Tape over the muzzle?

[NYDAN]

Has anyone here actually done a test to see if tape over the muzzle to keep snow out of the barrel affects accuracy? If so, what were your results.

If not, has anyone seen other people's results that you trust?

Seeing how little things (such as 0.2 gr. of powder, or 0.010" of seating depth, or neck tension) can affect accuracy, I often wonder how tape over the muzzle cannot affect accuracy - particularly if taking a long shot at 400 yards or more.

 

[hunter24605]

I’ve never given it much thought because a long shot for me is 250 yards. I always thought water or other debris in the tube would affect accuracy/ dependability more than a piece of tape. But according to outdoor life field test:

Group Center Shift Taped vs Un-Taped​

• Savage .17 Hornet: 0.193 inches
• Remington .30/06: 0.184 inches
• Browning 6.8 Western: 0.170 inches
• Winchester 6.5 Creedmoor: 0.546 inches
• Average Group Center Shift: 0.273 inches

Variables and Observations​

Group sizes and group center locations didn’t indicate any trends or notable changes across the rifles and the only real outlier in the group was the Winchester XPR in 6.5 Creedmoor with which I shot uncharacteristically poor groups. It’s outfitted with a 7X magnification scope making it a little more challenging to shoot for precise accuracy testing. A couple of outlying shots certainly affected the group centers, but the shift between the two groups is still within a reasonable margin of human error, considering it’s typically a one-inch gun, and the group centers varied by just over half an inch.

Some shooters will be concerned about taping over a large muzzle brake, like the Recoil Hawg, but in my test it appeared to have no perceptible effect on the brake or rifle’s performance. All the tape was completely blown off the brake with each shot.

Even with one outlier, the average difference between the centers of only 2 groups was slightly over a quarter inch at 0.273 inches. For perspective, if you dropped two .30-caliber bullets onto spots with their points .273 inches apart, the holes would be overlapping. That’s well within the pattern of how groups from those rifles will fall. So tape your rifle muzzles to keep debris out, and go to the field knowing that shooting through the tape is one factor you don’t need to worry about.

 

[Charlie-NY]

The exiting bullet does not push the tape off, the air in front of the bullet does.

 

[TackDriver284]

It should not shift accuracy, I haven't had any issues. If I go hunting in very humid, dusty or rainy conditions, I use the latex finger cots that you can buy off Amazon, just pop that over the end of the barrel, ( cough cough ) like a rubber.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Never tested on centerfire but saw done on muzzle loader and it didn't change anything. Dan.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I hunt with tape over my muzzle brakes all the time. My son and I both shot our elk this year that way. I've never seen it effect anything if it's just one level of tape. So I just run one up and over piece and then wrap it one time around the barrel so it doesn't unravel.

 

[hunter24605]

My buddy uses tiny party balloons, as a joke we’ve often considered sneaking some glitter in his ballon.

 

[salmonchaser]

Been doing it for about 100 years, at least 50 for sure. Always have a roll of tape handy at camp and enough of a partial roll in my day pack to re-tape.
No available data but my logbooks I kept for my duty rifles would reveal no change in cold barrel POI. There is certainly nothing to worry about from a hunting rifle perspective.
I was in the habit of removing the tape at night when I brought my rifle into the tent to avoid condensation forming in the bore. No idea if it would,