I always tape the muzzle. I over focus but FWIW here is a minimalist way to do it. Scotch 88 electrical tape sticks better in cold. I've just cut some yellow tape because a friend uses it and says that he can shine a light through the tape and check the barrel without taking off the tape.
On game and target testing, I cannot detect any influence of tape on accuracy. However, small shifts in weight on the barrel do have influence so my intent is to use as little tape as possible, in a way that stays in place, and has the least resistance to being blown off at the shot.
With a sharp box cutter I cut tape around the roll to the width of the barrel crown. Then I cut 1 ¼ inch lengths of the narrowed section, then cut a slit in each end of the 1 1/4 inch piece leaving an uncut section in the middle about the width of the crown. All of this is done while still on the roll, as shown in pic below.
I stick half a dozen or so of these muzzle tapes to the offside of my stock. The long strips in the pic below came from the narrow part left on the roll and I stuck them on as a whim.
The cuts on the ends of the right-width muzzle tape bend down and stick cleanly without much bubbling and scrunching. And the overlap sticks tightly when pressed in place. That is black Scotch 88 but it looks grey in the photos.
Field pic, soon after a shot. The black rectangles on the Remington 600 stock are extra pieces of tape to replace the one shot off on a predator calling stand.
Also, I have heard and believe that leaving the tape on in a damp climate does not allow air circulation and may cause rusting inside the barrel especially near the taped muzzle. I take the tape off each night if in my vehicle or home, but leave it on if sleeping out in backpack mode.
Why tape? I'm a klutz. Snow in muzzle when crawling on predator: check. Mud in muzzle from a stumble: check. Tamarack needles in my collar and muzzle: check.
