I came across this photo I took in Kruger a couple of years ago. The Guide (Not a PH) stuck a round in the muzzle of his .458 every time we stopped for a break - so no bugs or bits of debris would fall or get in (He said). Never heard of it before. Maybe useful if forced to sleep in the bush, though.

Personally I prefer a piece of insulating tape over the muzzle - it also keeps the dust out.

Another vote for the tape. It works as well in Alaska as in Africa. Put a few wraps around the barrel just back from the muzzle and you always have it handy for replacement. The black electrician's tape is what I have always used.

Mark

I always tape the muzzle of my rifle.
It does not effect zero.

I use tape but only in the snow....

Black plastic electrician's tape seems to work best for me.

The military gives out little rubber plugs you seat in the muzzle but the best thing i have found is dental tool covers they are made of latex and look like tiny condoms my dentist office gives me a hand full whenever i ask and they just roll over the muzzle and are air tight but thin enough to make no differance on zero.

I never used to bother with it except for snowy or rainy/muddy trips afield here in the West. Now I use the black electrical tape all the time. A friend in Texas always unloaded his rifles and blew down thru the barrel, for bugs. One day he took a mud dauber sting right in the lip, so it does happen.

When hunting, my pards and I usually have the muzzle covered with tape, but when we get back to camp, we remove the tape and stick a round in the muzzle. It is a practice we started to show that the chamber was empty, and if a bear shows up, any rifle you grab whether it is yours or not has a round handy.

quote:

...the best thing i have found is dental tool covers they are made of latex and look like tiny condoms my dentist office gives me a hand full whenever i ask and they just roll over the muzzle and are air tight but thin enough to make no differance on zero.

That's one of the best ideas I have heard. Don't know why I have not thought of it, especially since I hunt with several dentists. As for the thickness having no effect on zero, I would imagine the air pressure created from the bullet traveling down the barrel would blow the latex and not the bullet itself.

George

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Personally I prefer a piece of insulating tape over the muzzle - it also keeps the dust out.

Same for me, but never have in Africa. When hunting sambar in the wet mountains. In Africa one shoots too much!

I have always used BE tape, Montana to Africa. Funny, my PH in Moz. last year kept asking me if I wanted to clear the tape before I took my shot on my buff. He seemed very worried about it.

I normally use electrical tape. Last season on one of the few occasions I did not, a stone must have somehow blown into my barrel and lodged between the bore and the bullet. When I fired I ruined the barrel. The rifle just came back from ULA with a new Pacnor s/s super match.

Perhaps I should win the Murphy's Law Award of the Year.

Seq, that picture makes cold chills run down my spine! It would be easy to not see that plug from a shooting position, and forget it! Disaster, is the next sound you would hear when you fired that thing!

Tape, in any kind of weather, or little cotton , or Dacron fiberfill balls in simply dusty country. Either one will be simply blown out of the muzzle,by the air in front of the bullet before the bullet gets to the muzzle without problem, if forgotten , but a LOADED CARTRIDGE??????????!

He probably read about it in a Capstick book, that is where I first heard of it.

I read in one Afria book where a PH with a double rifle when he got back to camp would unload his rifle and place the rounds in the barrels like that. He said it was to keep mud wasps from putting mud in his bbl, and so he would have at least 2 rounds near the rifle if he had to sort something out in camp.

I always tape up the muzzles of my rifles with electrical tape.
I have done tests with sniper rifles, it does not effect zero in any way.
However..... if hunting in a hard or steady rain water WILL enter the barrel from the chamber/action. It does not matter if you have a bolt rifle, semi auto or a break open double or single shot, water will get in the bbl.
When this happens it is a good idea to remove the tape, open the action removing the round, and allow the water to run out the barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
It would be easy to not see that plug from a shooting position, and forget it! Disaster, is the next sound you would hear when you fired that thing!

MacD37,

I thought about that myself - but I'll bet the air pressure would pop the round out anyway - though the bullet might still hit it. I leave it to someone else to test it.
S.