How to tape a rifle - How to color guard

You have just purchased a beautiful new rifle and you cannot wait to spin it! But to prevent your rifle from breaking the first time it hits the ground (because everybody drops sometimes) you first need to tape it properly.

First of all, use a phillips head screwdriver (the kind with the + tip) to remove the two screws holding the bolt in place and take off the bolt.

<< Strapping tape in both 1/2" and 3/4" widths.

     Quite possibly the most crucial supply you need for taping your rifle is strapping tape. It is a plastic tape that has string ribs for support and generally can be found for about $6 per roll at any band supply store. Wrap separate pieces of strapping tape in the specific locations shown in the picture: wrap once or twice around the three places under the bolt and two to three times on the barrel in front of the bolt and on the neck.

Now that you have your strapping tape base, you can apply electrical tape. Generally, white tape is used on white rifles, but electrical tape comes in a variety of colors for you to choose from.

     Starting in the neck, wrap the electrical tape around the rifle and travel forward, making sure that each wrap of the tape slightly overlaps the previous wrap. Cover the area under the butt labeled with a number 1 in the picture by wrapping continuously.

     When wrapping at point 2 on the diagram, make sure that you cover the screw that holds the strap in place, this will prevent the screw from coming lose and/or scratching you while you spin. For point 3, use three strips of tape and place them down the bottom of the butt long ways, this will hold the pad in place and prevent the wood on the end from being chewed up. Repeat the same process for part 4 (the front of the tip) using shorter pieces of tape.

Finish the job! Wrap around the rifle continuously with your tape (shown in a different color for your convenience) at point 1 and again at point 2 (make sure you cover the back screw at point 2). Then use electrical tape that matches the color of your strap and wrap it three times around point 3 and 4 to ensure that the Chicago screws do not come loose.

     Finally, screw the bolt back on. There are a lot of creative ways to tape a rifle, this is just one basic way. Some people use sparkle tape or glow in the dark tape to create different effects. You can also tape the entire rifle, tape the bolt, or tape the strap to make it a different color! The possibilities are endless.  

<< Colored electrical tape. Rifle tape is also available in prism, sparkle and other effective colors.