Electrical tape/muzzle forensics

[Dougfirtree]

Those of you who put electrical tape over your barrels,what does it look like after you shoot?

I only started doing this a couple of years ago and I've shot twice with the tape. I just use a single strip over the opening, no tape around the circumference of the barrel. The first time I shot a deer with tape, the strip completely disappeared. I assume it was thrown off. The shot connected just fine. Yesterday, I shot at a deer (muzzleloader) and the two ends of the tape were still attached. There were a couple of small bits still attached to the very end of the muzzle, too. Only the tape inside of the opening was gone. And, I missed cleanly, despite feeling like I should have hit (80 yards, from a sitting position with elbow braced on knee). So, my question: Is it possible that the tape didn't blow off the end before the bullet? Is it possible it affected my shot?

 

[mtmuley]

I don't use tape. mtmuley

 

[Dougfirtree]

I don't use tape. mtmuley

That's too bad. I would guess that with a .300 RUM behind it, that tape would be a deadly projectile itself!

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

The air in front of the projectile blows the tape off

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Tape on my muzzy after a shot looked just like the tape on my .264 win mag has after a shot

 

[mtmuley]

That's too bad. I would guess that with a .300 RUM behind it, that tape would be a deadly projectile itself!

I've just never worried about it. My other rifles go tapeless also. mtmuley

 

[Dougfirtree]

Tape on my muzzy after a shot looked just like the tape on my .264 win mag has after a shot

Meaning gone, or some of it left on the barrel?

 

[jvanhoy]

I’ve always used tape on my muzzleloader and have never thought it affected the shot.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Meaning gone, or some of it left on the barrel?

I use electrical tape and in both cases there was some left on the barrel with a hole blasted through it.

 

[rwc101]

I have had bits still on the barrel. I do an 'X' pattern.

 

[Muley Buck]

Finger cots.

 

[sneakypete]

I do the X and it always has a prefect hole when shot.

 

[winmag]

For rifles, one strip over the muzzle, then one strip around the circumference of the barrel to hold that strip on. No change in velocity or point of impact.

Never tested it on a muzzleloader since I either load before a stalk or reseat the projectile before a stalk then don’t re-tape before shooting. I highly doubt it would change point of impact. If it’s sealed it will blow off before the projectile gets there. Maybe if it wasn’t sealed at all it wouldn’t blow off before the projectile got there? I still doubt it would change point of impact.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

 

[Jbotto]

For rifles, one strip over the muzzle, then one strip around the circumference of the barrel to hold that strip on. No change in velocity or point of impact.

Pretty much what I do too, either an ‘x’ or just one pass over the muzzle but still wrap around the barrel so I have extra. Never had an issue. Normally the tape over the muzzle is missing or kinda peeled off and any of the tape around the barrel is still there.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I guess you could blame the tape for your miss.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Am I misunderstanding what the shooter says in the video?? He shoots with no tape at 100, and his point of impact is about 1 inch high for both shots. Then he shoots 2 shots at 100 yards with tape over the barrel, and they both impact the target about 3 inches left of the first two (untaped) shots. Then he says "See- no difference in the impact of taped and untaped". It certainly looked different to me. If you sight in at 100 without tape, then shoot with a taped barrel, your shot will be off by 3 inches, as his was to the left. Or am I missing something ? I did notice that when he shot the 430 yard shots on two different targets, the untaped shots were pretty close to the taped barrel shots (as far as hitting the center of both targets). Why was it off 3 inches at 100, but at 400 they were close?? It seems it should have been 12 inches off when shooting the taped barrel at the 430 yard target.
Anyway, I still tape my barrels when hunting, and will continue to do so.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

AM I misunderstanding the video?? He shoots with no tape at 100, and his point of impact is about 1 inch high for both shots. Then he shoots 2 shots at 100 yards, and they both impact the target about 4 inches left of the first two (untaped) shots. Then he says "See- no difference in the impact of taped and untaped". It certainly looked different to me. If you sight in at 100 without tape, then hunt with tape, your shot will be off by 4 inches, as his was to the left. Or am I missing something ?

I thought the same, but he's aiming at two different little squares on the target. I had to go look at the comments on youtube.

 

[shootbrownelk]

AM I misunderstanding the video?? He shoots with no tape at 100, and his point of impact is about 1 inch high for both shots. Then he shoots 2 shots at 100 yards, and they both impact the target about 4 inches left of the first two (untaped) shots. Then he says "See- no difference in the impact of taped and untaped". It certainly looked different to me. If you sight in at 100 without tape, then hunt with tape, your shot will be off by 4 inches, as his was to the left. Or am I missing something ?

He was shooting at the square at the bottom left.

 

[pre6422hornet]

I have shot probably 200 shots from my muzzleloader over the past 5 years with electrical tape over the muzzle while practicing for elk hunts. There is zero ballistic issues out to 200 yards when pushing a .458 bullet at 1900 fps. Same POI, same trajectory, same everything. Every time the tape is gone off the muzzle, with the two pieces on the sides of the barrel still present.