Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Oil in your barrel

Ok I am sure that this has been asked before but during hunting season I feel better when I have a very slight amount of oil or rust preventative in my barrel because of course the gun is exposed to some of the elements. Now not enough oil of course to spike pressures or anything like that but just enough for insurance. How do you guys handle this and what are you thoughts? Thanks!!

Cue the blue tape!

No oil in the barrel. Cover the muzzle during wet weather.

Too much oil could be a very bad thing and not necessary as when you fire if you don't blow up your barrel the oil is out anyways. I use blue tape black tape what ever kind of tape you have will work but I like black. HAPPY HUNTING

Nope - no oil.. Nuthin'...

Put oil in your bore, then see where your first shot goes.. Then check the second.. You might be surprised..

I don't use tape either.. I keep the muzzle down when it's snowing and I refuse to hunt in rain.. But that's just me..

An oil patch followed by a dry patch is no danger at all, BUT be sure your rifle will shoot to POA with the bore treated with oil. Several of my rifles throw the first round from a squeaky clean bore. I always clean my bbls prior to the season, shoot a fouler, check zero with a group, and leave them fouled throughout the entire season.

Here in La the humidity is high and it rains often. That said, the method I use has never caused corrosion from the elements. If I hunt in rain, I just run dry patches down the pipe.

loder

I never use oil during season. If you have oil in the barrel your first shot is not going to be at the correct POI. When it is raining or my gear gets wet I just wipe it down and run dry patches down the barrel and I have never had a problem with a gun rusting or anything if you take care of it every night you will have nothing to worry about. I live in western washington and as most of you have heard it is pretty wet up here so if it works here it should work anywhere.

the key phrase you said if "followed by a dry patch". If you just run a wet oil patch through your rifle and they shoot it your POA will be different than it would be with a dry barrel. If you are going to oil the barrel then you should run a dry patch or two so there isn't an over run of oil in your barrel that may cause damage. HAPPY HUNTING

I clean my rifle down to the metal and then fire two fouling shots. Then the bore isn't cleaned again until after hunting season is over unless I fall in the creek. I cover the muzzle with a strip of black plastic electricians tape and cut a second strip that I wrap around the barrel as a back up if I shoot thru the first piece.

Lawman......When in the vault, yes my rifle barrels will have oil down inside the barrel but once on a hunt, I run an oil patch down that barrel followed by 2 dry patches.

I then place a piece of electricians tape over that barrel and go hunting. Now doing so will keep moisture out of the barrel to some degree and any rain that might fall during that time. If I shoot, I replace that piece with a new piece of tape over the barrel etc.

Sounds great thanks for the advice. So you guys using the electrical tape I assume just shoot through the tape at the moment of truth right?

I have hunted in some pretty nasty storms and to this day have never seen the need to put electricians tape over the end of my barrel. I have never had a problem with a barrel rusting up on me I just take care of it when I get back to camp or the house if it is raining. Putting tape over the end of a barrel just doesn't make since to me. help me out here guys I am just not getting it what are the advantages?

For me the tape isn't about keeping water out of the barrel, as I usually carry my rifle at the ready and not slung. With nasty weather comes the possiblity of slipping or falling and jaming my barrel into the dirt. Electricians tape keeps me from geting a plugged barrel. Tape doesn't affect POI either from what I can tell so it is just a little insurance to keep me from going back to camp to clear a barrel obstruction of from having to carry a cheap cleaning rod in my pack.

I use mystery oil because I really like surprises.

If you are crawling around in gator deep snow all day long and have a handful of the normal awkward ass landings, you can pack a dandy snow plug in your barrel. I have never worried a great deal about rain, but I have driven snow into my barrel that has ended up poked in there tighter than a bull's ass. CP.

but i thought I read someplace that deer are afraid of electricians? or was that butchers??

hmm, yeah maybe butchers, so don't use freezer tape. so no blue tape or freezer tape

I see what you are talking about I carry a cleaning rod in my pack just in case something like that happens, it has not happened yet but I want to be ready if it does.

I have buggered up two barrels that oil and tape would have prevented damage to. One was from a T*** floating rain when I had molly in the barrel, had to pour the water out before making a shot. The other was from dust in the Safari Car with no muzzle cap or tape. Dust bulged the barrel slightly and I had to pound on the bolt to reload, turned a shoulder shot into a broadside Texas Heart Shot (least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).

Some of the custom barrel makers warn against shooting with dry cleaned to bare metal bores. So now wet then dry patches with Break Free, Hoppes or Kroil and then tape or balloon. A loose fitting leather cap is ok as long is it will get blown off by the gases before the bullet gets there.

Always check your zero but good barrels seem less affected by the oil and cold first shot thing. The heavy fowling barrels stay fouled all season and I sort of hope I can finish off the barrel quicker and get a new one.

I also keep the muzzle down and I don't know haw many times it has ended up in the snow. I always use tape of some sort

Tape doesn't bother impact up close, but for some reason I've never shot a long range target with it on, and I have time to remove it before longer shots and always do so.

Oil will affect the first shot, but at normal ranges for normal people your wobble will be worst enemy.

Me... I have taken to bore coating all my tubes these days. Before that for normal issues, oil the barrel and run some dry patches. For accurate situations, foul it with 2-3 shots and leave it the rest of the season.