Firing Weapons Underwater?

Evil ATF

Hola folks.I've heard through the rumor mill several times that you can fire Glock's and other firearms under water, but how true is that? I've seen several Glock add-on's for sale on Gunbroker that "allow you to fire underwater, but only if properly trained". Are these parts needed? How does one acquire said training? Is there a video or book?This subject interests me. Please offer any knowledge you may have.

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Got President? Evil in 2012!"They may kill me, but there will always be more like me".

thesupermonkey

Sounds like a good way to blow out your ear drums.

idsman75

I have heard of such "add-ons" but have never seen one offered for sale. I would be interested in what these "add-ons" do to allow you to perform such an unsafe act.

jonk

It all depends on pressure. I forget why, but a long barreled gun like a rifle will explode, but a short barrled or very robust pistol should survive as is, no add ons... but I wouldn't try it.

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

ED P

Evil ATF, I don't know what you're upto, but you scare me very much.

ysacres

EvilI know it rains alot in your village, but wont an umbrella keep your gun cycling.Are you trying to drain a hot tub from the inside out.Is their a muskrat in your swiming pool.Snorkal into the mighty Cloumbia and shoot a salmon or sturgon with da akThat's a damm good question you pose,Hope someone has the answer.

ysacres

And the solution isTie a string around the trigger of a Glock, Then through it as far out in the river as you can, when it hits bottom, give the string a jerk, if the string comes off..No big loss, if sturgon float you'll know it works. Just dont do this to close to bonneville dam cuz they might think your AL Qaeda and return fire.[This message has been edited by ysacres (edited 12-21-2001).]

Gene B.

Note : Do not attempt to fire a pistol underwater! It is (potentially)an extremely dangerous activity. This information is included only to show the versatility and Special Warfare uses of the Glock 17 pistol. Followingthese instructions can lead to serious * injury or death and/or property damage.Note : Glock and this Glock armorer, John Leveron, specifically disclaimany and all liability from anyone attempting to perform or performing underwater firing. This is only for trained personnel wearing proper equipment to protect themselves from the effects of firing ammunition underwater. You should never fire anything underwater when you are closeto a hard object. You have been warned!The Glock 17, NATO Stock Number 1005/25/133/6775, is a versatile pistol. It may be equipped with an optional set of maritime spring cups. These are two small parts within the firing pin assembly. The maritime spring cups are only available from Glock by special order, and are not included on any Model 17 sold by Glock.The Glock 17 pistol is capable of firing repeatedly while submersed under water. The action will cycle reliably, if a little bit slower while submersed. NATO specification ammunition, such as Winchester's Ranger RA9124N, with waterproof sealed primers and case mouths is recommended(and was used in this demonstration).This applies only to the Glock 17 pistol. Never attempt to perform any underwater firing with any other Glock pistol than the Model 17 as the pistol may literally blow up. Only the Glock 17 was designed and intendedto accept modified spring cups to perform underwater firing, and only the Model 17 is designed to remain within acceptable pressure limits when firedunderwater. The other pistols all generated too much internal pressure upon firing to be safe, especially the .40 S & W pistols.The maritime spring cups insure that water can pass by the firing pin within the firing pin channel. These spring cups prevent the creation of any hydraulic force within the firing pin channel (which would slow the firing pin down, causing lighter primer strikes).The user of the Maritime spring cup-equipped Glock must keep several things in mind. They must use only full metal jacket, ball typeammunition. This is because the water within the barrel of the submersedGlock 17 can spread the hollow point out within the barrel itself uponfiring. The expanded projectile would cause further increased pressuresby increasing the bearing surface of the bullet to the barrel.It also would not be accurate as it would expand further yet upon leaving the barrel, and would slow down very quickly while tumbling. Think of it as the bullet has entered ballistic gelatin. That is what the water is like in the barrel upon firing.The Glock 17 also must be fully submersed underwater. There must not be any air left within the pistol. The user after fully submersing the Glock17 normally points the muzzle towards the surface of the water to allow theair in the barrel to escape.At least one specialized Scuba diving group regularly uses their Glock Model 17's to dispatch sharks where they dive. The Glock 17 using NATO specification ball ammunition will completely penetrate a minimum of one 1/2" pine board at a distance of ten feet from the muzzle when fired underwater.The ability of the specially equipped Glock 17 is normally only of any use in some specialized warfare situation. It is included here only to show how this pistol is sometimes usable (& has been used) by various Special Warfare units.

Judge Dread

For underwater "works" FMJ ammo heavy subsonic loads ONLY and bb end wipe with abb full of air will work better ...noise is none because water cavitates at 23,000cps so you don,t hear that....just a (gluck!)sound!Glocks under water go gluck! gluck ! gluck!

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Ignis Natura Renovatur Integram

badboybob

Why would you want to? I've read about divers using a shotgun like weapon against sharks but why do you want to use that AK 47 underwater?

218Beekeep

Gator hunters,(or poachers if you want to be an * about it),used 22s a lot.Sometimes they`d shoot ones that were layin on the bottom,with the barrel submerged and practicaly touching his head.beemanofalcatraz

v35

The Glock spring cups can only be purchased with a letter from the C.O. of a law enforcement agency. From the parts list exploded view it appears one could just file four little grooves in the std cups.

Gene B.

Ive seen them at gunshows where the guy would install them for you.

boeboe

I remember the bad guys in Lloyd Bridges "Sea Hunt" episodes firing handguns underwater with no problem at all! Guess guns were just made better back then. Or maybe it has something to do with Hollywood.

beachmaster73

badboybob....you are talking about the old "bangsticks" that a lot of scuba divers used to carry. They fired a 20 or 12 gauge slug out of a sealed barrel when the barrel was punched into the side of a shark. Fairly effective, but not as good as a "shark dart". Shark darts shot a load of CO2 into the shark and really messed up their equilibrium. I used to carry a shark dart. There may be some some better devices out there now....but in these PC times where everyone is concerned about the rights of the poor endangered sharks and how bad the mean terrible humans are....even those devices may now be banned. I remember something the older Beachmasters used to tell the younger ones.."Civilization ends at the High water mark....after that you become part of the food chain."Evil...I wanted to know if your wife is really really good looking...because if she is I wanted to console the grieving widow after you blow yourself up...Oh yeah and I'll even ensure that Baby Evil gets a full firearms education especially with the M1 Garand!!! I'll explain to him that his father dared to experiment outside the envelope of firearms safety and is now at the big shooting range in the sky! All the best, Beach.

218Beekeep

Come on Beach,you know what the shark experts say....they only think we are seals .218

simonbs

v35,They are for sale here on GB.

Txs

HK makes (or at least they used to) a completely sealed multi-barrel pistol specifically for underwater use by military spec-ops types. The weapon is polymer and has a cluster of four barrels like an old pepper-box handgun. I don't recall the caliber, but I believe it used a high/low pressure system cartridge to keep the concussion to a minimum. This pistol is also non-reloadable by the user. After it was fired you had to send the entire pistol back to the manufacturer to re-arm.Firing a 9mm Glock underwater is a stunt, not a practical tactic. The effective range would only be about an arms length from the muzzle and, as stated, you'd have to be swimming with ear plugs to prevent injury to yourself.

v35

The Glock rep I spoke with said the underwater spring cups were an LEO only itemrequiring the COs' endorsement.If this is so, those on sale may be converted standard cups. It looks like an easy job with a swiss file or Dremel tool.

Evil ATF

Thanks for all the informative answers. It sounds like far too much trouble to go through if the effective range is in fact arms length only.I suppose I'll just buy a bangstick and a sharp knife.

Evil ATF

Either that, or wait for the Underwater Rail Gun.BWAHAHA! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Evil!

simonbs

Don't worry Evil, when the shark smells ya' he's likely to hightail it outta you're AO!Just funnin' with ya'.

beachmaster73

Ah come on simonsbs....Evil doesn't smell much different from the rest of us.... we all smell of Hoppes, BreakFree, and Shooters Choice!! Beach[This message has been edited by beachmaster73 (edited 12-22-2001).]

Judge Dread

Efective range for .30 boat-tail FMJ pointedbullets can be 20 to 30 ft underwater rangein a modified cal 30 automatic pistol depending on type and weight of proyectile.

simonbs

I was hoping some company would come out with a "Hoppes #9" aroma therapy candle! I'd burn it when I take my weekly bath every Satuday.

varmit hunter

Beach,We used the 12 ga and 44mag bang sticks.For what ever reason the 44mag semed to do a better job.Have a 44mag on a sling,don't have to get so close and personal.The only down side was,They tended to attract Barracudas.

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A unarmed man is a subject.A armed man is a citizen.

sandman2234

Obviously the pressure is what is causing the problems in the discharge of a firearm under water. And in the event you are trying to cycle a semi-auto, then also the added resistant of the water. Anybody got any fishing corks for the end of the barrel? Keep the water out, till you fire it and that gator lying on the bottom might float to the top, instead of blowing a barrel up. If you submerse it, you have to worry about both ends being sealed. As for the auto's...don't care... I'm not taking mine into the drink with me, saltwater is just too hard on them.But if you can isolate the gun from the water (like in a ziplock bag)without the bag getting in the way, you might. But why? Bangsticks are still available, as protection from the creatures of the deep.

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Have Gun, will travel