Gel blasters in Queensland storm season: what rain actually does to your blaster
Quick Answer: Rain rarely kills a gel blaster on the day. The damage comes in the hour after you pack up: a battery left plugged in, water sitting in the gearbox, and a blaster zipped into a wet bag in a hot car. Unplug the battery at the connector first. Donโt fire it to clear the water. Tip it muzzle-down, wipe it, travel home with it open to the air, and get it drying the same day. Queenslandโs severe weather season runs from October to April, and the southern Queensland coast carries the highest severe thunderstorm risk from October to December.
Iโve had a game called off for a storm: the field stopped play and sent everyone off. Thatโs the right call, and itโs worth knowing it can happen to you any afternoon from October onwards. The Bureau of Meteorology says Queenslandโs severe weather season runs from October to April, and that from October to December, the east coast, including southern Queensland, โhas the highest risk of severe thunderstormsโ.
The storm isnโt what wrecks blasters. Itโs the ten minutes afterwards, when everyone is soaked, packing up fast and wanting to get home.
The battery comes off first
This is the one that can hurt you, not just cost you money. The battery stays live at its own plug whatever the blasterโs switch or safety says. Unplug it at the connector, dry your hands, then deal with the rest.
If the pack itself got soaked, or feels warm, puffy or smells sweet, put it somewhere non-flammable outside and never charge it again. Iโve watched a LiPo puff up, smoke and catch fire at Donnybrook, and water did nothing to it (QFD battery safety).
Where the water goes
A gel blaster isnโt sealed. Water gets in through the magwell, the hop-up window, the barrel, the stock tube and every screw hole, then settles in three places.
The gearbox. Water washes grease off the gears and carries grit with it. Nothing fails today. It fails in a few weeks, quietly.
The motor and its terminals. Bare metal tabs in the dampest part of the blaster. Surface rust adds resistance, and the first sign is a rate of fire gone soft for no obvious reason (why resistance matters).
The hop-up and barrel. Water plus gel residue leaves a film that drags on every gel. It shows up as flyers, and people blame the gel (fixing flyers).
๐ฃ Never dry-fire a waterlogged blaster to clear it
The damage is in the gearbox, not the barrel.
The instinct after a soaking is to fire it a few times to blow the water out. Itโs the most expensive thing you can do to a wet blaster.
Your blaster works by a piston squeezing a cylinder full of air. Air compresses. Water barely does. In engines, water in a cylinder causes hydrolock: the piston runs out of room before it finishes its stroke, and because the water wonโt compress, something mechanical gives instead. A gearbox is a much smaller version of the same arrangement. To be clear, thatโs reasoning from how hydrolock works, not a published test on gel blasters, because nobody has run one. But the cost of being wrong only goes one way.
So: battery out, trigger alone, muzzle down, and leave it somewhere warm with air moving over it for a day. Not comfortable opening it? Hand it to an approved tech.
The ten-minute drill at the car
1. Unplug the battery at the connector. Not the switch.
2. Drop the mag, empty it, and leave it open.
3. Tip the blaster muzzle-down and let the barrel drain.
4. Wipe down the receiver, rail, battery plug and grip. Dry metal rusts far more slowly than wet metal.
5. Travel home with the bag open, never zipped into a soaked case, and get it out and drying the same day. A wet blaster sealed in a case in a parked car in summer is a humidity box in the sun. Indoor venues like Blacksite are a good wet-weather backup.
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Buying used from about March
Water damage from a January game doesnโt look like water damage in March. No rust in the photos, nothing obvious, and the blaster fires. What you get is a blaster thatโs quietly worse than it should be. Three things to do:
Ask directly. โHas it been out in the rain, and what did you do afterwards?โ A seller who describes drying it out is telling you something good.
Listen and look. A rougher note than the condition suggests can mean a gearbox that has lost its grease. Look at the battery plug and any visible terminals for orange or green corrosion.
Test it warm. Two full mags in bursts, as in the inspection guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can a gel blaster get wet?
It can survive rain, but it isnโt sealed. Water gets into the gearbox, motor and barrel. Unplug the battery, drain it muzzle-down, wipe it and dry it the same day.
Should I fire my gel blaster to get water out?
No. Water doesnโt compress like air, so firing a waterlogged blaster can put the piston and gears under a load they werenโt built for. Drain it and let it dry first.
When is storm season in Queensland?
The Bureau of Meteorology says Queenslandโs severe weather season runs from October to April, with the highest severe thunderstorm risk for southern Queensland from October to December.
Is a wet LiPo safe?
Unplug it straight away. If itโs been soaked, or is warm, swollen or smells sweet, put it somewhere non-flammable outside and donโt charge it again.
Sources
- Bureau of Meteorology - Now is the time to Get Ready Queensland
- Wikipedia - Hydrolock
- Queensland Fire Department - Lithium-ion battery safety
Last checked: 31 October 2026. Check the forecast and your fieldโs weather policy before you go.
Buying into storm season?
Every RedSpear listing has condition notes, so you can ask the rain question before you drive anywhere. Browse used gel blasters, or list yours free and say how itโs been looked after.
Read next: Storing your blaster in QLD ยท Gearbox noises ยท Where to play in SEQ
Written by Patrick Amadeu
Founder of RedSpear Armory and a critical care paramedic since 1989. Iโve played indoor at Blacksite and the former GelSoft Yatala, and outdoor at Donnybrook, Kooralbyn and Bundaberg. RedSpear exists because my first rifleโs gearbox died four days after the shopโs warranty ran out. More about me
RedSpear Armory โ Queensland's dedicated marketplace for used gel blasters. Browse listings, sell your gear, and connect with the local QLD community at redspeararmory.com.au.