Camo cloth Tape has it naysayers, most of which have never used it. I started using camo tape in the ’80s when all bows came with high-gloss wood or painted finishes. A few years ago, I used a roll on a test gun that had seen better days. Once a year, I pull it out to remove the old tape, check the status and apply a new roll. So far, the tape has not caused it to rust or pit, but let’s look at a few criticisms.
T/F “If you use a cloth type tape and live in a very humid area you should remove it often. It absorbs moisture and can cause a rust problem.” This is a possibility, although I have not experienced it. Whether I am out for a day in the rain or humidity or dry and dusty heat, I care for my gun regularly. In fact, the person who breaks into my home has zero chance of infection my guns are so clean; lead poisoning on the other hand will likely be their undoing.
I use a light coat of oil or protectant before applying the tape. One roll is more than sufficient to camo a gun and costs less than four dollars. If you worried about it, check a small section every few days and replace when necessary.
T/F “Heat from several shots or direct sunlight will cause the adhesive to gum up and create a cleaning nightmare.” Again, this sounds reasonable, but I have never experienced it. However, on a hunt where a stock cracked, I did get a significant amount of residue from the duct tape Band-Aid used to hold it together. Cleaning the residue started off a nightmare, but with a little bore cleaner; it came off in less than two minutes. I do not see why camo tape—with less adhesive—would be any worse.
The barrel is most likely to spook game or give away your position. For wary game such as turkey and waterfowl, camo is a must. On a flat black gun with a nonreflective stock, you might get away with it, but for $4 is it really worth the risk?
I used some of this camo tape on the barrel of my Charles Daly shotgun a few years ago during dove season. Prior to wrapping the barrel it seemed the dove would always spot my barrel as I brought it to bear and initiate evasive actions just as I was pulling the trigger. After I wrapped the barrel it wasn’t so easy for them to see and my hit percentages went up. It was a busy season and hunting was excellent. And since I’m no great shot gunner I shoot a lot. After dove season I stashed the shotgun away with the intentions of bring it out when quail season started in a few weeks. But my job demanded I travel to far off distant lands and quail hunting was not in the cards. Needless to say, when I returned I forgot all about the tape on the shotgun barrel. This year, at the start of dove season when I brought out the Daly I was suddenly reminded about the tape and figured it was going to be a mess removing and cleaning up the sticky. Nope, not at all. Tape peeled right off and a few wipes with a little solvent and the sticky was gone. No rust, corrosion, nada under the tape. I live in the southwest so humidity is not a problem and the safe has a dehumidifier in it so I’m sure that helped. The only negative I have to say about the tape is that after time the outside gets a sticky feel to it.