Taping Your Rifle

Hello!

A lot of you are getting new rifles, so I wanted to post a tutorial on how I liked them taped.  Please do not spin your new rifle until it is taped!  I did my best to explain using words.  Please send me an email or text if you don't understand and maybe I can explain better.  There are YouTube videos online but none of them are very concise or tape the way I like them so only go there if you are desperate.

You will need:

• Phillips screw driver for bolt
• Flat head screw driver for strap screws
• 1"strapping tape (if you can only find 3" at the store, you will need to cut it in thirds)
• 1" white electrical tape
• 1" black electrical tape

Strapping tape has fibers running the length of the roll and looks like this:  

Step 1: Take off the bolt and strap

Carefully remove your bolt- make sure not to scratch it with the screw driver.  Also undo one of the screws on the strap.  you will not need to undo both sides.  (You are not removing the assembly piece,  just the flat screw holding the strap together)  Set aside the bolt and screws.

Step 2: Strapping tape on the Tip and Butt

Below is a diagram of where to tape your rifle.   This step will be taping the tip and the butt, we will get to the barrel in step 3. 

Take the rifle and have the tip straight in the air.  Looking at the tip you will want to do strips of strapping tape that only cover the tip and extend down the barrel just enough to secure it.  Then go the other way.  So you will have one layer of tape going up and down- one side to side.  After you have done this, tape around the barrel covering the very edge where you have tape extending from the tip down about 3 inches.  Do the same with the butt of the rifle with tape going the long way down the butt and the short way, then around the rifle extending to the assembly piece.

Step 3: Strapping tape on the barrel

In the picture above, the barrel is only taped in 2 spots.  We will actually be going from the beginning of the yellow on the left (on the neck) through the entire barrel to the yellow piece on the right (passed the bolt) So it should be one continuous piece of taped barrel.  I like to use strips in this section at an angle so the tape doesn't bubble or fold.  I found a good video of someone doing this HERE

Step 4: Covering all strapping tape with white electrical tape

Go over all of the places you used strapping tape and apply white electrical tape the same way - but only covering the ends of the butt and tip with one layer of white tape instead of two.  

Step 5: Reassembly and black tape

Reassemble your rifle, Making sure to tape over the flat screws on your strap so they don't scratch the paint off of your rifle.  Also take care not to strip your screws or the wood under the bolt- you will need to take the bolt on and off throughout the lifetime of your rifle.  Lastly put a 3" long piece of black tape just under your bolt  on the side facing you if you were at right port (tip on the left, butt on the right)  This is for spotting. Please write your name or some distinguishing word on the inside of your strap with black sharpie.  

Again, Let me know if you have questions!  Taping your rifle this way is important so they all look the same, and don't add too much extra weight with excessive amounts of tape.  

Weekly Update 12-14 and Important information

Hello Parents!

I will be sending out a weekly email and also posting the email on the blog at afbguard.blogspot.com.  Emails will include the next weeks schedule and any information you will need to know for competitions that week etc.  This email will be kind of long so bare with me.  I will include my attendance policy, information for paying fees, and ordering deadlines.

I will send out an email tomorrow with the packet attached for those of you who missed our parent meeting.  The packet will have all of the information that you missed.  

We have had 2 great weeks of rehearsals so far, and I am very impressed with the great abilities and attitudes of this group!  

Here is the schedule for this week:

Monday 6:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. AFJH GYM

Tuesday  3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  AFHS Band Room

Wednesday 6:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. AFJH GYM

Thursday  3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  AFHS Band Room  Rifles only

Leslie Cleveland has it set up where you can now pay fees online at myschoolfees.com or in person at AFJH.  If your student does not attend AFJH you will have to pay in person.  

If your student is interested in spinning rifle, they will need to have their own (either purchased or borrowed).  They can purchase rifles through the jr high for $44.  If you are interested in doing this, please have your payment in by Thursday at 3 so Leslie can have them ordered and delivered by our camp. Please note that if you are ordering a rifle you will also need to purchase strapping tape (clear tape with fibers running through the length of it) and white electrical tape separately at a store like home depot or ace hardware. 

Also,each student is required to have a flag bag.  This way they can keep their equipment that is checked out to them accounted for and protected.  They are $24 each, and should also be paid for by Thursday at 3:00 so we can have them ordered and delivered by our camp. There is an option to make your own flag bag if you would rather.  Click this link to find my blog post about bag requirements. I will not require them until our first January rehearsal, so that gives you time to make them, or until this Thursday to order them.   

I will be forwarding an email from our B Guard mom, Lori Pace, who has agreed to help coordinate carpools.  Please look for that and contact her if you are needing carpools for your student or are interested in helping with a carpool.  

Starting this week our attendance policy will be in place.  I have given us all a couple of weeks to get our schedules aligned and figured out and now it will be crucial to attend every rehearsal.  I allow 3 excused absences.  You can excuse your student by sending me an email to this account or a text to my phone number with at least 24 hour notice.  Once your student exceeds this it may start to affect their spot and role in the show.  We learn a lot at every rehearsal and it is hard to make up once missed.  I understand that sometimes your student will wake up sick with no notice, please still try to to send me a text or email that morning instead of waiting until your student attends the next rehearsal.  There are some mandatory rehearsals that cannot be missed.  The first two are our camps on December 29th & 30th from 8 - 4   The others are the rehearsals right before a competition.  It is customary that if your student misses the rehearsal before a competition they won't be able to perform at the competition.  For any questions on this please feel free to contact me.  

I hope you made it through the email.  Please don't hesitate to email or text me with any questions!

Whitney Alger

801.376.2633

Parent Meeting

Parents,

I apologize for having to do this - but we need to change our parent meeting for Thursday. It will now be from 5-5:30pm for the A & Open parents, and 5:30-6:00pm for the C & B Guards.

Again I apologize for the change in times. Hope you can all make it.