Handgun for getting dirty often

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BadCrosshairDay
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Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by BadCrosshairDay »

Hi all,

I'm looking for suggestions for a handgun that I'd carry rarely, but get dirty or sandy or wet and need to detail strip almost every time that I do. Looking for compact or subcompact for concealment.

Had this idea because I just finishing cleaning the sand out of my 442. That would be a bit too tedious to detail strip regularly. So I'm looking for something that's relatively easy to get sand out of (and, more importantly, is likely to work correctly even if it gets sandy or dirty).

One final constraint: there should be no manual safety, or one that works like a Beretta 92FS or Walther ppk.

Thanks,
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gilly32
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by gilly32 »

I am not a big fan of the Glock, but it is hard to argue with its performance under the conditions you outlined...

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Brian D.
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by Brian D. »

Yeah, Glock is simple enough to take down beyond field strip when needed. Push out the cross pins, parts come out in sort of modules. You'd virtually never have to disassemble further for cleaning. It reminds me of the M-1 Garand rifle in that regard. My dad led me through takedown of the Garand one time, and I never needed a refresher afterwards.

Gaston Glock may have been influenced by that sort of simplicity when he started in on designing his creation.
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calvin56
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by calvin56 »

Probably the easiest handgun to detail strip is a 1911.
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BadCrosshairDay
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by BadCrosshairDay »

gilly32 wrote:I am not a big fan of the Glock, but it is hard to argue with its performance under the conditions you outlined...
I usually carry a glock, but didn't want to wear down my edc with this task. Getting one dedicated for these instances is a possibility.
Brian D. wrote:Yeah, Glock is simple enough to take down beyond field strip when needed. Push out the cross pins, parts come out in sort of modules. You'd virtually never have to disassemble further for cleaning
I've only accessed the striker and firing pin channel once, would it be easy to get sand out of there? Haven't ever taken anything out of the frame yet so don't know to what extent that comes apart, but I'll look into it now.
calvin56 wrote:Probably the easiest handgun to detail strip is a 1911.
Thanks for pointing it out. I have no experience with 1911s, will look this up. The 2 safety design has driven me away from them thus far.
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by Cruiser »

Makarov!
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techmike
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by techmike »

Cruiser wrote:Makarov!
^^ Yes! No tools needed to strip, no springs fly out, no parts fall off. Once at a lake in California, I slipped & fell in, packed mud up the barrel. Unloaded, stripped & swished in the lake until clean. Shake dry & re-assemble, ready to rock.
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BadCrosshairDay
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by BadCrosshairDay »

Cruiser wrote:Makarov!
I have a clone and its fun. Mine doesn't run anything but FMJ ammo reliably though, and rust shows up just from carrying it for a few hours.

I wonder if a glock 43 would handle this as well as the double stack glocks do. They're just a bit too expensive for this role, though.
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by Gramps »

Going surfin' with a handgun?? :D
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Mr. Glock
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by Mr. Glock »

calvin56 wrote:Probably the easiest handgun to detail strip is a 1911.
Having done both the 1911 and Glock many times, I'm guessing you've never stripped a Glock. :wink:

The Mak was a great call too.
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calvin56
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by calvin56 »

Mr. Glock wrote:
calvin56 wrote:Probably the easiest handgun to detail strip is a 1911.
Having done both the 1911 and Glock many times, I'm guessing you've never stripped a Glock. :wink:

The Mak was a great call too.
Certified Glock armorer :D , but a 1911 requires no tools in its GI form. The Mak is a good call. Now, if you could just find one in stainless.
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by Brian D. »

Now really, the Glock requires a pin punch or nail, and maybe a rock or other weighted something to get a stubborn cross pin started. I love the 1911 but when you take it down it goes into all individual parts. The Glock stays in sub-assemblies, unless you need to go further, which is dang rarely the case.
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M-Quigley
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by M-Quigley »

Cruiser wrote:Makarov!
This would be my choice as well, given all the requirements in the OP.
Brian D.
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by Brian D. »

Wish I'd suggested Makarov in addition to Glock. What's the ballpark price of a Mak these days?
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techmike
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Re: Handgun for getting dirty often

Post by techmike »

Brian D. wrote:Wish I'd suggested Makarov in addition to Glock. What's the ballpark price of a Mak these days?
Depends on country of origin. Polish = $239 or so, they go up from that.
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