Gun Condensation

[Nucking Futs]

Hey folks, just wondering what some of you do when you might be outside for a long time and your gun gets cold then you bring it inside and it begins to sweat and condensate. I can imagine an LEO that may be out at a traffic accident for long periods (although most in my experience sit in their cruiser lol) or directing traffic in the cold then get into a warm car may deal with it multiple times a day, maybe you dont even think about it...

I dont think there is much issue with a coated gun like glock but what about your other guns that may be blued?


Any way to avoid it?

[DucatiRon]

For my rifles and my shotgun if they got wet in the field I'd bring them home open the action and set them next to the furnace register to help dry out faster. Just turning the fan on and have air moving across them is a big help. Then the next day I'd wipe them down and clean them.

Pistols I'll field strip, wipe down real quick and set on a table to dry out. Detail clean em the next day.

[firebird.77]

This is one of the main reasons (IMO) that most manufacturers have gone to stainless or more durable coatings for carry pistols. Glock, HK, Kahr, S&W, etc


I have had rusting issues with my blued LC9 from sweat.


All of my field guns are blued so if they are out in the truck/field and get cold I clean them when I get home with WD-40. If I am in a hurry they get a minimum of a wipe-down with a silicone cloth

[Noah_Zark]

Wrap it in a dry bath towel when still outside, and carry the towel-wrapped weapon in and set it in a safe place, not necessarily next to a heat source. Allow it to warm up slowly through the several layers of towel material which acts as an insulator to keep moisture in the inside air from condensing on the weapon.

Noah

[PisnNapalm]

+1 for what Noah said.

[HbgHKFan]

You know the question we've seen in threads on here... "Is it worth it to pay the extra money for H&K or Sig?" Here's one of the many reasons why I say "Yes". Like firebird said above, some of the manufacturers have had or have switched to higher quality materials and finishes to make their firearms stand the test of all sorts of weather conditions and exposure.

[B.A.]

You know the question we've seen in threads on here... "Is it worth it to pay the extra money for H&K or Sig?" Here's one of the many reasons why I say "Yes". Like firebird said above, some of the manufacturers have had or have switched to higher quality materials and finishes to make their firearms stand the test of all sorts of weather conditions and exposure.

you can get same features in cheaper pistols. xd's have melonite finish, extremely rust resistant. almost 3 years of carrying it and i've never seen a spec of rust any where. for the $300 price difference i can buy a lot of ammo.

[BlueTrooper]

My uncle, and I use SC Johnson's Paste wax. It can be found at wal-mart. While the gun is dry and warm, we put a light coating on the exterior metal. It helps against rain, sweat, and water. However for the extremely cold and dry, to the nice warm humid air would need what the others suggest. Field strip the gun, and hand dry off the parts.

[MT1]

At the end of the duty day (and sometimes during the day) I give it a thorough wiping down with a dry towel followed by a gun wipe with impregnated oil.

As long as the metal is still cold it will continue to "sweat" so often times I do the above once right away and then again after my pistol reaches room temp.

I never really had the problem in a patrol vehicle since the temps and humidity aren't too high. The problem was primarily when entering a building in the winter time. As already mentioned, a lot can be avoided is stainless is an option.

[tabasco_joe]

Wrap it in a dry bath towel when still outside, and carry the towel-wrapped weapon in and set it in a safe place, not necessarily next to a heat source. Allow it to warm up slowly through the several layers of towel material which acts as an insulator to keep moisture in the inside air from condensing on the weapon.

Noah

What Noah said. Plus. After the gun gets up to room temperature take the towel off (or take it out of the gun case if that's what you used) and clean the gun. I generally use a soft gun case. I always try to clean the gun within a few hours, less if it was wet out. If you use a soft case spread it open while you are cleaning the gun and let any moisture in the case dry out as well. I have had stainless guns rust because of dampness that was in the case. Fortunately if they rust it is just a surface coating that comes off quickly and does not do permanent damage.

(For some reason Savage SS is prone to this rusting. I have not ever seen it with any other manufacturer.)