AR Sponsor
Posted: 7/16/2009 3:43:42 AM EDT
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This might be a dumb question, but it's one that's been bothering me for awhile now.
I carry an AR15 during the course of my work on a semi-regular basis. It gets bumped around a lot and exposed to a lot of dirt and other things that need to be kept out of the barrel. I know people that use the little plastic caps that go over the muzzle and will just shoot off on the first shot. I think this is a great idea, however I am concerned about the effect that the cap might have on the accuracy of that first round. So far I have not personally seen anything to make me think that accuracy would be impacted, but I am not willing to take the chance if there is a possibility that my first round will go stray. If I ever had to use the rifle I would be shooting in a civilian environment it is absolutely unacceptable to have one round that might go down range past my intended target because of something I added to my rifle. Does the bullet actually impact the cap, or does it get blown off first by gas escaping the barrel ahead of the bullet? Does the cap cause any disruption in the flow of the gas that might destabilize a bullet as it leaves the barrel? One of these days I'll do a test on my own, but I'd be glad to hear some thoughts from some of you folks who take your accuracy seriously and know a lot more about ballistics than I do. |
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I say since those caps are pretty cheap, buy a bunch and take them to the range and try them out.
Even if someone came and said it works with no problems I'd still try it out to get first hand knowledge just to make sure. I had some but I mostly used them on stored guns to keep bugs and crap out of them. |
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I think the air in front of the bullet is what pushes the muzzle cap off. And once it gets launched, don't even think about searching for it-it's either in the next county or destroyed.
Given a well stocked military supply system, I might use muzzle caps on a regular basis. The typical GI muzzle cap is made by Caplugs, a company that makes a whole range of plastic covers and plugs for all sorts of GI equipment. They usually retail for as little as a dollar a piece, though the real price is FAR lower. (I'll have to look up the actual part number to see what that price really is.) They come in black and red from Caplugs, and probably other colors as well. For a functional replacement, I'd use some cling wrap and a rubber band. The wrap keeps gunk out, and the rubber band keeps the wrap in place. And it's WAY cheaper. |
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Quoted:
This might be a dumb question, but it's one that's been bothering me for awhile now. Does the bullet actually impact the cap, or does it get blown off first by gas escaping the barrel ahead of the bullet? YMMV. I have seen them blown off (usually the older 'loose' ones), to melted to the FH (the new 'tight' ones). Does the cap cause any disruption in the flow of the gas that might destabilize a bullet as it leaves the barrel?
AFAIK, it shouldn't effect accuracy to any noticable extent at the ranges common to your scenario. |
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Quoted:
Another substitute are 'Finger Cots' from your local pharmacy. Look like a mini-condom but will actually stay on the muzzle without having to add anything else. Took the words right off of my keyboard 
My local Rite-Aid sells a box of 20 for about $2.00. Been using them (for my rifles) for years. Edited for clarification... |
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I actually accidentally just one time, shot off my black plastic muzzle cap, my grouping was normal, no flyers so in just my own opinion it doesn't affect the bullet, YMMV.
Also I looked for the muzzle cap several times when changing targets but couldn't find it. Probably launched in the next county. 
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Concur with Alpha-Romeo.
I've used them for years during exercises and training events. Sometimes we would forget to take them off down range when we would check our zeros. Never effected zeros as I could tell. The gas in front of the bullet blows them off. Hunters in raining weather place tape over their muzzles without effect. I've also used OD green duct tape, electrical tape when I didn't have muzzle caps to keep the muzzle clear. CD |
| If anyone has a muzzle cap from cap plugs can you look at the cap and see if their is a part number on it. I just got off the phone with a rep from their company. They were unsure of which one to sell me. Very friendly bunch, I'll give them that, but they did not have a specific set up for an AR or the military in general. |
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Quoted:
If anyone has a muzzle cap from cap plugs can you look at the cap and see if their is a part number on it. I just got off the phone with a rep from their company. They were unsure of which one to sell me. Very friendly bunch, I'll give them that, but they did not have a specific set up for an AR or the military in general. RCL-10 |
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Quoted:
If anyone has a muzzle cap from cap plugs can you look at the cap and see if their is a part number on it. I just got off the phone with a rep from their company. They were unsure of which one to sell me. Very friendly bunch, I'll give them that, but they did not have a specific set up for an AR or the military in general. That's most likely because those plugs were not originally designed with a firearm application in mind. The plugs are actually used to cap the end of conduit and "somebody" found out size RCL-10 or whatever fit the end of the M16/AR-15 flash hider. Colt used to include them with their Rifles back in the day. Anybody ever hear anything different? I personally love the things and keep one on the end of every stick I own. |
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