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How do you open carry in foul weather?

Chief Ten Beers

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
176
Location
Western Kentucky
I like to open carry as much as possible, because I do not have a ccw permit. I haven't had this problem yet, and I hope I never do, but I fear that sooner or later I will. When you open carry, and it starts to rain, do you cover your gun to protect it from the elements, or do you let your gun get all wet? :confused:
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I like to open carry as much as possible, because I do not have a ccw permit. I haven't had this problem yet, and I hope I never do, but I fear that sooner or later I will. When you open carry, and it starts to rain, do you cover your gun to protect it from the elements, or do you let your gun get all wet? :confused:

Rain will not hurt your gun, just make it safe and dry it when the day is over. The only guns that may have a problem in the rain is cap and ball, and it would have to be raining very hard to get under a proper fitting cap. It is a tad dorky but I use a umbrella to walk in the rain.
 

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
I don't carry my museum pieces. I carry working guns. They can get wet. When they do, they get cleaned within a few days, usually.
 

Chief Ten Beers

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
176
Location
Western Kentucky
That's what I figured, but I really can't see me letting my gun get wet, but if I clean it when I get it home, it should be ok. In the winter when I carry, I put the belt on under my coat, and just keep the coat up over the handle when I'm around people, if I'm not around people, then I don't worry about it. This is the rig I usually carry for a cartridge gun, and the rig for a cap and ball.
 

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DrakeZ07

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
1,080
Location
Lexington, Ky
Drop-leg holster/rig, and Hi-point .40. Rain, snow, ice, mud, salt, they don't phase the pistol, the holster on the other paw isn't so durable.
 

OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
I like to open carry as much as possible, because I do not have a ccw permit. I haven't had this problem yet, and I hope I never do, but I fear that sooner or later I will. When you open carry, and it starts to rain, do you cover your gun to protect it from the elements, or do you let your gun get all wet? :confused:
I drop the pistol in a bucket of clean water to wash off the acid laden rain water, then I dip it in a bucket of gun oil, then I wipe the excess oil off and back in the holster it goes. Oily bullets go faster.
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
Mineral spirits will displace the water, as long as the grips are removed. I then put the gun in the oven at 100 to 110F, for a few hours. This will dry the water without leaving rust spots from the water. Then clean and reassemble. Grips if wood get a fresh coat of linseed oil.

Properly seated bullets water will not hurt. I have washed them pulled them apart and the powder is dry. I have never had a dunked round fail to fire. Cap and Ball is another story, if the gun gets wet I fire off the rounds clean, lube, and reload.
 

marshaul

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
11,188
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia
Mineral spirits will displace the water, as long as the grips are removed.

I consider isopropyl alcohol to be a far less noxious (and therefore superior) water displacer.

(And I don't want anybody to even think "odorless" in response to that. Words mean things. :lol:)
 
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WalkingWolf

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Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I consider isopropyl alcohol to be a far less noxious (and therefore superior) water displacer.

(And I don't want anybody to even think "odorless" in response to that. Words mean things. :lol:)

The problem with alcohol is when it is dry it leaves no film. Without a film any residual moisture in the air will cause small rust spots, even though they may not be seen. If heating the gun is done the rust spots often will be apparent as the pores of the metal open slightly with heat. When I rust blue a gun I will heat it and put it in hot old cooking oil, the pores will open absorbing some of the oil. Then dry off oil completely to use a lighter oil or Johnson's paste wax.

The hot cooking oil can be used to dry a gun, but if not taken apart and wiped dry the oil will build a film in the internals.
 

Chief Ten Beers

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
176
Location
Western Kentucky
Drop-leg holster/rig, and Hi-point .40. Rain, snow, ice, mud, salt, they don't phase the pistol, the holster on the other paw isn't so durable.

I know, and to make things worse, the holsters I use for my cap and ball revolvers won't even stand up to a good oiling. :( Maybe that's why they are cheap to buy. :lol: The drop-leg holster isn't that expensive either, around $75.00, so that wouldn't be to bad to replace if needed, but I'm the type of guy that will try to repair before I replace. If my guns get soaked and wet, there's always Birchwood Casey and Ballistol. :D
 

Chief Ten Beers

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
176
Location
Western Kentucky
I drop the pistol in a bucket of clean water to wash off the acid laden rain water, then I dip it in a bucket of gun oil, then I wipe the excess oil off and back in the holster it goes. Oily bullets go faster.

Hot water from the sink does a good job too, especially with my blackpowder revolvers. :banana:
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I know, and to make things worse, the holsters I use for my cap and ball revolvers won't even stand up to a good oiling. :( Maybe that's why they are cheap to buy. :lol: The drop-leg holster isn't that expensive either, around $75.00, so that wouldn't be to bad to replace if needed, but I'm the type of guy that will try to repair before I replace. If my guns get soaked and wet, there's always Birchwood Casey and Ballistol. :D

If you don't mind the darker color you can hot wax treat your holsters, they will last forever, wear the guns less, be as tough as kydex, and almost completely water proof. Most of my holsters are treated, especially my fast draw holsters. When setting it I wrapped the gun with foil three times. The leather shrinks slightly with the treatment. The gun comes out like lighting when done. If the gun is not wrapped and fitted while cooling the gun will have kydex type retention. The gun will click into the holster just like kydex.
 

Chief Ten Beers

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
176
Location
Western Kentucky
Mineral spirits will displace the water, as long as the grips are removed. I then put the gun in the oven at 100 to 110F, for a few hours. This will dry the water without leaving rust spots from the water. Then clean and reassemble. Grips if wood get a fresh coat of linseed oil.

Properly seated bullets water will not hurt. I have washed them pulled them apart and the powder is dry. I have never had a dunked round fail to fire. Cap and Ball is another story, if the gun gets wet I fire off the rounds clean, lube, and reload.

If I know it's going to rain or snow, then I won't carry a cap and ball, unless I'm using a conversion cylinder. But, as long as the caps fit tight on the nipples, no water will seep in from there, so, a cap and ball should withstand the elements with no problem. I would be more worried about reloading a cap and ball in the rain, but I carry a spare cylinder already loaded and just speed load the cylinders. :D
 

Chief Ten Beers

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
176
Location
Western Kentucky
If you don't mind the darker color you can hot wax treat your holsters, they will last forever, wear the guns less, be as tough as kydex, and almost completely water proof. Most of my holsters are treated, especially my fast draw holsters. When setting it I wrapped the gun with foil three times. The leather shrinks slightly with the treatment. The gun comes out like lighting when done. If the gun is not wrapped and fitted while cooling the gun will have kydex type retention. The gun will click into the holster just like kydex.

I like the idea of hot wax, :) how is it done? :question:
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
Carried a 1911 in a 1917M flap holster with no flap through the monsoons of RVN. It got so wet the leather turned to something resembling oatmeal & got replaced with a canvas holster with the flap cut off. 1911 still got wet.

Field stripped it, got it as dry as you can, then gave it a going over with an oily rag. As loose as it was not much water got into the innards unless it was taken out of the holster. (Except for that one time the stream jumped up and smacked my whole front. I DID NOT fall! Later that day I got a chance to dunk it in in kerosene and then try to get as much excess off as possible before hittingit with the oily rag.)

After about 2 months I got to let an armorer have it for a day. 0000 steel wool and some Flitz, then an ultrasonic cleaner full of SLA and nylon brushing before a good wipedown. Declared rust free and it worked.

Yes, I am a little bit less rough on my own stuff - but that's mostly because for some strange reason I do not go walking in the rain on purpose any more.

stay safe.
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I like the idea of hot wax, :) how is it done? :question:

Melt wax in double broiler, heat leather in oven to about 200F. Paint holster with melted wax,inside and out, put back in oven on paper towels to wick excess. Do this until leather will take no more wax, insert gun, let cool, clean excess wax off of gun after removing it. If you do not wrap the gun the holster will be tight. If you want it snug, but loose wrap it with two layers of foil. If you want speed draw, wrap it with three or four layers of foil.

BTW for years the armor worn by soldiers was leather treated with bees wax. That is how tough it is.
 
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Chief Ten Beers

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
176
Location
Western Kentucky
Carried a 1911 in a 1917M flap holster with no flap through the monsoons of RVN. It got so wet the leather turned to something resembling oatmeal & got replaced with a canvas holster with the flap cut off. 1911 still got wet.

Field stripped it, got it as dry as you can, then gave it a going over with an oily rag. As loose as it was not much water got into the innards unless it was taken out of the holster. (Except for that one time the stream jumped up and smacked my whole front. I DID NOT fall! Later that day I got a chance to dunk it in in kerosene and then try to get as much excess off as possible before hittingit with the oily rag.)

After about 2 months I got to let an armorer have it for a day. 0000 steel wool and some Flitz, then an ultrasonic cleaner full of SLA and nylon brushing before a good wipedown. Declared rust free and it worked.

Yes, I am a little bit less rough on my own stuff - but that's mostly because for some strange reason I do not go walking in the rain on purpose any more.

stay safe.

I never did get a side arm when I was in Nam, :( I just had an M-16. I really didn't need a handgun, I was a charge cutter on a 4 deuce mortar crew. :)
 

Chief Ten Beers

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
176
Location
Western Kentucky
Melt wax in double broiler, heat leather in oven to about 200F. Paint holster with melted wax,inside and out, put back in oven on paper towels to wick excess. Do this until leather will take no more wax, insert gun, let cool, clean excess wax off of gun after removing it. If you do not wrap the gun the holster will be tight. If you want it snug, but loose wrap it with two layers of foil. If you want speed draw, wrap it with three or four layers of foil.

BTW for years the armor worn by soldiers was leather treated with bees wax. That is how tough it is.

I'll give it a try with one of my cap and ball holsters and see what happens. What kind of wax do you use?
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I never did get a side arm when I was in Nam, :( I just had an M-16. I really didn't need a handgun, I was a charge cutter on a 4 deuce mortar crew. :)

I don't know exactly when the practice of arming soldiers with both rifle and pistol started. In WW2 my father had to buy his own handgun. He was only issued a rifle. When I was in I was only issued a rifle, occasionally a handgun, but then no rifle. Give me a good rifle for battle and I don't need a handgun.
 
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