Tape at the end of barrel?

[Deleted member 28227]

Very rare for a black bear to cause an issue.

Yep, every black bear I’ve ever encountered has been gone the instant it caught my wind.

 

[LuketheDog]

Yep, every black bear I’ve ever encountered has been gone the instant it caught my wind.

Same here, but I feel like I've seen waaaaay more hikers with bear spray this year...

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Same here, but I feel like I've seen waaaaay more hikers with bear spray this year...

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]

I also use finger cots.

 

[Laelkhunter]

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]

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.

 

[JLS]

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.

Yep. And if you want it colored, you can buy tape in red or orange.

 

[TOGIE]

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.

i think the mountain lion incidents are freaking people out too

 

[mtmuley]

In 35 years if hunting, I've never taped a barrel. I do have electrical tape in my pack however. mtmuley

 

[oldillini]

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]

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]

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

 

[tzone]

Another scenario for you guys... Back country black power, do you tape the end of your barrel? or leave it open due to moisture in the air? I was thinking taping your barrel would keep the moisture in and then if you stay in the back country overnight your temp swing would cause condensation on the inside of your barrel? Which is a no no... So whats your guys take on that?

My take on that is you're overthinking it.

 

[Carlin59]

I've always used black electrical tape, think I will try orange this year on my 26" barrel. Thanks to this thread for the tip.

 

[MTGomer]

Which one of these three, 200 yard shots was with with a taped barrel? Don’t know, don’t care

 

[buffybr]

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

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]

I keep everything simple. I carry my gun barrel down. I can shoulder it faster that way. No tape needed.

 

[MTGomer]

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.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

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.

 

[buckhunterhart]

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.