Dew Point Concerns When Carrying

goes in a sticky holster and in a zipped coat pocket. this time of year, that is where I carry it, so - I don't give it much thought. It is insulated and air sealed, so - all good IMHO.

That is not a concern for me at all. My duty weapon was exposed to every enviroinment immaginable for 8-16 hour shift in and out of hot, cold, rain, ice etc. Wipe it down, clean as needed. After many years it just showed normal handling wear.

A modern plastic fantastic I wouldn't worry about. Just give it a wipe down at the end of the day. Do a field strip cleaning if you notice any sweat or dirt inside. Most modern firearms are not going to flash rust in a day.

Along with EDC, I have been carrying guns, blued and stainless in the harsh environments of hunting for over half a century. Pouring rain, wading thru knee deep snow in -10 degrees while sweating buckets, etc. Preventative maintenance and post use maintenance has always worked and worked well. Besides, if you are going to use them, they get patina and wear. They are tools designed to be used.....just what it is.

Edc gets occasionally wiped down, that's it. When sweating from work, mowing the lawn when my clothes get a lil swampy from sweat I'll wipe it down after I take it off but that's really the only scenario that I even think of it, when I can see it actually wetted down.

From temp fluctuations, never even considered it. If I carried something fancy and was worried about the finish, wear etc perhaps I'd give it more thought but then again I'd never EDC something where that'd be a concern.

Dr. Dingus said:

Hello friends,

What do all you fine fellows do to avoid your guns "sweating" when taking them to & fro drastic temperature extreme environmens? I am looking for a better alternative than keeping my carry gun in a bag to warm up gradually.

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I don't worry about it. If it's an EDC, that's going to happen no matter what. If you're taking them to fire them, you should be cleaning them afterward anyhow.

Vintage musical instruments? Dew point.

Firearms and tools? Pass the pretzels.

It's not a major concern for me, down here in Texas, so, I'll not be able to help so much. For EDC it stays close to me, so it is in a "warm" zone most of the time.

I'm generally not leaving things in lock boxes in vehicles where it might be an issue, too. If that were more common, I suppose I'd have more experience with the issue.

More of an issue if it's a very cold day, and things ate out on the bench at the range. But, at the range, I have wipe-down rags and the like, too.

CapnMac said:

It's not a major concern for me, down here in Texas, so, I'll not be able to help so much.

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You forget what humility feels like being up there in DFW?

tarosean said:

You forget what humility feels like being up there in DFW?

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No, the metro-perdition humbles me constantly

Humidity like down in Brazos County? Well, you live in a County between two rivers and you get used to everything being wet. Mind, after a certain RH, it never gets on the other side of the DP. (And, everything gets oiled, saws, hammers, firearms, as a result.)

I’ve carried the same 9mm for over 25 years (S&W 3913LS) and have never worried about condensation. I don’t have very cold winters here in eastern NC, but I do have very muggy summers (95-100 degrees and 90+ percent relative humidity) and sweat is probably worse than just condensation, but the stainless steel and aluminum just show holster wear, not rust/corrosion. I do try to run over the slide and sights with a sheen of Rem Oil from time to time, especially at the end of a sweaty day or if there is salt on the gun, but I don’t think condensation alone is much of an issue with a non-blued gun that isn’t totally neglected. Moisture can be hard on leather holsters over time, though.

Something blued, on the other hand, I’d be sure to oil before and after taking it out where condensation might be a factor.

@Dr. Dingus In the cold most of the time when I carry my body heat keeps the gun or guns warm. But sometimes I keep a handgun in my vehicle or motorcycle hard saddlebags in cold weather. The only way I know to keep dew from forming is exactly what you do. I leave the gun, be it a handgun, rifle or shotgun, inside the gun rug / case that I had it in to come up in temperature very gradually when I bring it inside.
I really don’t know a better way to bring a gun temp up without causing moisture to form.

I've never had a carry gun kept on my body sweat from going from a cool environment to a warm environment.

On the flip side, I have definitely sweated onto my holsters and carry guns. About all I do is wipe them off, let them dry, and wipe some oil onto them.

We still have an outdoor rifle rack at a buddy's camp for just this reason.
My carry stuff is generally rustproof enough to make it a non issue for carry guns, which are usually close to my body anyway.
I did have a G26, and a S&W 66, that lived in the lock box of my Jeep for several years, in a wide range of temps, with no damage.
But prudence is still required; a buddy's wife's LCP was nearly rusted solid from sweating on it while jogging.
Moon

I live in FL (thank God) and have not had to turn on the heat in the house this "winter" yet.
Mort of the time when outside it would be me sweating rather than the gun.
So, what did I do? Moved from KY to FL and solved the problem of guns having to "warm up gradually".

tarosean said:

You forget what humility feels like being up there in DFW?

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Oh, no... it reminds me often enough. I joke that I can't move any further south than Dallas. Houston is what I envision Hell being like, on several different levels.

OP, I have 3 of my carry pieces, so I can rotate them in and out of service. I carry one for a month, then swap it out. Usually I take it to the range, burn up the ammo in the magazine, then take it home for a cleaning... then it goes into Ready Reserve status, which usually means the desk drawer, until it is called back into action. Rinse and repeat.

Sold a family member of mine a Taurus 24/7 like 8 years ago, it's been sitting in a padded case in his pickup since the day I sold it to him. He looked at it once and shoved it under some stuff in his pickup and that's where it's been ever since. I've tried to discourage it but there's no point, doesn't want the wife to know it exists and don't really know why he wanted in the first place, don't even think the guy would use it in self defense if his life depended on it anyway.

But I would be curious to see what kind of shape it's in, it's very humid in the summer and very cold in the winter in a state where extreme temp fluctuations are normal, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some oxidation here and there. I've gotta think the swing in temps for the last 8 years sitting on the floor of a pickup it's had to have built up condensation at various points.

In sweaty conditions, light Mobile 1 wipe down for my gun and a liberal dusting of cornstarch for me.

For rain, salt spray, or sweat I just keep my gun lightly oiled.

I would do the same for condensation.

I expect any carry gun to get some holster wear and blemishes. I don't carry any museum pieces.

I'm more worried about me sweating on my gun than I am my gun sweating on me. In any case, the gun gets wiped down every time I put it away.

Maybe a heated holster and heated mag pouch would solve the problem.

Jeff62 said:

In sweaty conditions, light Mobile 1 wipe down for my gun and a liberal dusting of cornstarch for me.

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That is Mobil, not Mobile which is a city, not an oil. Sorry to be crabby and grammar policey but I was a long time employee and it still gets my goat to see that mistake.

As to dew point I pay no attention. When you live where the humidity is something you only read about it isn't really a concern. The only way I can make eyeglasses or binoculars fog up in cold weather is to deliberatey breathe on them. I use paste wax as a rust protectant on my firearms. It has been 100% effective since the late '60's.

I don't worry about it.
Regular cleaning/maintenance will take care of it

I was a patrol officer in a city in the Seattle area. My duty pistols were directly exposed to rain, so much rain that when I'd get home, I'd field strip them and use a blow dryer to thoroughly dry them before I put them away.

A light coat of gun oil, just enough to leave a fingerprint when you touch it, is all you need to preserve the metal.