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View Full Version : Question re: Firing handguns after submersion



TriumphRat675
07-01-10, 16:27
In an ongoing thread (https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=56592)Quietshootr detailed his experiment firing a Glock underwater and noted the need for maritime spring cups for reliable functioning. It was pointed out in the thread that using the maritime spring cups had some potential benefits for the average civilian CHL holder, not just froggy faceshooting types. The main plausible scenario where they would help was mentioned by several members who had been caught in floods or similar situations where there may have needed to use a gun after it had been dunked underwater.

The maritime spring cups in a Glock are apparently needed to keep water between the firing pin and breech face from slowing down the firing pin and causing light primer strikes. My question is: does anyone have any information on how submersion affect other common self-defense guns? Does the M&P series resemble the non-maritime equipped Glocks? What about hammer-fired guns? Revolvers, especially snubbies?

This is a largely academic topic for me but I would appreciate any information.

Complication
07-01-10, 17:25
For what it's worth, google turned up this:
http://www.dlsports.com/underwater_handgun_shooting.html

No personal experience, however.

QuietShootr
07-01-10, 19:52
In an ongoing thread (https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=56592)Quietshootr detailed his experiment firing a Glock underwater and noted the need for maritime spring cups for reliable functioning. It was pointed out in the thread that using the maritime spring cups had some potential benefits for the average civilian CHL holder, not just froggy faceshooting types. The main plausible scenario where they would help was mentioned by several members who had been caught in floods or similar situations where there may have needed to use a gun after it had been dunked underwater.

The maritime spring cups in a Glock are apparently needed to keep water between the firing pin and breech face from slowing down the firing pin and causing light primer strikes. My question is: does anyone have any information on how submersion affect other common self-defense guns? Does the M&P series resemble the non-maritime equipped Glocks? What about hammer-fired guns? Revolvers, especially snubbies?

This is a largely academic topic for me but I would appreciate any information.

Maybe one of our resident amphibians will weigh in here, but the S&W 686 was used pretty extensively in the 80s by SEAL Team Six. There are a lot of photos out there showing divers armed with this gun. I doubt that it was fired underwater much if at all, but it was (according to the documentation I have seen) a reliable weapon in and around the water.