Covering the end of the muzzle
 

I have seen many times here suggestions to cover the muzzle with tape or a balloon. Doesn't having something over the end of the muzzle affect the accuracy?

I will be hunting in Idaho, and my pack has a place to put the gun, so the hands remain free, but it does mean it will be carried muzzle up. I want to protect the load, but I also will need every bit of accuracy I can get.

Am I all worked up about nothing?

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

Balloons and tape do not affect accuracy... go to WalMart's 1st aid section and buy finger cots. Finger cots are latex coverings for your fingers, $1.97 for 3 different sizes.

I used balloons until I read about these.

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

Nope it will not effect the POI in any way. I use electrical tape on my ML and CF bore's, but other things will work too. The key is elasticity, the pressure or gas blows the tape/other prior to the bullet reaching it and therefore the bullet flys true to it's target.

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

You know, taping may or may not cause any accuracy issues. I may be so minicule, that it doesn't matter. But what I have a hard time understanding is the need too? Especially shooting todays sabots. I bet you could fill my barrel to the top with water with me shooting my 250gr barnes Expanders and my powder would be dry as a bone. These newer sabots seem to have an extremely tight fit and along with a 209, rain shouldn't be an issue. I have never taped, but have killed deer in rain. Maybe I am just lucky.

Even if you shoot a conical, I can't see it being a big deal

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

Good Idea on the fingers cots.

I've used balloons on many ocassions but never saw anything to shoot on those occasions.

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

I have shot my last three deer with a balloon at the end of the muzzle, I use them rain or shine... just to keep the barrel clear.

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

Taping muzzles actually has it roots way back in the military, and in a lot of rugged areas today, people who spend lots of time in the woods, guides, etc, routinely tape muzzles heavily...mainly to avoid accidently plugging the muzzle with mud, snow, etc without realizing it.
The compressed air preceeding the projectile bursts the tape befiore the projectile gets there...I've test fired shots at the range and saw no change in accuracy at all

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

I use those little yellow foam earplugs. I used to able to get them at work for free. They work pretty well.

Paul

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

Never have seen the need to tape one around here. Can't see any water getting past my patched ball or REAL bullet and on the cap end I use "Quick Seal". Never has let me down.

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

Paul I am not sure I would want to stuff anything into my bore due to the possibility of increased pressure. The tape, ballon or whatever are on the exterior so this is a non issue but when you put a foam ear plug inside you could be asking for trouble.

BC, you might be right and I don't know b/c I tape my bore all the time. The main reason is to ensure they don't get mud, ice, snow, etc in them, b/c of the area/enviroment and I only hunt on the ground. It is just become a habit for me, like putting on your wooly's. It may not do anything 99% but the 1% is why I don't chance it.

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

I think I can tell wthout hesitation - water will make it by your sabot and into the powder if given enough time. It runs right down the rifling, it has happened to me in both my inlines and side hammers...

I to use the finger cots and have found them to be excellent... "Quickdotoo" has suggested that he doesn't use them because brush can pull them off - it can but, I have been real forunate and it hasn't happened to me (knock-on-wood). Recently my Remington spent 3 weekends in the worst Idaho weather I can thinks of - except for freezing- at the end of the 3 week, the end of regular Elk season with the same load in the barrel, I touched her off becuase i need to switch loads to my whitetail and "wala" went off just fine broke the heck out of a basalt rock at 75 yards.

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

The foam ear plugs have less tension than tape would. You can blow them out of the barrel with our mouth with almost no effort. I'm not talking about sticking a rubber plug in the the end of the thing. I balloon would work better at keeping moisture out though.

And I hunt out of a weather tight blind any way, the foam plug is only in the gun until I get in the blind, then I take it out until I'm ready to leave again.

Has any one had any trouble with the balloon melting to the end of the barrel after you shoot? Or is it gone before the muzzle blast get there?

Paul

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

CVA makes a black rubber condom for the end of muzzleloaders, but that might be for when you are just out screwing around. ;)

RE: Covering the end of the muzzle
 

No, they're burst/blown off, usually leaving the "end rim" of the muzzlemitt still around the barrel an inch back from the muzzle.

(when you unroll a muzzle-mitt (fancy finger cot) over the muzzle, they have sort of a thicker end-edge like the end of a balloon does...and after a shot, the violence has blown the body of the muzzlelmitt apart so fast the end-rim is left still sitting there