Unbeknownst to MANY... a "mud-dauber affliction" has manifested itself in airguns and firearms ranging from northern California, to southern New Mexico, to the Florida panhandle, as evidenced by our own family's experience. I've heard little about this potentially catastrophic malady, and unless I'm mistaken.... it is highly under-reported, having never read or heard about it elsewhere (outside 1st hand accounts) !!!
A dauber's mud plug can wreak havoc on an airgun, and is often the "unknown-culprit" in a powder burner's KABOOM. Mud daubers love tiny openings in wood, reeds, and.... barrels.
Dauber's nests contain their prey... in this case my Florida panhandle Ruger Charger .22LR pistol had a dauber's plug filled with mosquito larvae, the plug once removed exposed it's prey seen here on a piece of duct tape;
A few short years ago my now 82 year old father had a trusty HW30 he could not hit anything with... He asked me to try it out. Since he usually kept it loaded, before firing it I checked the bore... no daylight... and no apparent pellet near the breech. You guessed it !! That was in southern New Mexico. It required rebarrelling.
My late uncle Joe had similar experiences in the Modoc National Forest of northern California... so this menace is far reaching.
As a result this is how dad and I stow any gun not in a safe or cabinet;
Seems to do the trick... since daubers are opportunists.
You've been warned.
A dauber's mud plug can wreak havoc on an airgun, and is often the "unknown-culprit" in a powder burner's KABOOM. Mud daubers love tiny openings in wood, reeds, and.... barrels.
Dauber's nests contain their prey... in this case my Florida panhandle Ruger Charger .22LR pistol had a dauber's plug filled with mosquito larvae, the plug once removed exposed it's prey seen here on a piece of duct tape;
A few short years ago my now 82 year old father had a trusty HW30 he could not hit anything with... He asked me to try it out. Since he usually kept it loaded, before firing it I checked the bore... no daylight... and no apparent pellet near the breech. You guessed it !! That was in southern New Mexico. It required rebarrelling.
My late uncle Joe had similar experiences in the Modoc National Forest of northern California... so this menace is far reaching.
As a result this is how dad and I stow any gun not in a safe or cabinet;
Seems to do the trick... since daubers are opportunists.
You've been warned.