Cleanup and Maint after shooting in the rain

Z

Zephram

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Off the Coast
Hi all, I'm looking for a little advice from people who have shot in the rain, and how to maintain the gun afterwards.

I am just recently back from shooting at the range where the weather went sour. It's a coastal region and so very naturally wet as is, but it started to rain pretty hard. I waited it out, and when it was very light rain I started shooting again.

My gun is new, its a Beretta M9A1, about 250 rounds fired total. The gun is obviously in excellent condition but I'd like to prevent any corrosion damage that could have resulted from firing in these conditions. Is this a valid concern? I think the gun is parkerized and is military issue so I would expect it to survive these kinds of conditions well, never the less, I am going to clean it with solvent and oil the barrel lightly with my gun cleaning kit. I was advised to leave it disassembled after cleaning overnight to make sure moisture evaporates but I have no intention of taking the grips off or cleaning beyond a standard 92 takedown. Am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance for your valued advice!
 
With respect to corrosion in coastal areas, wind born salt spray can be a concern as is perspiration in warm humid conditions. But if the pistol was just wet from rain, once out of the weather, strip the pistol, remove the grip panels, strip the magazines, and spray all metal parts with a water displacing aerosol. Wipe everything dry, if you intend to clean the pistol, proceed as you normally would, otherwise put a very light coat of a good grade of gun oil on the surfaces that move against each other, then reassemble. If you are concerned about corrosion from salt, the pistol should be cleaned to ensure that the salt is not suspended in the powder residue. If light surface rust has appeared on the gun or on the magazines, rubbing the spot with an oil soaked rag should solve it, and a parkerized gun when treated with oil is very resistant to rust. If the gun was blued, rust spots might have to be addressed with a gentle application of extra-fine steel wool.

If your holster got wet, allow it time to fully dry before using it again. If your holster is leather, don't dry it with heat, just allow it to dry in ambient air. Once dry, the holster can be inspected for white stains that indicate the presence of salt.
 
Boomer said:
With respect to corrosion in coastal areas, wind born salt spray can be a concern as is perspiration in warm humid conditions. But if the pistol was just wet from rain, once out of the weather, strip the pistol, remove the grip panels, strip the magazines, and spray all metal parts with a water displacing aerosol. Wipe everything dry, if you intend to clean the pistol, proceed as you normally would, otherwise put a very light coat of a good grade of gun oil on the surfaces that move against each other, then reassemble. If you are concerned about corrosion from salt, the pistol should be cleaned to ensure that the salt is not suspended in the powder residue. If light surface rust has appeared on the gun or on the magazines, rubbing the spot with an oil soaked rag should solve it, and a parkerized gun when treated with oil is very resistant to rust. If the gun was blued, rust spots might have to be addressed with a gentle application of extra-fine steel wool.

If your holster got wet, allow it time to fully dry before using it again. If your holster is leather, don't dry it with heat, just allow it to dry in ambient air. Once dry, the holster can be inspected for white stains that indicate the presence of salt.
Click to expand...
:agree:
Plus one of these in your safe would help too;
rem19950.JPG

They even make one to go in the barrel to keep it dry too;
592699476.jpg

But I am a cheep b@$t@rd so I use the heater vent to dry the major part's over night and this in my safe that I got from Canada Tire;
dri-z-air.jpg
 
Cool, I also am on the island. Thanks for the posts! It didn't get that wet. I cleaned it really good and oiled the parts and barrel. I think it will be just fine, I was just worried about slow decay that is undetectable until its a problem. Thanks again for the advice guys.
 
I used to hunt salt marshes for ducks (yes a shotgun, but bear with me) and when I got home I would put my gun in the shower under HOT water to rinse it. This achieved two things: displacing salt and mud AND making the metal quite hot so that all the water evaporated quickly afterwards. Then I gave it a clean and oil and 'voila' like new!
Heck, your pistol will fit in the sink- even easier. :D
 
Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber. Removes the water and other crap with a quick spray, and leaves the gun totally dry. Clean the bore as usual, oil it up and you're good to go.
 
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