Floods, Water and Guns

Watching the horrifying videos and photos from Texas, where people are losing nearly all their possessions to flood waters, reminded me of the floods (think Katrina) we've had in Louisiana, and the lessons learned about guns and water. Not to make light of the truly life-changing challenges faced by those who have lost their homes, it's true that many will want to recover and save their firearms.

You don't have to suffer a flood to soak a gun. Ask any duck hunter who has taken a tumble into ice-cold water.

What to do? I asked Johnny Dury, of Dury's Guns in San Antonio. Dury's has a number of skilled gunsmiths, and they have seen pretty much everything.

Johnny's advice? WD-40. Yes, I know. We've always said to never put WD-40 on your guns, but this is different. The WD in that product's name is for "water displacement," and it does that quite well. It penetrates into tight places and displaces the water. If it were me, I'd hose down my guns with WD-40 after taking them apart as much as I can. Then, I'd get them to a gunsmith to really take them apart and clean them up. The WD-40 should protect from rusting until you can get professional care for your guns

~ Tom

Author, outdoorsman, gun rights activist, and firearms enthusiast for more than five decades, Tom Gresham hosts Tom Gresham's Gun Talk, the first nationally-syndicated radio show about guns and the shooting sports, and is also the producer and co-host of the Guns & Gear, GunVenture and First Person Defender television series.