D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
Yep, every black bear I’ve ever encountered has been gone the instant it caught my wind.
Tape at the end of barrel?
- Thread starter midwesterncrosshair
- Start date
Yep, every black bear I’ve ever encountered has been gone the instant it caught my wind.
LuketheDog
Well-known member
Same here, but I feel like I've seen waaaaay more hikers with bear spray this year...
D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
Definitely, I think the bear incidents in the news freaked people out. Probably important to acknowledge context is important i.e. if I'm in the backcountry, off trail, hunting I typically sleep with my food. If I'm camping in a camp ground, especially east side of RMNP or similar I'm absolutely locking everything with a scent in bear proof containers and or vehicles.
That is to say I think bear spray is more applicable in the highly trafficked areas.
pabearhunter
Well-known member
I also use finger cots.
Laelkhunter
Well-known member
I have a muzzle brake on my rifle, so I put a 6 inch piece from 12 o 'clock to 6 o'clock, then another 6 inch piece from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock, then a 6 inch piece that goes around the barrel securing the ends of the tape. I tried barrel cots, but they were not strong enough to keep from ripping while walking through the brush. The tape always stays on, until I pull the trigger.
SaskHunter
Well-known member
I put a piece of electrical tape across the muzzle and a second one wrapped around the barrel as a spare. Never had any issues and never had any gunk, mud or snow stuck down my barrel.
TheJason
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2024
- Messages
- 18,585
Yep. And if you want it colored, you can buy tape in red or orange.
i think the mountain lion incidents are freaking people out too
oldillini
Active member
I use a balloon (color of your choice … I prefer green or black). I have used it on MLs, slug guns and rifles. Works goo, but can be prone to coming off easily, especially if using a scabbard on horses.
Brian in Montana
Well-known member
If the weather's pretty dry I usually don't bother with it, but I always carry some of those little "water grenade" balloons to slip over the muzzle if the rain or snow starts up.
GASoline71
Member
An "old timer" I used to hunt with showed this to me back in the early 1990's. Been doing it ever since. More out of habit than anything now. Even though I'm the one approaching the "old timer" status now.
Gary
Gary
tzone
Well-known member
My take on that is you're overthinking it.
buffybr
Well-known member
Thanks, I guess that puts me in the "old timer" status as I've been putting black electrical tape over the end of my barrel since I started hunting in the mid '60s. Usually just one strip will cover the muzzle, and when hunting with my braked rifles, I wrap tape around all of the ports.
The tape keeps out snow, rain water, and little twigs, grass, etc that might find their way into your barrel when moving through thick brush.
I have a friend that years ago was elk hunting from his horse. He had his custom .338 Win in a open top leather saddle scabbard, and riding through snow covered spruce and fir trees. That night he brought his rifle, still in the scabbard, into his warm cabin and stood it in a corner, muzzle down. The next day he tied his scabbard back on his saddle and went hunting. Not far up the trail he saw a bull elk, pulled his rifle out of the scabbard and shot. His partner said his shot sounded like a stick of dynamite going off. Evidently snow had fallen into his scabbard, then melted in the warm cabin, then froze in his barrel when he went outside the next day. When he shot at the elk, the bullet hit the ice obstruction in the end of the barrel and split the barrel like you peel a banana, back into the forearm of the stock.
I don't know if one strip of electrical tape would have prevented the melted snow water from getting into my friend's barrel in the example above, but that shows what can happen with an obstruction in your barrel.
Muley_Stalker
Well-known member
I keep everything simple. I carry my gun barrel down. I can shoulder it faster that way. No tape needed.
Yep, risking clogging your barrel and blowing your gun up in your face is simpler than a $.01 piece of tape.
This mess was covered in 10” of heavy wet snow 10 days later on the way back down, I don’t have any pics because there was snow and water in everything so the phone and camera were bagged up and in the pack.
The choice is tape, or stuff in your barrel.
This mess was covered in 10” of heavy wet snow 10 days later on the way back down, I don’t have any pics because there was snow and water in everything so the phone and camera were bagged up and in the pack.
The choice is tape, or stuff in your barrel.
Last edited:
Muley_Stalker
Well-known member
I've been doing it that way for 50 years and no stuffed barrel. I didn't say you had to do it my way. I just said what I do.
Although, your barrel sticking up over your backpack can be a problem too. Imagine how high my 32" muzzleloader barrel would be.
Although, your barrel sticking up over your backpack can be a problem too. Imagine how high my 32" muzzleloader barrel would be.
buckhunterhart
Member
Another great option are the first aid rubber finger covers. They may make your rifle look like it is practicing safe hunting, and that is not completely wrong.
