Posted: 1/26/2009 2:32:43 PM EDT
| O.K. so my DW and I were out for a day of kayaking in some remote areas and she asked me if I was packing. I told her I was not because I don't have a weapon for every situation. Does anybody carry on a kayak or canoe knowing that space is limited, it will get wet (salt) and you are fishing etc. I know I can put It in a dry pack and tuck it away so maybe that's what I want to do, however it would not be real accesabble. If was to look into a handgun to pack in this environment what would you recomend. |
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Sig P220 combat, HK mk23, G19, (other melonite/tennifer guns might be a good idea)
USP tactical might be a good idea too. Assuming the HK45 is cut from the same cloth, I'd throw that into the mix as well. I'd say this is a good idea though... 
Water tight container, FTW. Better than nothin, keeps your gun dry, you still have a weapon in arms reach instead of being in your car! |
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Sig P220 combat, HK mk23, G19, (other melonite/tennifer guns might be a good idea) USP tactical might be a good idea too. Assuming the HK45 is cut from the same cloth, I'd throw that into the mix as well. I'd say this is a good idea though... http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2007/10/pelican-case.png Water tight container, FTW. Better than nothin, keeps your gun dry, you still have a weapon in arms reach instead of being in your car! Not to hijack, but does anyone else see the humor in placing a waterproof GPS unit inside a waterproof pelican box? |
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Sig P220 combat, HK mk23, G19, (other melonite/tennifer guns might be a good idea) USP tactical might be a good idea too. Assuming the HK45 is cut from the same cloth, I'd throw that into the mix as well. I'd say this is a good idea though... http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2007/10/pelican-case.png Water tight container, FTW. Better than nothin, keeps your gun dry, you still have a weapon in arms reach instead of being in your car! Not to hijack, but does anyone else see the humor in placing a waterproof GPS unit inside a waterproof pelican box? No. It's always good to have a back up plan and the Pelican case will float. I do the same thing when rafting. |
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Sig P220 combat, HK mk23, G19, (other melonite/tennifer guns might be a good idea) USP tactical might be a good idea too. Assuming the HK45 is cut from the same cloth, I'd throw that into the mix as well. I'd say this is a good idea though... http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2007/10/pelican-case.png Water tight container, FTW. Better than nothin, keeps your gun dry, you still have a weapon in arms reach instead of being in your car! I agree. The Tenifer/Melonite guns are where you need to look. In addition, I would focus on guns that are more likely to be reliable with little to no lube on them (should the gun get wet), and I think this points you toward the polymer framed pistols. So, Glock, HK, S&W M&P... |
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To my knowledge, no guns have corrosion resistant finishes on springs. If they do, it's very weak. So while most people seemed to be concerned with the finish on the slide, you need to be most concerned about the corrosion of the internal pieces.
Sure the Mk23's slide is painted and isolates metal from the outside world, but that paint can chip off to show the "Hostile Environment" (HE) finish underneath, and the internal parts are still finished with the HE finish. As good as the HE finish is, just like tennifer, just like melonite, etc, if you soak the gun in water and can't get all of it out, the parts inside will rust. And then if a spring corrodes to the edge and breaks, you're out of the fight. So my answer is buy whatever handgun you want, but just know how to clean the damn thing correctly, it would help to be able to disassemble it completely to make it easier to clean. From experience, I can tell you that my P2000sk and my USP have held up just fine to being submerged a number of times. But I don't attribute that to any miracle works by HK, I attribute it to me getting the water completely out of the guns and getting lubrication back on to all the internal metal parts. |
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After being on board a ship in the Navy for several years I learned one thing about salt water. It does not care what material it is, it will eat anything. Even if the weapon is tenifer/melonite, stainless etc... the moving parts can get gummed up by the build up of salt.
At least put the weapon in a ziploc bag and always carry some oil. A boresnake wouldn't be a bad idea as well. I would consider a revolver made from the least corrosive materials as you can afford. |
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After being on board a ship in the Navy for several years I learned one thing about salt water. It does not care what material it is, it will eat anything. Even if the weapon is tenifer/melonite, stainless etc... the moving parts can get gummed up by the build up of salt. At least put the weapon in a ziploc bag and always carry some oil. A boresnake wouldn't be a bad idea as well. I would consider a revolver made from the least corrosive materials as you can afford. Buy any gun you want, then send it to Walter Birdsong and have him apply his Black-T or Green-T to it. His treatment DOES adhere to springs and won't chip off. The color may eventually wear, but won't chip. His original process, Black-T, was invented for use by the US Navy for prolonged submergence in salt water. In fact an independent lab stopped testing after almost 7500 hours of salt exposure because no corrosion of any kind could be found. The only catch is that they don't do the bore and chamber, so stainless is a must. |
| Thanks for all the replies. It is interesting (to me) that the revolver was only mentioned once. My first thought was a S&W 640 or 642 or any smal J framed revolver and not a pistol. Now you all have me thinking about using my XD Sub Compact polymer pistol instead. |
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After being on board a ship in the Navy for several years I learned ... I would consider a revolver made from the least corrosive materials as you can afford. I have studied this problem some (this isn't the first time this has come up on the internet)  I actually enjoy this subject even more than the "What pistol for Bear?" question. Anyway:
I like the Ruger GP-100 (357 mag) for this, and my preference is the 3-in barrel model. It's cheap It's reliable and simple It's stainless (good enough) It has enough power It's modular assemblies allow for complete breakdown and cleaning with relative ease It's only a Ruger, so it can double as an anchor 
If you want smaller, get the SP101. These Ruger double action revolvers work as good as the Smiths, but they're just heavier and bulkier, which shouldn't matter as much in a boat. The Smiths don't allow for easy complete breakdown though, and they cost more, and you wouldn't want to ruin one. The Ruger makes the perfect "SaltWater Boat Beater" to me. |
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Not like you're going to want to hear this or it should even be considered, but the MK23 is the most salt-resistant firearm on the face of the planet 
That being said, I'd get a Glock, and under no circumstances get a Sig. I'm not giving you a recommendation, just some facts. The Coast Guard carries Sigs. From the following link http://www.shootingtimes.com/handgun_reviews/sig070606/ "Following on the heels of the DHS announcement, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded a contract to SIGARMS for the P229R DAK in .40 S&W, basing its decision on the performance of the SIG guns in the DHS tests. The Coast Guard pistols are in addition to those ordered for the DHS Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Coast Guard will be replacing its current Beretta 9mm pistols with the SIGs." |
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To my knowledge, no guns have corrosion resistant finishes on springs. If they do, it's very weak. So while most people seemed to be concerned with the finish on the slide, you need to be most concerned about the corrosion of the internal pieces. Sure the Mk23's slide is painted and isolates metal from the outside world, but that paint can chip off to show the "Hostile Environment" (HE) finish underneath, and the internal parts are still finished with the HE finish. As good as the HE finish is, just like tennifer, just like melonite, etc, if you soak the gun in water and can't get all of it out, the parts inside will rust. And then if a spring corrodes to the edge and breaks, you're out of the fight. So my answer is buy whatever handgun you want, but just know how to clean the damn thing correctly, it would help to be able to disassemble it completely to make it easier to clean. From experience, I can tell you that my P2000sk and my USP have held up just fine to being submerged a number of times. But I don't attribute that to any miracle works by HK, I attribute it to me getting the water completely out of the guns and getting lubrication back on to all the internal metal parts. The MK23 has a completely different finish than HE. |
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bigbore buried his glock 21 in salt water and there was only a few prices that rusted, if you can find his origonal thread on the tests you can see what rusted and replace those with stainless. (trigger return spring and something else...) All the springs rusted, and nearly every metal part had surface rust. New springs and some CLP and it was GTG, but everything will rust. Hence why I recommended the Glock. It seems to take longer to rust than most guns out there and for the price its tough to beat. If I knew I was going into saltwater, I'd take my G21. The USP will do just as well from what I have seen, but who wants to do that to a pricey gun? |
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Not like you're going to want to hear this or it should even be considered, but the MK23 is the most salt-resistant firearm on the face of the planet
That being said, I'd get a Glock, and under no circumstances get a Sig. I'm not giving you a recommendation, just some facts. The Coast Guard carries Sigs. From the following link http://www.shootingtimes.com/handgun_reviews/sig070606/ "Following on the heels of the DHS announcement, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded a contract to SIGARMS for the P229R DAK in .40 S&W, basing its decision on the performance of the SIG guns in the DHS tests. The Coast Guard pistols are in addition to those ordered for the DHS Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Coast Guard will be replacing its current Beretta 9mm pistols with the SIGs." Yes, and the coast guard rarely dunks them. There is a reason that SEAL divers didn't want to turn in their MK23's per Crane orders. The Sigs rusted to the point of being locked shut. Those are the guys that spend the most time in the salt, and thats the only gun they had that would do the job. |
| The harbor patrol police in Everett, WA carried Glocks when on patrol riding their jet skis. I asked one of them how they keep their Glocks from rusting from the salt water and he told me they just hose them off with fresh water and then hose them down really good with oil after their shift ends. Take it for what it's worth. |
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The MK23 has a completely different finish than HE. It was my understanding that the Mk23 had the painted lacquer outer coating, followed by a glue to hold the paint to the steel, and the steel was then also finished with the HE. And that was on the slide only. What did I miss? Or was that only on later year Mk23s made specifically for civilians? |
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The MK23 has a completely different finish than HE. It was my understanding that the Mk23 had the painted lacquer outer coating, followed by a glue to hold the paint to the steel, and the steel was then also finished with the HE. And that was on the slide only. What did I miss? Or was that only on later year Mk23s made specifically for civilians? The official name of coating is the maritime coating. Not sure how that black laquer stays on there, but the crap underneath it is one of the most salt resistant bonds/coatings on the planet. AFAIK, all of the metal on the MK23 has the Maritime coating, but I couldn't tell you for sure. I think some of the tan MK23's have the HE finish. |
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I took a stainless steel revolver with me on my 2 1/2 month cruise of the Bahamas. Lightly oiled and kept in a zip lock baggy inside a standard (non-water tight) pistol case it survived with a single pin head sized speck of rust right next to the front sight base.
An 870 12 gauge stored the same way (not to include zip lock baggy of course) ended up with maybe .75 square inches of rust total, worst was on the bolt. |
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I take my G19 with me kayaking and just run it through the dishwasher with the next load when I get home,no big deal.I've been doing it for years with no problems.
I took my Seecamp with me once and it ended up getting a couple spots inside the cocking serrations within a couple hours. |