Sweat and ammunition

[mr.stuart]

I have often wondered about this. Let's say we come home after a hurricane and I wear my gun for days. No power,no A/C. So my gun and ammo are constantly drenched with sweat. What to do? Does it matter as far as the ammo? Will it function? I know people have carried guns and ammo in wars for 200 years or so. Any opinions or technical advice? I am not the type to coddle or baby a gun, but I do believe in basic common sense care. Does moisture of this type cause ammo to malfunction? In the days after hurricane Ike my cell phone became so drenched it was ruined.That is what started this thought about guns and sweat.

Thanks

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Ram Rod]

Guns and sweat = Glock. Then all you'll have to worry about is changing clothes on a regular basis. As far as the ammunition is concerned, so long as it doesn't stay submerged for any length of time, it should be okay. Sweat and ammo make for discolored brass cases and stained copper jackets.

[QKShooter]

Years ago I actually home tested factory .45 acp by keeping some cartridges submerged in a jar of distilled water.
Don't remember exactly how long now but, at least a few days.
And then I dried it off and loaded it up and it fired just fine.
So...I would say that new factory ammunition of high quality manufacture is basically waterproof at least for any reasonable amount of time.

[retsupt99]

I'll side with RamRod with the Glock idea.

[PastorPack]

XD works for me!

[TerriLi]

If you are that worried about it, they do make "water proof" ammo. Its expensive though, and I think there are simple ways to waterproof it yourself.

[mr surveyor]

finally, a question I actually feel qualified to respond too

I field carry a 637 Airweight daily during the warm (stinking HOT) weather seasons here in the not-so-dry air of NE Texas. I use a high ride leather pancake holster with a cover shirt, and carry one loaded speed strip in my shirt pocket. On some days I sweat enough to pour droplets of sweat out of my boots, and wring it out of my shirt at the end of the day. We often get caught a half mile, or farther, away from the truck (last Friday was a good example) in sudden rainstorms and get soaked to the small hairs. I have never had a problem with modern pistol ammo and short term exposure to water or sweat.

Now, I do remember a few wet shotgun shells being problematic many years ago. But, weekend before last I was with five of my best running buddies out in West Texas on a dove hunt and we got wet every single outing....clothes, guns and shells. The guns kept shooting, the shells kept popping and the birds kept falling.

I would say that most modern ammo is pretty resistant to failure due to occassional exposure to sweat or water in general.

surv

[Wasabi]

Another vote for the Glock. In rough conditions, that's what I'd be grabbing out of the safe.

[mr surveyor]

wasn't the question about performance of sweat, or water exposed ammo?

[Wasabi]

wasn't the question about performance of sweat, or water exposed ammo?

Yeah, I just focused in on that last line on guns and sweat.

[archer51]

Ammo firing shouldn't be an issue at all. The only possible concern I'd have would be dirt and grime accumulation. Wipe your gun and ammo down daily should keep you running with no problems.

[sheffd]

Is Glock the AK of the pistol world?

[SIGP250]

I have often wondered about this. Let's say we come home after a hurricane and I wear my gun for days. No power,no A/C. So my gun and ammo are constantly drenched with sweat. What to do? Does it matter as far as the ammo? Will it function? I know people have carried guns and ammo in wars for 200 years or so. Any opinions or technical advice? I am not the type to coddle or baby a gun, but I do believe in basic common sense care. Does moisture of this type cause ammo to malfunction? In the days after hurricane Ike my cell phone became so drenched it was ruined.That is what started this thought about guns and sweat.

Thanks

It can. We sell ammo boxes and safes with dehumidifies for this reason. It is sometimes is hard to tell how old your ammo is when you buy it, but all has a shelf life, especially if you don't keep it dry. Then there are many selling re-manufactured rounds.

[Janq]

Agreed with QK.

Being briefly submerged and even short term stored in water never mind humidity and being near human perspiration is largely no big deal.
Your ammo is stowed not around your belly or under an arm pit but as within the firearm itself, protected by it and the magazine or clylinder. Same applies to reserve ammo too.

Ask anyone who is a combat vet from WWII or Vietnam about crossing or wading through water while armed. They were not towel drying their magazined ammo and their guns worked fine, even as they were 1911s and revolvers not Glock.

If humidity, sweat/perspiration, or even coming into contact with water/submerged were a problem then much of the US Border Patrol, US Coast Guard (who expect to get wet), many western and southern heat belt police & sherriffs, as well as winter weather police forces worldwide (snow is 'wet' too) would be carrying swords and bats rather than firearms and bullets.


Source - Coast Guard Boating Safety Requirements - Coast Guard Law Enforcement

Further modern defense ammo in specific most often has a cannelure (casing crimp) never mind being press/friction fit into the casing and having sealed primers too.
Even WWB training ammo is this way.



In last years movie 'No Country For Old Men' when the one charachter removes rounds from his gun to blow on them assumedly to 'dry' them off and does same to his pistol just in time to reload and shoot a charging pit bull was pure Hollywood.

All he or anyone would need to do is clear the barrel of water by a brief tip and at that get the front sights aligned and on target...

- Janq

[ntkb]

I have tested my hand loads, lead bullets under water for several days just to see if they would function and they did.
As for military ammo that is sealed with some type of waterproof glue/sealer.