barrysuperhawk Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 (edited) It seems I have shot more rounds at 3 gun matches over the years in the pouring ass rain than I have under blue sky. As an example I present last year's Generation III Gun . I am NOT a fair-weather shooter. Since it has been raining like crazy here for 2 days and the match I was signed up for to shoot tomorrow is cancelled, I thought this might be an appropriate time to start a shooting in the rain gear/idea thread. I'll start: Have a good, waterproof full stiff brim hat. Mine is made by Filson and it is worth double it's price. I always wear a full brim hat even on sunny days, but when it rains, that is what makes everything else bearable. Full brim hats are not kind to earmuffs, but then neither is rain, learn to use foamies, they work better anyway. I already buy rem-oil by the case and keep my guns so lubed up if I ever dropped one it would cause an oil slick that would rival that thing in the gulf a few years back. I have discovered that Motorcycle chain wax is PHENOMENAL for this also, being about half way between WD-40 and cosmoline. I am using Spectro now, but I intend to try the new WD-40 chain wax when it runs out. Be sure you choose Chain WAX not Chain lube, and unless your gun is tight like AK or it is 900 degrees out, plan on using something thinner for the action. I have devised a method of sturdily mounting one of those monstrous beach umbrellas to both of my 3 gun carts, both usable and movable while open. I have bought camp chairs with their own canopies, and camp chairs with mesh seats (for drainage). I have adjusted the umbrella so I can put the chairs under it to load mags, etc. I switch back and forth from steel ammo cans to the plastic variety to a rubbermaid action packer depending on the match. South Aftican ammo cans have drain holes (sometimes very important. I still have not come up with a good way to keep my ammo 100% dry until it is used, so right now I try to only load up with the ammo I am likely to use for the day, and then anything I don't use, I segregate for later practice or range use. I need a better system, but it seems impossible to keep it 100% dry on the range. I have a set of very thin leather baseball batting gloves that I have cut all of the pads off of and use as shooting gloves. I have tried golf gloves, but there was always too much material around the tips of the fingers for my taste. Both of my carts use fairly fat tires - think hand truck, not bicycle, and both are set up to PULL not push. I typically carry 1 or 2 golf towels (a hand towel with a gromet and a clip) and have started using a Maxpedition Tactical Gear Retractor to keep them out of the muck. Goretex boots, wool socks, synthetic skivvies, RIGGS ripstop Workwear shorts, and techwear style shirts are the uniform. I have Frogg Toggs jacket also, but usually only wear it when I am running a timer and not shooting. I line the seats in my truck with garbage bags and use the thickest rubber floormats I can find. I also have a couple more golf umbrellas that are big enough that I can open them and prop them over the open door of my truck. If I am scoring electronically in the rain, I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 Active that is 100% waterproof, and that I have inside an otterbox case that I sync with the match. I have never found any waterproof case for any tablet or phone that was 100% water proof. Not the lifeproof cases, not the ziploc style, nothing is 100%, so I start with a resistant phone, THEN add a case. ETA: Carhart seat covers are not, in fact waterproof. Wet Okele seat covers are waterproof, and they support Concealed Carry! Edited May 1, 2017 by barrysuperhawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Great post. Thanks for all the ideas. Wouldn't it be easier to move to Arizona? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 (edited) Barry, You need to start coming out here, rains a bit, usually not, but all day all weekend is pretty unusual... Now watch, you will bring one of those 100 year storms out with you... jj Eta; got a couple of slots left for HeMan Nationals, 20-21May! Edited April 30, 2017 by RiggerJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 11 hours ago, barrysuperhawk said: I line the seats in my truck with garbage bags and use the thickest rubber floormats I can find. I also have a couple more golf umbrellas that are big enough that I can open them and prop them over the open door of my truck. http://www.weathertech.com/ Floor and Trunk liners do the trick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrysuperhawk Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 8 hours ago, Hi-Power Jack said: Great post. Thanks for all the ideas. Wouldn't it be easier to move to Arizona? I thought Arizona had an age limit just like Florida...lol Plus, (despite our governors efforts to the contrary, my job is still here) 1 hour ago, RiggerJJ said: Barry, You need to start coming out here, rains a bit, usually not, but all day all weekend is pretty unusual... Now watch, you will bring one of those 100 year storms out with you... jj Eta; got a couple of slots left for HeMan Nationals, 20-21May! ...Hasn't it been SNOWING somewhere in your state for the last 3 days? Granted it seems more on the Kansas side of the state, but I don't consider snow to be an improvement on rain. I would like to shoot the HMN, but I only have enough time off work available to support going to 2-3 big matches per year. 31 minutes ago, ChuckS said: http://www.weathertech.com/ Floor and Trunk liners do the trick! Weathertech makes decent floor liners, and in fact I drive past their headquarters on my way to Chicago several times per year. I have, however, been less than impressed with their customer service on the couple of times that I have stopped into their showroom to actually try to purchase a set of those liners. They have a nice showroom, but everyone seems to have the attitude that unless you are there to place a wallmart sized order for their product, they just don't have time to deal with you. JC Whitney, on the other hand, would bend over backwards to help you and make sure that you got every item you wanted when you walked in to their retail store. That was right up until Illinois passed concealed carry. And then they decided that Illinois residents that had been fingerprinted, passed 2 background checks, submitted to 16 hours (and not a minute less) of firearm proficiency and legal training, and been forced to pay hundreds of dollars to maintain the validity of not one but two separate licenses were entirely too dangerous to be allowed into their retail store.... ...but back on point, I feel the need to point out that Carhart seat covers are not, in fact waterproof. Wet Okele seat covers are waterproof, and they support Concealed Carry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Funny thing, I got my WeatherTech floorliners over the web from JC Whitney. My computer was very accommodating and I was carrying at the time I placed my order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Barry, We don't usually schedule 3gun matches here in New Mexico during snowy months... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothandnail Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Good post Barry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ming the Merciless Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Rather than Goretex boots, I wear Rocky brand Goretex socks and then depending on ground conditions I can wear Saloman's or Innov8 Mudclaws. The socks aren't cheap, but they are about 6 years old and have outworn many pairs of shoes, plus they are 11" tall, so you will be practically up to your knees before your feet get wet. http://www.rockyboots.com/rocky-mens-accessories/rocky-11-gore-tex-waterproof-socks/FQ0008011.html?dwvar_FQ0008011_color=01#start=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrysuperhawk Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 holy geemoli $70 for a pair of socks? ONE PAIR OF SOCKS?? They sound really awesome, but that seems excessive. I also habitually wear shorts, so it doesent matter how tall they are, water running down my leg will get in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ming the Merciless Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I think I paid less than $45 shipped, but at 6 years old they still are going strong so that works out to $7.50 per year. Google shopping shows them as low as $34 from various places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Having wet feet is NOT all that bad ($45/pair) - my wife would KILL me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ming the Merciless Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 6 hours ago, Hi-Power Jack said: Having wet feet is NOT all that bad ($45/pair) - my wife would KILL me OK, suit (pun intended) yourself, but we routinely spend more than $45 for dinner for 2. $45, or even the list price of $59 for more than 6 years of warm, dry feet while shooting, hiking, etc... is a cheap price to pay. I originally thought this thread was about suggestions for 3 gun in the rain, not about budgets and happy marriages LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 3 hours ago, Ming the Merciless said: this thread was about 3 gun in the rain, not about budgets and happy marriages LOL! Happy marriages are MUCH More Important than 3-gun.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ming the Merciless Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Which is why my wife also has a pair of gortex socks and we both have equally expensive Moutain Hard Wear rain jacket shells and pants. https://www.mountainhardwear.com/waterproof-jackets-rain-gear/?eid=Google Adwords US&gclid=COeQpOna5dMCFQ94fgodFhECaA&s_kwcid=AL!3937!3!183479317609!e!!g!!mountain hardwear&ef_id=VIVDiwAABAWTJr64%3A20170510160800%3As&mid=paidsearch&did=mountain hardwear#prefn1=productClass&prefn2=technologyInitiative&prefv1=Jackets|Bottoms&prefv2=Breathable|Waterproof i really like the lightweight breathable jacket shells. I tuck the jacket into my rain pants and put my ELS belt over both so all my gear is accessible. I used 3M adhesive to glue an inner belt to one pair of the rain pants waistline. With the ELS belt cinched down tight everything stays in place with nothing to snag on the tucked in rain jacket. The Mountain Hard Wear jackets have a very nice hood with plenty of peripheral vision and they have arm pit vents so you don't steam up. This winter, California has been so wet all our rain gear has paid off very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam_b Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Depending on the match location I bring either a tarp for my cart and a larger rain jacket for my body that covers my gear as I wear it. Some ranges around me have a carport setup which helps alot on the rainy days but it does get crowded. I ALWAYS have desiccant packs in my ammo cans, and if it does rain I will dump my can out onto a towel when home and leave a fan on it overnight and dump it back in once all dry. I've toyed with the idea of taking a popup canopy to matches where we have a central staging location but it is alot of work to move it around. I like the patio/beach umbrella idea for the cart, got any pics of how you attached it? Another option is a topper for your truck if you have the option and just stage in the back or in the back of your van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrysuperhawk Posted May 15, 2017 Author Share Posted May 15, 2017 On 5/9/2017 at 3:31 PM, Hi-Power Jack said: Happy marriages are MUCH More Important than 3-gun.... BEGONE BLASPHEMER!!! ROFL. As far as the mount for the umbrella, I use a sport-brella: If you will notice, at the bottom, the telescoping pole is noted. I simply made a mount consisting of a 1/2" bolt with a copper sleeve and the head profiled to match, and clamp the pole onto it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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