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.