Shooting a Glock or any other auto-loader under water

Underwhere

Underwhere

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DO NOT TRY THIS WITH HIGH PRESSURE CARTRIDGES.
Just because in this case the shooter was successful in firing the pistol under water does not mean that you will be.
Barrel length, cartridge pressure play a major role in whether your gun will "blow up".


someone happened to float down a river and play in the water for 4 hours (with a Glock 26 submerged much of the time)
someone came back the next day with waterlogged ammo (Federal HST 124gr JHP)
someone happened to be near a pretty deserted river.
someone happened to be in a state which has pretty minimal gun laws
someone happened to have a Glock 26 with them
someone happened to be more curious about whether shooting under water would work than concerned about whether they would break their plastic gun.


A Glock 26 (9mm) was fired with 124gr JHP and 115gr FMJ under water (about 6-12 inches under).

The 124gr JHP expanded immediately only moving about 3.5 total.
The bullet expanded perfectly. You can see from the pics.

The 115gr FMJ traveled about 10-12 feet in distance (lateral). You can actually see it moving and it very clearly changed direction probably due to a slight current.

A full drink can was placed about 3 feet away. The JHP blew it over but did not puncture it (Shooter may have missed as they were point-shooting the gun with a current). However, it did fall. A guess is that either the can fell from the muzzle blast or from the round bouncing off the can.

Shooting at the can from 3 feet away with the FMJ: It was grazed once. Significantly less muzzle blast with the FMJ did not push the can over in the water. Several shots later it was punctured through and through.

The Glock was not damaged.

Takeaways:
*When shooting under water with JHP they are only effective for a very very short distance. If firing rapidly, the first bullet will take the grunt of the water (clearing the barrel of the water) and subsequent rounds will have an easier time exiting.

*When shooting under water with FMJ they will travel about 10-12 feet and drop. There will be significantly less muzzle flip.

*A Glock 26 shooting full power retail loads will cycle a full magazine of rounds

* Federal HST 124gr JHP will work if submerged in water


4qra51.jpg

atmzo5.jpg
 
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Wait, you didn't actually shoot with the GUN underwater, did you? Because that's almost like having a squib in the barrel. I'll assume for now since I see intact fingers in the picture that you didn't.
 
TomH said:
Wait, you didn't actually shoot with the GUN underwater, did you? Because that's almost like having a squib in the barrel. I'll assume for now since I see intact fingers in the picture that you didn't.
Click to expand...

You can shoot a gun underwater.
 
TomH said:
Wait, you didn't actually shoot with the GUN underwater, did you? Because that's almost like having a squib in the barrel. I'll assume for now since I see intact fingers in the picture that you didn't.
Click to expand...

Is this a serious post? I didn't see a smiley so I'll asume it is. Wow.
 
TomH said:
Wait, you didn't actually shoot with the GUN underwater, did you? Because that's almost like having a squib in the barrel. I'll assume for now since I see intact fingers in the picture that you didn't.
Click to expand...

The gun was placed 6-12 inches under water and then fired.
I guess you could consider it like a squib under water. The gun is fine. The barrel is fine.
 
News Shooter said:
I always carry my Glock with me when I'm noodling. You can never tell what you'll run into
Click to expand...

If you're in the middle of nowhere, no cell coverage, no full time EMS, no LEO seen in a few days, coyotes everywhere, bear sightings common you would want to bring something other than the wet noodle...unless you're really good with a wet noodle :)
 
JasonG said:
Hahaha, nice.

Underwhere - what did it sound like?
Click to expand...

No need at all for hearing protection outside the water (if the gun is fired under the water)
Sounds pretty much like you'd expect. A loud underwater splash and then water flying up maybe 2-3 feet out (depending on the dept of the gun)
Imagine a really big fart but out of the world's fattest man and then shortened in overall length and amplified in strength.
 
Underwhere said:
If you're in the middle of nowhere, no cell coverage, no full time EMS, no LEO seen in a few days, coyotes everywhere, bear sightings common you would want to bring something other than the wet noodle...unless you're really good with a wet noodle :)
Click to expand...

I thought noodling was grabbing catfish out of the water with your hands?

BTW, the place You describe sounds like where we camp every year.
 
Normal pressure is 14.7 psi and you have to go 33ft under water for x2 atmospheric pressure, so the pressure a foot or two under water wouldn't be enough to cause a chamber explosion. Water can't be compressed so it's just being pushed out very quickly!
 
Kurtz said:
Normal pressure is 14.7 psi and you have to go 33ft under water for x2 atmospheric pressure, so the pressure a foot or two under water wouldn't be enough to cause a chamber explosion. Water can't be compressed so it's just being pushed out very quickly!
Click to expand...

You must be a diver.

good explanation of why my hands didn't blow up
 
Kurtz said:
Normal pressure is 14.7 psi and you have to go 33ft under water for x2 atmospheric pressure, so the pressure a foot or two under water wouldn't be enough to cause a chamber explosion. Water can't be compressed so it's just being pushed out very quickly!
Click to expand...

Actually the physical density of water in the barrel and it having to move rapidly away as the bullet travels forward in the barrel is what causes the higher pressure when firing underwater. A cheap barrel may not be able to take the pressure from the water slowing the bullet, or a weak round could end up stopped in a barrel (22 short in a long barrel maybe) The atmospheric pressure doubling has more to do with gas at that depth than anything. (IIRC my diving days and my engineering classes)

The fun part would be tring to shot underwater if your ears were below water depth, as water is an excellent conductor of sound. I would expect hearing damage at the least.
 
01SVTvert said:
Actually the physical density of water in the barrel and it having to move rapidly away as the bullet travels forward in the barrel is what causes the higher pressure when firing underwater.
Click to expand...

So what you are saying is he should have tried a Glock 20 instead...
 
01SVTvert said:
The fun part would be tring to shot underwater if your ears were below water depth, as water is an excellent conductor of sound. I would expect hearing damage at the least.
Click to expand...

The shooters purposefully stayed away from doing that.

terraformer said:
So what you are saying is he should have tried a Glock 20 instead...
Click to expand...

The Glock 26 was chosen for the short barrel length. Less water to move upon exit.
 
I think you should really test fire all guns under water to see which are the best, then we can buy the good ones that don't go Kaboom....
 
The weird thing here is that he was in the water in his underwear, with his brother and a glock. [laugh]

Wait.

[hmmm][wink]

To each their own...
 

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