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So...
If you put a 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun by the door, in a home with only gun savie adults.

Would you put a single layer of electricians tape over the muzzle to keep out critters? (The outside of the house has an excessive number of mud daubers / red wasps.) If the need arises, I want the gun to go bang not KA-BOOM.

I occasionally shoot 3-gun matches and have thought about setting up one of my 3-gun shotguns near the door.

There is a really old joke. His buddy asks about his strange behavior. He responds with "It keeps the alligators out of the backyard." His buddy says "There are no alligators in your backyard." He responds with "See, it works".

I believe a ready to go shotgun may keep alligators out of the front yard as well.

Any thoughts on the taped muzzle?

I keep a shotgun on my Kawasaki Mule in a gun rack 24/7. I ride in dusty conditions a lot, and there are hundreds of dirt dobbers in an out of my shop where it stays parked. I keep a little bag of balloons in the glove box of the mule. I put one of those balloons over the end of the barrel. Tape might work too, but the balloon is much thinner and leaves no sticky residue.

I heard that in Vietnam, certain other balloon shaped latex devices were used to protect muzzles.

Other than tape residue, duct tape has been used by many hunters in wet conditions to keep mud and/or water out of a barrel.

Do you really have that many dirt daubers in the house???

They actually sell "barrel condoms" We used them for muzzleloader hunting in foul weather. A quick google revealed even amazon carries them:

jason812 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 11:24 am I heard that in Vietnam, certain other balloon shaped latex devices were used to protect muzzles.

Other than tape residue, duct tape has been used by many hunters in wet conditions to keep mud and/or water out of a barrel.

We had a "water tight receptacle" in the ejection seat survival kit. Used for the same purpose.

flechero wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 12:50 pm Do you really have that many dirt daubers in the house???

They actually sell "barrel condoms" We used them for muzzleloader hunting in foul weather. A quick google revealed even amazon carries them:

^^^This

If you go the drugstore solution make sure you get the ones that have no added chemicals.
$16 for qty 100
https://www.condomdepot.com/bulk-dry-condoms/

I second the balloon or barrel condom. I wouldn't put any tape on my barrels.
I have some plastic caps for my AR's that accomplish the same thing.
They're thin enough to shoot through with minimal issue with the first shot.
I also have caps for the lower receiver for when they're stored without a magazine.
Kinda overkill, because they're in individual cases. But If I were to keep them in the gun safe, I don't want dust build up.

I wouldn't worry about the few mud daubers that might get into the house. They get inside my screen porch all the time. Their efforts go into getting off the porch. They've never built a nest on the screen porch. Their nests are all over the open porch next to it, though.

I've had enough mud daubers to keep the postman from delivering to the front porch mailbox.
AND
I have a family heirloom rifle that my father cleaned out a mud dauber nest the best he could in the 1960's.

I want to set up this 'alligator' gun to be ready even if a year or two has passed since it's been cleaned. I read the electrician tape idea in a hunting magazine back in the 1980's.

The best suggestion that you guys have made is the no-chemical condom. I am afraid that a colored balloon may give the alligator an impression of a toy.

Black balloons aren't just for 50th birthdays anymore... Gray / Silver if the gun is stainless or nickel plated.

tomneal wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 3:51 pm I've had enough mud daubers to keep the postman from delivering to the front porch mailbox.
AND
I have a family heirloom rifle that my father cleaned out a mud dauber nest the best he could in the 1960's.

I want to set up this 'alligator' gun to be ready even if a year or two has passed since it's been cleaned. I read the electrician tape idea in a hunting magazine back in the 1980's.

The best suggestion that you guys have made is the no-chemical condom. I am afraid that a colored balloon may give the alligator an impression of a toy.

If you're thinking of leaving it on the muzzle that long, I'd recommend using the corner of a Ziploc Freezer Bag or corner of a heavy duty trash bag, with a couple heavy duty rubber bands. The balloons will degrade over time, & might leave a sticky residue on the barrel. Of course, the rubber bands might get brittle over the long haul, but at least won't stick to the barrel.

jason812 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 11:24 am I heard that in Vietnam, certain other balloon shaped latex devices were used to protect muzzles.

My father was a WWII vet, USAAF aircraft mechanic in the Pacific. He said one day they were surprised to get a crate full of condoms, about 10,000 or so. "What do they think we are doing out here on this island?!" But they found they were excellent for protecting the barrels of the .50 cal machine guns in the airplanes from dust, daily rains, etc. They could stretch them all the way to the base of the barrel and then secure them with masking tape. When the planes took off the crew would test fire the guns, and the tape and condoms justvaporized.

Stick a cotton ball down the barrel.

Lots of suggestions regarding wasps in a barrel but the OP has "ready condition" in the title. Given that it only takes seconds to get through most doors, I would not place a shotgun in a visible spot just inside the door. Also, my 'ready condition' is "cruiser ready" (trigger pulled on empty chamber, safety off, magazine full). Simple single pump and ready to go to work.

My " ready condition " is a round already in the chamber. When I pump it the first time thats to eject the empty shell. My wife works at home on the computer and phone for a large company. She has a Springfield XDE with one in the chamber on her desk and a Winchester 12g. with 3" mags 3 feet from her desk in the ready.