Hi All, My P3AT is my daily summer carry. I work on boats, and sooner or later it's going to go swimming with me. I've never accidently fallen in (yet), but do occasionally have to resuce someone or something quickly. So, what do I have to do to keep my little buddy happen after swimming? Thanks! ChuckS
I would think dry it off and oil it. There are some folks I know who clean a large part of their gun parts in soapy water or even the dishwasher.
I presume you're on salt water. If immersed in salt water, the first thing I'd do to a firearm (after unloading it) would be to immediately rinse it and the empty magazines thoroughly in fresh water. I would then keep it immersed in fresh water in a tupperware container until I got home that evening where I could disassemble it and go over it with a soft brush or rag to ensure no salt remained, then completely dry it using compressed air. I suppose a hairdrier would work too. Then lube it and reassemble. Do the same with the magazines. I would discard the ammo. I would think hard about finding a way to ensure my gun did not get wet in the first place. If that is impossible, you can have some satisfaction that these are cheap guns. Paul PS You might also consider having the metal parts plated. KTAddons or Jack Fuselier do a lot of this for KTOGers. PJN
Fresh water bath. If your around boat repair, got a parts washer? WD 40 everything, clean & lube. I would use something like Breakfree. Some of the guys on other boards recommend Mobil 1 with a few drops off ATF. Supposed to make it slicker & run into the crevices better. Never tried it, but have used Mobil 1 by it's self. Norton
Thanks guys! In short, treat it like any of my other tools. Yeah, if ammo goes swimming it will instantly be relagated to the range round box. Much better for me to ask this BEFORE it happens rather than later in a panic. At about $250, I won't cry for too long if she's a goner. One more reason I'm not carrying a Kahr ChuckS
I wouldn't worry about her being a goner. If all it took was a little water, salt or otherwise, to disable a firearm we'd still be using sticks and stones in Iraq.
Lets just hope this does not happen. However it is good to know how to deal with it should it ever take place.
Welcome to KTOG Chuck. If it were my gun I would clean it like I do all of my guns from time to time. ( I clean all my guns each time I shoot them, but from time to time they will get the following trreatment. TO CLEAN a gun.... LIKE NEW CLEAN: ......unload ...at least three times. Check for unloaded.... at least 7 or 8 times. Rinse the field stripped gun in HOT HOT HOT HOT water. Then blow it out with compressed air.... then use a hair dryer to dry it completly. Then strip it down completely: If you are not comfortable taking it down this far... then take it down as far as you can. Clean every thing......then wipe it all down with light oil. Re-assemble... then oil and lube as usual.
Good advice. WD-40 is a miracle product, especially for those around salt water. When I worked as a sailing instructor many years ago, our SOP after using an outboard motor was to remove the motor cover and thoroughly spray WD-40 over the entire exterior of the engine. Never had any problems, even though we were in the tropics. Paul
That's what I was thinking. I was just watching some WWII flick with people storming beaches from landing craft with their weapons soaking wet and none of them stopped to give it a WD40 bath before shooting back for hours and sometimes days.
My P-3AT has gone swimming twice now--in saltwater. Cleaned with Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber (synthetic safe version only), lubed and oiled...no problems whatsoever
I wouldn't use too much WD-40 on my magazines or any other areas that come into contact with the stored ammunition. Penetrating oils are really good at neutralizing primers. This is where everyone tells me they have used WD-40 for years on their magazines without any trouble.
