ho about toughing it out.. that of course if the weather isn't too severe

[Barbarossa]

When we hunt in the rain, we spray the gun down with a lot of water displacement forty (WD-40). Kind of let it run off the parts onto a towel.

Then dry and lube with your choice of oil.

[SCMA-1]

They use big plastic clear bags to cover the targets. Thats the rule if a match starts and there's threat of rain.

If money is involved, I'd be surprised if the class got canceled due to rain- that and gun owners seem to always be gung-ho about toughing it out.. that of course if the weather isn't too severe

Oh yeah, I remember that now; only a couple of times I shot in the rain. Still a pain taping targets though.

[ajtat411]

Thanks for the tips Voo. I will be utilizing your tips for sure.

Yeah, there's a $25 fee, but it's not much for what I will probably learn about safe handling of my firearm and range procedures. Maybe I'll also learn something about shooting too.

[PressCheck]

If it's Rainin were Training!

[will227457]

I am sure they will shoot in the rain

[mattymatt]

If it's Rainin were Training!

Beat me to it!