Taping The Muzzle Of Your Long Gun
BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 7 months ago
Electrical tape is the best thing I’ve found to keep moisture and debris out of my rifle muzzle. Once I began hunting in Alaska in conditions that were often harsh and wet, I quickly inherited the trick of tightly covering my muzzle with electrical tape. I even keep extra tape rolled around the barrel just in front of the stock. Once I shoot through the first tape, I’ll eventually retape it with the extra roll. As a matter of habit, any rifle I have with me is taped from the time it’s uncased till I shoot. I simply shoot through the tape and cover it back up afterwards.
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In fact, the bullet never even contacts the tape. The air pressure created by the tightly sealed bullet traveling down the bore blows the tape away from the muzzle long before the bullet ever gets there.
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Group sizes and group center locations didn’t indicate any trends or notable changes across the rifles …
Tricks of the trade. I’ve never thought of this before, but it doesn’t surprise me that he finds no difference in shots between taped and untaped.
It seems like a good idea in very wet environments.
On April 21, 2022 at 10:39 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
U.S. Army troops going ashore at Normandy often put condoms on the muzzles of their rifles and other weapons to prevent sand or other debris from getting into them as they landed in the surf or moved across the beach. U.S. Marines were known to do the same in the Pacific Theater. The elite paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions often secured their arms in the same manner. Tape would have worked, but since prophylactics were available and individually-wrapped, they often got used instead.
On April 22, 2022 at 2:31 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
And in a similar vein, it was common practice in the RAF and USAAF during the Second World War to tape over the muzzles of wing-mounted machine guns. The RAF used “dope,” which was fabric treated with a mild glue or contact cement. The idea was to protect the guns until use, and since the aircraft often flew at very high altitudes where moisture would freeze, the idea was to keep as much moisture out of the guns as possible, until such time as they were needed and would be fired.
If you see small red squares over the gun ports of a Hurricane or Spitfire fighter, that’s the fabric with dope on it.
A fighter pilot hated to return to base without having engaged the enemy, or at least having appeared to do so. No one wanted to be ridiculed for still have his muzzles covered up, so most pilots “tested their guns” once airborne to avoid that issue, which was in any case SOP for a lot of squadrons and made sense.
On April 22, 2022 at 8:02 am, xtphreak said:
On Amazon black condom “muzzle covers”
https://www.amazon.com/TXTactical-Condom-Style-Muzzle-Rubber/dp/B01D62S1UE?th=1
orange plastic muzzle covers
https://talarik.com/shop-talarik-products/safety-muzzle-cover
I’ve always used black Scotch 33 (electrical tape) because I seem to always have a roll.
On April 22, 2022 at 10:57 am, Furminator said:
Never used them on a rifle but I always thought finger cots would be a cheaper, dual-use option to the black or orange ones sold by gun shops:
https://www.amazon.com/Tifanso-Approx-210-Disposable-Fingertips-Protector/dp/B0827NC43F/ref=sr_1_6?crid=199BSGDKWMUDO&keywords=Finger%2Bcots&qid=1650642805&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=finger%2Bcots%2Csporting%2C160&sr=1-6&th=1
On April 22, 2022 at 4:03 pm, J said:
Small balloons also make great water intrusion protection; used these on black powder rifles in crappy weather.
On April 22, 2022 at 9:59 pm, Unclezip said:
Finger cots work just as well.
On April 23, 2022 at 2:32 am, Dan said:
Condoms are a bit big for rifle barrels…unless purchased from Munckin land.
Finger cots….the little condoms used on fingers by electrical workers and others
work better, if you can get them. And they don’t leave tape residue on the barrel
which can cause rust.
On April 23, 2022 at 3:47 pm, X said:
I’ve used blue painter’s tape to keep the snow out.
On April 23, 2022 at 5:35 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
In those more innocent times, a young paratrooper was more-likely to use a condom to blouse his pant-legs into the tops of his Corcoran jump boots, than the purpose for which that particular product was manufactured.