Wading and a handgun

G

gus3836

New member
Late May we are heading for NC Davidson River campground for a little R&R after I get done with the shutdown I am on. So I am going fly fishing and my only concern is snakes. So a small 38 in shoulder holster? Looking for suggestions. Have an Ohio CCW good in NC snakes are my only concern after a guide last year said he was bit by a Copperhead that was aggresive his words not mine. So with waders on thinking a SS snub should do the trick with snake loads or any other suggestions. Posted several days ago about a Colt DS on layaway bu:ot would not use that have J frame in stainless.

Thanks Gus
 
I don't see any problem with that idea. Whether you dunk it or not, obviously you'll want to clean it and dry well after your last day in the water.

I'm surprised this thread hasn't gone all willy-nilly yet. Folks on here talk about how rough and tough their firearms are, how they want one that will stand up to any ammo and any abuse, and how quite a few have taken falls into water... but let one sportsman ask about planning ahead on getting a firearm near water- and you would think they were the most fragile things ever created.

Go have some fun.

Don't get bit.
 
your plans are good...

and take the wheel gun to a pond or stream beforehand and throw 2-3 sticks out 12 inches long at various distances from you and shoot to see how the shot patterns...keeping the same shooting angle to the water that you will be fishing in...:)

Catch a bunch...:)
 
In the event of a dunking, most semi-autos are easier to field-strip to remove all remnants of moisture than many da revolvers are (the Ruger revolver excepted, as you can access its innards without having to fool with a sideplate, etc.), especially while you're still at camp. I offer this thought only as something one might consider; the idea itself does not necessarily dictate whether I carry a revolver or an auto when I'm wading a stream or canoing a rapids.
 
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Since you already have a stainless J-frame, you're good to go, with shot loads.

If I had to buy a gun, it'd be a stainless/compact .22WRM revolver, also loaded with shot loads (CCI's).


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Dgludwig said:
In the event of a dunking, most semi-autos are easier to field-strip to remove all remnants of moisture than many da revolvers are
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Not trying to be nit-picky with ya, but whaat ya said got me to thinking. I guess I always prescribed to the same line of thought as you- but I guess I never really thought about it.

Sure, you can field strip a SA- but all the innerds were one needs to get to equally bad can't be gotten to without hammers, punches, sight pushers, screwdrivers, allen wrenches- With a REV, just squirt a shot of WD-40 into any frame hole you find. And when ya get home, use one screwdriver to remove 3 to 4 screws (for S&W and Tauri), smartly tap the end of the gripframe, and there's all the revolvers' guts for the world to see.

Like I said, never really purposefully thought about it before.
 
Semi-autos may be easier to field strip, but not necessarily easier to detail trip.

However ... it has been my understanding that semi-autos won't cycle with snake shot, so for that type of ammo a revolver is probably the only viable option.
 
Thanks

Thanks for the replies. The idea of trying it on floating sticks is a good one don't know where I could do that maybe a paper target with a snake on it to see patterns might work also.
 
I'd take a K frame....either a 2 1/2" or a 4" ...like a model 66....in stainless.

...and like someone said, buy some snakeshot for it ...and test its range...( I've never been too impressed with snakeshot in revolvers)...so I might just go with a lead nose bullet in 158 gr..
 
Snake shot will cycle in some semi-autos and not in others.

Range for snake shot is relatively short, but it's not like you can't avoid most snakes that are further away than 10ft.
 
I don't know if this will help you or not . . .

I shoot Cap & Ball revolvers and have for years. When I clean 'em, I remove the barrel, cylinder and leave the frame (grip/and frame) assembled. On the frame, I keep the grip out of water's way but take a toothbrush and my cleaning solution and give it a good scrub down finished by running it under water. The cylinder and barrel are cleansed the same way. We're talking steel parts here - frame and insides. After cleaning an wiping down, I take a blow hair dryer and blow everything dry - barrel, cylinder, assembled frame - on the frame, I blow it dry so that the air gets into the areas leading to the inside parts. All of the hot air not only dries it out but warms the metal parts up hot enough that it is sometimes hard to hang on to with bare hands. After drying and cooling down, I spray RemOil so that it goes in to the interior of the frame and oil the entire set of parts down (bore, chambers, outside, etc.) and then wipe down. I have never had a problem of any kind with the parts. Once a year, I disassemble and throughly clean everything.

If you carry your revolver and take a "dunking" - and have electric power available - do the same to it once you get it cleaned up. It really shouldn't be a problem.

I load snake shot using Speers shot capsule for my 38s - I'm in Arizona during the winter and we do get rattlesnakes although I have never been close enough to have to shoot one. A lot of folks carry the snake shot - if you are so close that you need to use your revolver it should work fine. If you are far enough away that you question if the pattern will cover the snake for a kill, then you are far enough away to head in the opposite direction.

I like the idea of the floating stick to practice - and you should practice to know how the snake shot shoots and patterns. Good luck and have a great vacation and hopefully you won't have to think about having to shoot snakes! :)
 
"Real aggressive copperhead" generally means really cornered and panicked copperhead, which is not likely to be your situation. Frankly, I wouldn't even bother with carrying a gun. To me, waders + fly rod = not worried about snakes in or out of the water. I say just enjoy the fishing. Just 2 cents from someone who is from southeast texas bayou country. Otherwise, a snub with shot will work fine. A .22 with shot will work fine. Heck, a CO2 pellet pistol will work fine.
 
Yeah, that snubby will work fine.

Frankly, I wouldn't even bother with carrying a gun. To me, waders + fly rod = not worried about snakes in or out of the water. I say just enjoy the fishing.
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Meh, some people feel a bit more comfortable having that extra layer of security on them.
 
I also fly fish and sometimes carry depending on what I might run into. I mostly carry a 4 inch Ruger GP 100, but snakes are not my worry most of the time.

In fact, there's only a couple streams I fish that I think about snakes just because of their numbers (rattlers mostly) and how easy it is to get cross-ways with one. That's when the snub .38 with snakeshot hits the water with me.

I use a shoulder holster, unless I'm wearing the waist high waders, then I can go with either a standard or a cross draw. For no particular reason I like the cross-draw.

P.S. I should've also said that I've test fired CCI snake shot out of my snubby, and the cone of snake destruction is HUGE at 10 yards. In fact, to have any sort of decent size pattern I keep practice shots at around 10 feet.
 
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Many years ago, I was a young cop in Anchorage. During break up one year we had a dip in a road that was flooded stranding a lady on top of her car.

I waded out to get her finding the water I crossed was deeper then I thought, meaning I ended up wading in waste deep water completely submerging my Model 28 Service Revolver.

I forgot about the revolver finishing the shift (after changing my britches) not thinking about the gun being soaked.

At the end of shift several of us officers went to our indoor range and "shot for after shift coffee". As I said I had forgot about my revolver being soaked. Yet during the shooting session, it worked flawlessly, even the first six rounds that I had carried when it got soaked.

I don't think a short dip in the creek will hurt any modern arm. But I can only vouch for my Model 28 and the 1911a1 I carried in SE Asia rice paddies.
 
NC snakes are my only concern after a guide last year said he was bit by a Copperhead that was aggresive his words not mine.
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He's right. Copperheads, and their semi-cousins the water moccasins can be aggressive and will come after you if they are territorial males. I've had it happen to me when I lived in south Florida; One came up the embankment out of a small drainage canal and actually chased a buddy and me. They are excellent swimmers.

Whatever you choose, make sure you can hit something that is fairly fast moving and is maybe 1 1/2-2" wide. Also, remember that snakes have incredibly primitive nervous systems and can keep moving with half their body blown away.
 
In the event of a dunking, most semi-autos are easier to field-strip to remove all remnants of moisture than many da revolvers are
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I disagree. It is far easier for me to pop the side plate off of say a S&W revolver and clean/dry everything out that to detail strip any auto.
 
Just get a can of the compressed air for cleaning computers and take it with you. If it gets dunked field strip and blow it all out and then re-lube.
We are talking fresh water here right??? Should just be an issue of drying and re-lubing.
 
Trouble with copperheads is that you don't see 'em in the water, it's when your climbing up an embankment, full of rocks and dead falls that you meet them...tough spots to shoot and plenty of opportunities for ricochet. I've carried a Smith M36 loaded with my own home grown #12 shot snake loads for years, and used it exactly twice. Our cabin in the mountains of NC is near Andrews...copperhead and rattle country.

My advice is to get some practice in with your gun and invest in Speer's version of snake loads in the appropriate caliber. As to getting the gun wet, I'd not worry about it...it's more likely to get sweaty from your underarms this time of year...WD40 will displace the sweat and a good blow out with your compressor after the trip should be enough.

I now carry either a Smith M60 SS .357 or Smith's Bodyguard .389 in my fly vest...the Bodyguard especially is very light and I can hit a quarter at 10 feet with it 100% of the time. Again, be careful of ricochets and be very wary when climbing embankments...your face is right where they'll strike....

Best Regards, Rod
 
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