do you shoot in the rain?

ColeInOregon · Feb 28, 2022

ZigZagZeke said:
Was shooting at the range in Clackamas once in a heavy downpour. You could see the path of the bullets because of their collisions with raindrops on the way to the target.

I've shot a fair amount of trap in heavy rain, watching the shot pattern as it pushes through rain is pretty neat to see.

albin25 · Feb 28, 2022

I prefer long walks on the beach and dozing by the fire on snowy evenings. I'd be interested in trying shooting in the rain, but sorry, I'm already married.

Unka-Boo · Feb 28, 2022

Me at 7:28....one of the wettest matches we've had...

OldBroad44 · Feb 28, 2022

rjmt said:
and practicing for personal defense? not going to have to protect yourself in our rain?

just politely asking

I figure if I ever have to use a gun in personal defense again it would likely be over too fast for rain to be an issue. And I'd likely not be out in the rain, as I normally don't go for walks outdoors when its raining. Nor do I hike far or camp in this era. I surprised a bear in the woods once at 22'. There was a tense thirty seconds while I pointed my 6" Security Six at him and we were both frozen in silence until he ran. That's as close as I ever got to needing a gun for SD in the woods. I like the feeling of security of carrying a gun in the woods, but I think the major dangers are things like widow makers or just doing something dumb and breaking your neck. I don't count the bear I scared off by shooting into the ground next to him, as I was protecting my duck flock and shooting from an upstairs window, so was perfectly safe. Although I guess the gun was outside though I wasnt.

Otherwise the only times I've pointed a gun in self defense have been in my home or near premises. Two would-be home invasions and one chasing off of a would-be rapist who was trying to rape a young woman in the parking lot behind my rooming house. I'll never forget the sound of her scream, suddenly cut off. These three events were in three different states each within a block of a major college campus. Living next to college campuses is apparently not very safe for women. One other incident when I accidentally interrupted a guy who was burgling the next door neighbor, climbed out his window with stolen TV in broad daylight, crossed low fence into my back yard, saw and charged me. And immediately found himself staring down the barrel of a Charter Arms .44sp. In the nearly 30 years I've lived in my current house a few miles outside Corvallis there have been no self defense situations. And if there were any my guess is that they would still be attacks in or near home or maybe in a car, not attacks of me out in the woods walking around around in the rain.

One factor was undoubtedly in Oregon I did all my serious hiking and camping in summer. That's also when I practiced. No rain. By fall the woods were full of hunters, and being out in woods full of hunters isn't my thing. Except one day per year in familiar turf to get a deer myself. At least when I was younger.

It actually never occurred to me to practice in the rain. It did occur to me to practice at night just once to see what muzzle flash was like and whether flash suppressing powder does. (It does.)

Koda · Feb 28, 2022

The older I get the less I need to do anything in the rain, but its kind of a right of passage so to speak. If you havent, you need to. If you can learn to shoot in the rain, cold Oregon winter rain.... you can shoot anywhere....

OldBroad44 · Feb 28, 2022

rjmt said:
not only have I fired my 1911 in the rain, I put it in my chest freezer at "0" deg for 24 hrs, loaded with winchester 9mm NATO ammo
lubed with EWL
pulled it out, and fired 10 rnds of 9mm, no issue

Actually, when I lived in Minnesota I did make sure all my guns would fire at well below zero as I sometimes camped in such weather.

nammac · Feb 28, 2022

ColeInOregon said:
I've shot a fair amount of trap in heavy rain, watching the shot pattern as it pushes through rain is pretty neat to see.

Agreed, shooting trap in the rain is a trip. My rainy weather trap gun is an 870, the O/U stays in the warm, dry safe when the weather is foul…

41mag · Feb 28, 2022

rjmt said:
"Gentlemen, no War was ever cancelled due to rain - shooters to the line"

I shot a Gl*ck Event near Kuna, Idaho a few years back. It was the remnant of a WW2 training range in an Ancient Alien gravel pit. Actually lots of pros to the location...but that was a gusty day. Not actually 'windy' just "GUSTY".....I've never had a 6 target steel plate rack BLOW OVER during my timed stage before. Or since.