Rain

[michaelrichardson]

With the weather in S. Indiana being what it has been lately, what do you use on your guns when you take them out in rain? I found a light coat of ATF to repel the water for a while.

 

[booey50]

atf would work for just going to the range every so often, but i would not use it for hunting or anything else...

rem oil wipes usually work for me if I know it will rain that day, plus the smell isn't so bad

 

[j706]

I shot about 80 7.62 match loads today and 500 5.56 loads,all in the rain today for the most part. Both guns were wet to say the least. I just clean them up once I am done.

 

[Yeah]

I just take them out.

If they can't handle a little rain they are going to suffer in my hands.

 

[thegeez]

wipe them down before and after you go with either WD 40 or rem oil=that should work very well for you.

 

[Vince49]

Depends.

The Glocks I just wipe dry when I get home. (They're Glocks). The others I wipe/blow out with air or hair dryer, and then wipe them down again with a Rem-oil wipe. Now that I think about it, I think I'll take the Glocks and leave the others at home today.

 

[Wild Deuce]

Thorough cleaning once a year followed by a complete saturation with Eezox. Let it sit and get into every nook and cranny for a few days. Whatever hasn't evaporated or run off gets blown out. Gun gets lubed and assembled. Rest of the year ... cleaned regularly after use. Blown dry (air compressor) on rainy day range trips with another quick spray/wipe down of Eezox.

**Eezox is excellent at preventing rust but is not the greatest lubricatnt (contrary to their claims). My go-to lubricant has been a blend of Militec Dry Lube and Militec Grease. I go heavier on the grease during the summer shooting season. I also found out during a particular match shot in a downpour, that the Militec was still there doing it's job at the end of the match. It was the same for the recent Appleseed in Cloverdale where my rifle spent a lot of time face up with the action open in the rain. The Militec was all there at the end of the day. I have been trying out some Slipstream recently and it is starting to win me over.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

I just take them out.

If they can't handle a little rain they are going to suffer in my hands.

All of the guns I own right now are "working guns". Someday I will own collector pieces that stay in climate controlled places, but that is not today.

I have had rifles out in the rain for entire weekends at appleseeds (being shot in the rain, laying on the firing line in puddles of water, etc, and I take them home, disassemble them, dry them out, thoroughly clean them, spray them down with CLP and wipe off the excess. I make a special point of cleaning the barrel.

To be more specific, my 10/22 wants to get rust spots on outside of the barrel after it's been out in the rain all weekend, but my AR's do not seem to care one way or the other. They all get cleaned and they all seem none the worse for the wear after they are cleaned, so I don't worry about it.

I don't know if all that cleaning is necessary, but I insist that my rifles function and I feel better about them being cleaned properly before going back in the locker.

 

[michaelrichardson]

The eezox looks really good. None of my guns are safe queens and they hunt no matter what the weather. Thats the reason for wanting something a little better than rem oil.

 

[sloughfoot]

What kind of gun are you asking about?

A military style rifle like the M1, M1A, or AR15 is made to operate in real weather with no special tear down needed by the wielder. They were accepted by the military precisely because they are capable of soldiering on through difficult weather conditions.

Sporting guns are a whole different matter. They usually require a complete disassembly, cleaning, and lube at some point after being exposed to weather conditions. Otherwise, rust starts appearing in normaally hidden places.

 

[Yeah]

I guess that depends on the sporting gun. I'm sitting in a blind thinking I'll go stalk some gobbles, and wishing there were better options for stainless shotguns. But the chomo is going to have to tough it out I guess.

My hunting rifles are stainless/synthetic exclusively. I do little cleaning and never until after a trip is over. This past season I dragged a Kimber Montana from Alaska to Louisiana, with plenty of rain and mud and salt water and such, and I cleaned exacty once after the hunting seasons wrapped up. It is no worse for wear except in the eyes of people who value shine, and the dings and scratches accumulated would have taken care of that anyway.

Spring bear season was a bit kinder to a stainless/synthetic Seven that still hasn't been cleaned and probably won't be. And it will be fine.

Although I didn't treat a Superposed the same way after shooting clays in the rain. Sometimes I splurge on form over function. But if a person wants something that will take an environmental licking it is readily available.

 

[gharris18]

I just take them out in it. Im carefull not to let theme set to long after i bring them back in before i give them a good cleaning.