Shooting in the Rain

[bgbuck153]

I've been taping my barrels for about 6 years or so now. I often wondered if it was affecting anything but when we shot game at long range we seemed to hit them close to where we were aiming. So I went up to shoot at ridgeway in PA. Cold bore and fresh piece of tape I rang the 1,000 yard gong on first shot. So my conclusion is heck no it doesn't affect accuracy.

Just a couple weeks ago it was raining hard during our rifle deer season. I forgot to tape the barrel. I did almost a mile hike thru the fields and woods only to sit in the rain in a field. Nothing showed up worth shooting so back out to the truck I go. The next day it wasn't raining when I went to a different spot. I was carrying the same gun, my daughters 6.5 PRC. A group of doe's came out and the shot was around 750 yards so I dialed my MOA and held for wind. When I squeezed the round off I worked the bolt... tried to anyhow. I had to very physically open the bolt to the point I didn't think it was going to open. I had to beat the handle back to get it to pop out and even blew the primer. Obviously missed the deer and could have shot again but wasn't about to after that issue. I went home to find rust in the chamber area. I gave it a good cleaning and the next 2 days we shot 3 deer with it with trout issue the first being 654 yards on a clean cold and taped barrel. Never in 25 years prior to tapping my barrels did I have issues with rust in the chamber... but I never thought to look so IDK. So now I have spare tape on my guns Incase I forget.

 

[J E Custom]

I went a different route on the barrel cover. I don't like the idea of tape on my barrel so I use finger gloves (They are made to help sort papers and look like a small condom). They are not as tough as tape but don't effect POI at all as far as i can see. I also carry several In my hunting pack for replacement if needed.

Can't say if they are better, but they just make me feel better and if they show any damage I know they might not protect the bore from rain. Like everyone I have shot matches and hunted in the rain but as said it was not a downpour and I saw no real effect. A long shot or a downpour would definitely effect the POI in my opinion.
so I don't take the chance.

Just me

J E CUSTOM

 

[Don A Parsons]

So the question I ask is the bullet dry or wet when it's in route to the target...

Just asking since its spinning pretty fast and clipping along at a fairly fast speed... Kinda like a jet going Mach 1 or 3,,, Ha...

The air displacement pocket needs to make room for the mass in its path...

Some gets displaced,,, some can't since there's to much of it...

Set up a 6' by 6' white board at 500 meters. Get behind your friend at the range and call the shots to target before they get there... Ha...

Its Kool watching bullets flying in the rain as all of us can view the vapor trial of flight path as the bullets make there way to target...

Use a 8' target for the 8' foot target 800 meter shoots...

The bullets are easier to see when there is a full white background in front of it the whole time...

The up ward tilt of the barrel launches the bullet up ward as it begins it journey,,, as it starts off a fraction to the right of the target,,, the bullet slowly spins it's self to the left when it reaches the bulls eye...

The faster the twist the more right the luanch path is...

Shooting in the rain with the white board allows us to watch the bullets and flight path with our eyes,,, use binoculars or spotting scope sure helps...

Cheers from the North

 

[Bravo 4]

We shoot in the rain quite a bit, never seen any variance in POI due to it effecting the bullet in flight. What will have an effect is any moisture getting on your ammo, in your chamber or in your muzzle. Plus there is always your ranging ability and perception of target. I have actually did my own testing on this by purposely shooting out to some pretty far distances an have found nothing. We will usually shoot until it obstructs vision (which really doesn't take a whole lot) or lightning is present. My experience is not with small caliber cartridges. Don't know what to tell you about the shockwave pushing the water away from the bullet but think about this: a larger bullet has a noticeably larger "shockwave" in flight. Have you ever tried to read trace on a 5.56/.224 cal bullet? Gets pretty tough past medium ranges, where as a .308 cal you can watch all the way to target at 1200...or a .50 to a mile! So I'm not saying it won't have an effect on any bullet, just nothing I concern myself with with what I use.
And for the tape, I always tape my muzzle if any precipitation is possible. Most of the time I do it anyway, muzzle brake or not. I tested that too many years ago, no difference...I don't get crazy with the stuff either.

 

[Mram10us]

Gunwerks tapes their barrels

 

[LVJ76]

I've watched the trace of .204 Ruger and .17 Remington's fired in the rain showing them blowing up and shelling out before hitting a target just 200yds away. First time I mentioned that here we had more than a few people swearing up and down I was crazy.

I believe you, I've heard this multiple times before.

It's provably due to the thin varmint jackets, it doesn't take much to make them fragment.

 

[BallisticsGuy]

When shooting Silhouette matches I've seen a drop of 2 to 6 inches from 300m to 500m, at 200m have I not seen any variance. This is shotting a 7mm-08 with 150gr HPBT Match Kings

Same sport, .308 w/ 168's, exactly the same result. My average number of ram hits in rain really collapsed but I'd always attributed that to the day being generally kind of miserable. Looking back at my records, chickens/pigs I actually did ok on. Turkeys were always a problem for me. Totally fell apart on the rams though. A few years ago we had our state championship during a monster storm so bad that master class guys were running 20% hits.

 

[LVJ76]

Same sport, .308 w/ 168's, exactly the same result. My average number of ram hits in rain really collapsed but I'd always attributed that to the day being generally kind of miserable. Looking back at my records, chickens/pigs I actually did ok on. Turkeys were always a problem for me. Totally fell apart on the rams though. A few years ago we had our state championship during a monster storm so bad that master class guys were running 20% hits.

Turkeys are a problem for everyone LOL, have never been able to get 10 in a row.

When ever it's raining I just adjust a few clicks in advance and done.

 

[26Reload]

Hiking in snow with the mzldr.....usually had finger tip rubbers...ran out.....only tape I had was duct.....increased the pressure to significant recoil......bought some scotch tape.......
Watched as a buddy was blazing crows out of a tree at 150 yards with his 22250...first couple blew up the crows...they kept coming...started drizzling....he missed next 2 or 3....(over couple hours..union coffee break)...next one showed on nice clear sky.....its amazing how much they explode from a 22250.....did get to see the bullets explode...about 50 yards out....just a puff....gone.....

 

[sedancowboy]

I watched the Guns and Ammo show twice to see it in more detail. I feel like they did not conclusively convince me that their test was valid. While the high speed video shows the tip of the bullet to yaw and I believe that their calculations as to the angle of yaw may be correct. The bullet is spinning around its axis and was disrupted. Their ability to capture the bullet in flight is so limited to such a small distance as to be insignificant. A better test would have been had he actually shot at a target at 100 yds with a before and after shot with rain and without.

I have set targets for registered BR matches and I can tell you that in a down pour no one was missing the target and most groups were close to dry conditions. Some shooters think that the lack of accuracy came from not being able to see the target as clearly as when it was not raining.

Maybe they will retest and use a down range target to validate their results other wise I am not convinced that you would miss the target by over 2 feet at 100 yds. If this were the case I think we would have all experienced this phenomena while hunting in the rain. Which most of us have done many times. Understand I am not saying there is no effect on the bullet flight. I am saying that if it was as sever as their one example most of us would have experienced it in our life time of shooting and hunting.
Henry

 

[shphtr]

I live in Alaska and it does rain here from time to time. I have been taping my barrel ends for decades and have not noted any decrement in accuracy but I tape my barrels differently from most. Most often I see people just place a strip of tape across the muzzle. In my experience more often than not as one makes their way thru the dense alders the barrel end rubs on the alder branches and after a while will have the tape stripped off. I clean the muzzleloader crown as best as I can (degrease is best), then I press the tape over the end of the barrel. Next, with a sharp knife I closely trim away the excess tape so that what is left is just a circle of tape that ends at the crown barrel junction and will not be rubbed off as the barrel end deflects off branches, under brush, etc. I do not use finger cots or anything similar as they can be rubbed off and many times when I have taken them off the next day I find some unwelcome rust. Since most of my mountain rifles have muzzle brakes the break openings also get taped. I have heard of hunters using foam ear plugs in muzzle end for protection from rain and snow but have no experience with this option -but seem like it might work well.

 

[Bravo 4]

Just seen on Guns&Ammo tv that they did a little test on it and they captured (on camera) a .308 bullet impacting a water droplet. Said it would throw the bullet off 2 feet at 100 yards. I guess I've never had a bullet hit a drop of water.

 

[Axl]

I notice when I go to the range during a rain storm I have the place to myself!

 

[Laelkhunter]

...... I have heard of hunters using foam ear plugs in muzzle end for protection from rain and snow but have no experience with this option -but seem like it might work well.

I have no problem with taping the outside of the muzzle, or using a barrel cot, cut finger from a glove, etc, but I would never put anything inside the barrel. Not even a foam ear plug. Several things could happen, all bad.