Underwater Pistol Firing ??

[Queer4spear]

I usually always carry a .44 mag bang stick, but it is cumbersome and I dont know if the event that requires its deployment would actually give me a enough time to get it ready and in position to fire it, so my questions is:

Can a Glock pistol be fired underwater with any real accuracy ? Can the slug travel through water fast enough to do what I want it to do ? (like shoot a large predator with bad intentions)

Does having it submerged in salt water for long periods of time destroy it or can it be rinsed and cleaned like I do with my bang stick ? Obviously the benefits of having a much smaller and easier to wield weapon available at moments notice intrique me.

Lets hear it spearo's Sound off !!

 

[Memo]

:hmm Are you serious? I mean, are you really thinking about taking a glock in water with you and shoot a predator??

 

[Queer4spear]

Let me clariy, I have no intentions of replacing my speargun man ! Just to use as a possible replacement for my bangstick. Less room needed for carrying it and a LOT easier to use than a bang stick.
Not to mention having 9 shells or more available at your fingertips !

 

[miles]

Hiya

Too much hassles. Get a powerhead. Small, compact and easy to use. Just make sure about the legal implications of owning a powerhead in your area!!

Regards
miles

 

[Rémi]

You must be kidding man !!!
The explosion should happen as the composition in the cartridge should stay dry. but as soon as the bullet will start travelling it will be a big mess. Would be lucky if the bullet just get out of the barrel. The overpressure due to the gas expanding while the bullet is going very slowly (due to water resistance, with a big shock wave travelling in front of the bullet) could simply make everything blow off.
Even if the bullet would get out of the gun, it would not go far, maybe a meter....
At least if the barrel was kept dry, with some kind of cap, you would have a chance to hit something (don't expect to hit what you were aiming at) at 5 m

 

[Jon]

I won't claim to be any gun expert (where's Fred or Old Sarge?), but this very topic was covered in a scuba magazine about 8 years ago.

They mentioned carrying a glock and using it to defend against GWS's. The story went that the bullet is useless but the shock wave was very effective for limited distances underwater- like 8'-10'.

I don't think you could get more than one shot off if I remember the article correctly. They also mentioned Glock's because they are plastic guns and eaiser to clean after immersion in salt water.

I think that they also mentioned you could put a whole in the bottom of a fiberglass boat if you got right up to it and shot- they were talking about training police divers I think?

The aritcle also mentioned that the shock wave went out in a cone shape and that, as a diver, you wanted to stay out of the way of that cone when you shot- again the shock wave and not the bullet where the main weapon underwater.

We don't have much call for that kind of stuff where I do most of my diving, even the muskies can be scared off once you grab them, so I don't know how well this stuff works.

Jon

 

[IB Boyd]

Im a little curious if you are freediving or scuba? I would think that bang stick would be a hassel. Have heard of professional ab divers up in norcal carrying glocks. Like Jon mentioned above, the shock wave is supposed to deter them(GWS). I have never heard of a free diver carrying anything more than a powerhead. I dont carry either, mainly because it is my beleif that in SoCal visibility, your chances of deploying either device in time to prevent getting bit are slim. If your going to spend the money on a glock, maybe buy a shark shield. At least that device works, even if you dont see the shark. There have been more reports of sightings this year ( a guy at a recent club meeting got buzzed by a nine footer last month) but Im still not carrying anything explosive and have no plans to.
Happy Hunting,
Boyd E.

 

[donmoore]

I’ve heard it is the explosion and not the bullet that make bank sticks work. I’ve had a powerhead go off a few times (actually ever time I tried it) from the force of the spear before it left the gun. It really hurt my ears and was not a fun experience.

Personally I don’t want anything to do with bullets underwater again. It scares the shit out of me to have someone in the water swinging a gun around with a power head on it. One accidental movement and their goes someone limb. I would rather be accidentally poked with a spear tip than have part of body removed from a powerhead.

Plus when diving does anyone really want to take their eyes of a shark long enough to pull a powerhead out and install it on the end of spear tip? Any if you have a dedicated gun in the boat with one already on, do you really want to swim back to the boat get it and then get in the water again?

On Discover’s last Shark week that had a Phd that said sharks, although killing machines, have just as much interest in not getting injured as in eating. This is why when people fight back, they usually let go. You put a shaft in one and chances are you won’t see it again. I did once, and although I lost my shaft, that shark was gone.

I say all of this with a friend that insists on caring on his dive belt in a self made PVC container. :duh Only thing I have power over is my opinions!
Don

PS If you insist on using one, you should coat where the lead touches the cartridge with nail polish or something to keep water from seeping in and wetting the power. Just what I was told.

 

[czspearfisher]

Alot of people use blanks in their powerheads, Its not the bullet its the shockwave messing up the fish- no hole needed.

 

[Amphibious]

the only true subaquatic pistol is made my H&K and has 6 sealed barrels. it must be sent back to the factory for reloading after the 6 rounds are spent.

a conventional semi-automatic handgun like the glock can be fired underwater, although it will not cycle and would be balistically like throwing a rock.

in the case of a powerhead the bullet does little or no damage, the expanding gasses do all the work. you want a big bangstick? think .223 (5.56 nato) .

possible hazardous rammifications to the shooter (barrel exploding) from a plug of water would be substantial.

inshort, people shooting underwater only happens in Movies.

 

[Oldsarge]

Perhaps pistol cartridges are less of a problem, given that Amphibious has one, but I do know that if one were so foolish as to try and fire a rifle underwater, the barrel would burst with rather catastrophic consequenses to the shooter. Same applies for shotguns because of their thinner barrels. No, under no circumstances should anyone try to carry a sidearm underwater unless they are SEALS or SAS troopers on a mission. Spend the money on a sharkshield and you will be better off by far. Just watch how you get in and out of boats!

 

[greendiver]

I use dynamite.................... :hmm

 

[miles]

Hiya

I use dynamite....................

No, no, no.....that simply will not do!!! Its quite difficult to light the fuse UNDERWATER you know!! Besides, its useless if you forget the match's!!

Rather use hand-grenades. Soooo much simpler!! rofl

Regards
miles

 

[Amphibious]

Perhaps pistol cartridges are less of a problem, given that Amphibious has one

nope, no pistols. those semi-autos are simply unsportsmanlike I've been "told" the only reason a pistol can be fired underwater is do to the very low pressures (and the fact that the glock barrel is compensated). seems this prevents it from rupture.

new barrel for the .416 Rigby is here :inlove and no, I won;t try and fire it underwater

 

[Adrian]

Rather use hand-grenades. Soooo much simpler!! rofl

Actually the problem with hand-grenades is that you can't throw them very far underwater, but it makes for good sprinting away from them after pulling the pin. What fins do you use for that?

 

[Queer4spear]

As far as grenades go, I understand that a few of the "Neptunes" back in the day used to carry grenades of some sort down at San Benedicto when big tuna hunting.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Maybe it's because I,m old but I remember at least one American company manufacturing a speargun powered by blank cartridges. Wasn't it called SMG? I actually saw one many years ago. It was found in a rubbish skip (dumpster). The guy who found it was gonna give it to me but it never happened. Firearms laws are now so strict in UK you could probably get 20 years for owning one, even if it didn't work. Plus you could never legally get a license or even buy blanks.
So any one in the States got one. Are they legal? Do they work? What was the range?
Dave

 

[immerlustig]

hi,
from personal experience i wouldn't recommend it. had a concussion (bruise?) of my wrist, cracked the frame and ruined the barrel, and i needed a couple of explanations and written statements for my co.
r.

 

[TriggerFish]

I must say that having fired a Glock at a depth of 6 to 8 feet I would not suggest it to anyone. We where testing several guns and found the Glock 23 to carry the round about 10 feet and would not cycle and rechamber correctly. The noise even with a 5mm hood on was painful. I do think it would scare off any fish in the ocean. Myself included. Note that the shockwave is only about three feet from your head. The cool part of this was looking at the bullet expansion. The rounds recovered had perfect expansion and sold me on Hydroshock and BlackTalon rounds. So a Glock makes a good weapon but keep it at surface level and up.

 

[donmoore]

Dave,
Patco makes a 22 cal. speargun. http://www.patcoinc.com/aquaguns/ag22.html. I have never tried it or spoke to a non-bias person who has. A local dive shop had one a few years ago and of course the owner claimed it was wonderful. From my experience with a powerhead and what TriggerFish just said, I’m not ready to spend any money to see.

Everyone, this is my personal opinion, but the best thing out there for shark protection, way better than anything with gun powder, is the shark shield! It has opened up water for me that I have never had the courage to dive before which as you know with the increase in spearfishing and sport fishing it is getting harder and harder to find water not over fished on the U.S coast.

I can’t say that I have ever witnessed a shark veer off after coming into the shield’s range, but I can tell you I have seen sharks in an area, went back to the boat, put the shield on and not seen any afterwards. From this and from what was said on Discovery Channel Shark Week and several other places, I am a believer. No more fear what is lurking behind me.
don