Fell in the Pool

[goose]

I am beyond annoyed with myself. I try to be diligent about taking off my phone when brushing the pool because I’ve fallen in before. Well it’s a new season with the new CHL and I was/am out of practice. So today I didn’t just go in with my phone, I went in with my G26 in the Minotaur, the NAA in a homemade leather pocket holster and the afore mentioned phone. My first grab was to get the G26 above water. After cursing myself for falling in I felt even dumber as I stand in the pool with my pistol and head barely above water. I felt like a really cheesy version of an urban special forces poster. “Look at the man sneaking through all of that clear water, in broad daylight, gun at the ready.”

Magically enough all three pieces of hardware survived.

I’ll shoot the “baptized” carry ammo next run to the range. Even if it was for only a few seconds, I see no reason to leave those rounds in the carry equation.

Feeling like a goober is a way of life for some of us.

[Dave2]

Magically enough all three pieces of hardware survived.

I think the leather will be fine as long as you condition the leather properly, so I hope your phone is the third piece of hardware you mentioned.

The Glock is nearly waterproof as it is. I think the maritime spring cups are all you need to make it seaworthy (and I mean that in the saltwater sense of the word), though I don't believe the 26 is rated for underwater firing. If I am recalling correctly, keep an eye out for rust on the firing pin spring & recoil spring, and make sure the firing pin channel gets dried out (don't lube it afterwards, either).

No clue on the NAA... Can you soak it in a bowl of CLP or something? Dunno if that's actually good advice though.

Be careful shooting your ex-carry ammo... If the powder is the wrong amount of wet, it can go squib on you and the bullet will get lodged in the barrel.

[pinkpistol]

I think I might waste the ammo. I'm inexperienced with water immersion. But, OTOH, if the gun survived, the ammo just might.
Let us know!

[Dave2]

I think I might waste the ammo. I'm inexperienced with water immersion. But, OTOH, if the gun survived, the ammo just might.
Let us know!

Wooden furniture notwithstanding, you generally just have to dry the gun off before it starts rusting (which might not take long if the finish is bad) and make sure it's properly lubed. Unsealed ammo, IIRC, will rather quickly start failing to completely burn, which can lead to anything from a slight drop in muzzle velocity to the bullet not even exiting the barrel, depending on how wet the powder got. The latter case doesn't directly hurt anything, but VERY BAD THINGS will happen if you don't clear the stuck bullet before firing the gun again (use a wooden/pastic dowel, mallet, and a solid surface to beat it out, or take it to a gunsmith of you're at all unsure or uneasy about the process).

Edit: Forgot a word.

[speedsix]

...haven't dunked a phone yet...but had one die from sweat running down my head as I talked on it...my Sprint military-spec phone is immersible...I just talk on it, don't know what features you need in a phone but you might check it out...

[NordicTexan]

For a phone that has been dunked, we have tried the dry rice trick sucessuflly. Thats where you put the phone in a contaniner filled with dry rice and leave it sit for a day. Worked with my daughters I phone after an accidental imersion.

My question is, would that work with the ammo that went under as well? It would seem that if you put them in a desicated enviroment that the risk of shooting them would go down? That would be my theory but I have no experience with that.

Oh, and while an oiled gun should be fairly resistant to water, remember that most pool water is going to have several ppm of chlorides. Its a real good idea to make sure that there is no water left in the small nooks and cranies. You don't want the potential for chloride stress corrosion.

[Jumping Frog]

I don't believe getting wet hurts ammo in any way whatsoever, assuming you wipe the rounds dry afterwards.

If there is such poor neck tension that water could possibly get through into the case, you already have poorly-made ammo waiting to go KABOOM when you get bullet setback feeding the round. And you surely have primer pocket problems with loose primers falling out if you ever thought you'd get leakage through the primer pocket.

[android]

Blow it out with WD-40. This is its actual intended use. WD stands for water displacing.

Clean and lube and you're good to go.

[hillfighter]

Oh, and while an oiled gun should be fairly resistant to water, remember that most pool water is going to have several ppm of chlorides. Its a real good idea to make sure that there is no water left in the small nooks and cranies. You don't want the potential for chloride stress corrosion.

I would treat a dunked gun like a gun that fired corrosive ammo. Rinse well with clean water, dry off the water, then protect against rust. I have a few guns that got dunked with no bad effects after cleaned and lubed. Both phones that got dunked were DRT and drying in a ziplock bag with a handful of desiccant didn't help any. (but worth the try even if it's only a 1% chance)

[goose]

For the cell, I just set it out in the bright sun and let it bake. I’ve been trying to kill it for months but alas it still works.
The NAA, I didn’t use a bowl but did basically soak it in LCP.
The Glock I took apart and wiped all the pieces down. It is only a few months old with 900-ish rounds through it. It’s finish should be pretty well intact.
The holsters were dried slowly and they seem okay. They both had a bit of glove oil on them and seem no worse for wear. I wore them both in the last bit of drying so that they’d keep their shape.
The ammo will get used up at the range. With no stress (IDPA use, etc) I should notice a squib easily. I’ll just use it as another excuse to run some carry ammo through the guns. I’ll actually be pretty disappointed if the ammo is so fragile that 10-12 seconds under 3-ish feet of water would cause it to readily fail. Granted, I wouldn't call that normal conditions for my EDC but still seems fragile if it plays out that way.

Still waiting for the urge to kick myself to pass.

[Dave2]

I’ll actually be pretty disappointed if the ammo is so fragile that 10-12 seconds under 3-ish feet of water would cause it to readily fail. Granted, I wouldn't call that normal conditions for my EDC but still seems fragile if it plays out that way.

It might be fine (and this thread over at THR suggests it will be), but I still think you're doing the right thing by removing it from your carry supplies.

[Bullwhip]

I'd try to save the phone. Gun\ will be just fine after a dunk.

[Beiruty]

Do not sweat it
Things happens in life and keeping your blood pressure in check (i.e. do not get angry) is more important.

Enjoy life!

[FAAPOD]

For small electronics like your cell phone, isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol is a very good water displacer. Fill up the spaces that could have filled with water with the alcohol. I've saved an underwater camera, a couple of strobes, and a couple of underwater flashlights with the stuff. As a diver, I've learned that there ain't no such thing as 'waterproof'.

[Blindref757]

My carry gun is $400 to replace...my iPhone is $600. Funny that I'd probably be a lot like the OP and give much more consideration to the gun! All is well that ends well!!!