Review of Alpine Innovations Gun Slicker Waterproof Gun Cover for Rifles and Shotguns

I first told AllOutdoor readers about the Gun Slicker back in 2016, after I’d spotted it at the SHOT Show. I revisited the product at the 2020 SHOT Show, and was glad to see they’d expanded their line while keeping the original Gun Slicker. You can read more about that by clicking here. I managed to get my hands on a Gun Slicker before turkey season, so the time has come to review the Gun Slicker.

The Gun Slicker is more or less a raincoat for your rifle or shotgun. You slip it over the muzzle and stretch the other end over the gun’s butt — the large bottom opening has an adjustable elastic drawstring, and they say it fits guns 38″ to 56″ long — and you’re done, unless you choose to also use the small buckle located near the midpoint of the opening.

For hunting in bad weather, Gun Slicker is the best thing I’ve found.

The packaging advertises the weight at just 5 ounces but mine weighs even less, at 4.6.

The Gun Slicker is well-thought-out and well-designed. Yes, it’s a simple product — but it gets a lot of things right. For instance, there’s a reinforced opening near the muzzle end of the Gun Slicker so you can get your gun in play without taking off the entire cover, and the stuff sack (which is attached so you can’t lose it) doubles as a front end cover to cover that muzzle port and help prevent wear on the Slicker’s end.

I had just refinished my old 1930s shotgun, and although I take the old twin-stacker afield in all sorts of weather, I also like to give it the protection it deserves. I love the Big Sky overhead rack in my UTV, but the nature of the machine means guns will get dusty up there… so I used the Gun Slicker when transporting my scattergun in that rack.

I’d added a sling to the fine old shotgun, and the opening in the bottom of the Gun Slicker allowed easy access to it so I could sling the gun over my shoulder anytime without removing the Slicker.

Best of all, the Gun Slicker got mighty dusty — but my shotgun didn’t.

As mentioned earlier, there’s an elastic drawstring you can cinch up to suit your taste, depending on what length gun you’re protecting. To tighten the drawstring, simply pull it through the lock (see inset above). To release it, pull the cloth tab that says, “Slicker.”

Even with all the slack out of the adjustment, there’s plenty of elastic action to keep it on your gun.

There’s a small quick-release buckle sewn onto the Gun Slicker via black elastic straps, located about halfway along the drawstring opening. Buckle this under your gun to close up the Gun Slicker if you need to.

The buckle is of good quality, but it’s small. That’s good for keeping it out of the way and not making a lot of noise, but unbuckling can be a little awkward with clumsy fingers or gloves,

You don’t have to completely remove the Gun Slicker to use a scoped firearm… you can slip the muzzle out of the opening up front and lift one side of the large elasticized opening over the scope and let ‘er rip.

You can even have the muzzle already poking out of this “muzzle port” while protecting it from rain via the sewn-on stuff sack, which doubles as a muzzle cover. Then when your game shows up it’s even easier to get your gun in play.

When stowed, the locking drawstring keeps the stuff sack closed and you can clip the Gun Slicker to your pack or belt loop with the included carabiner clip.

While turkey hunting, I didn’t keep my gun covered with the Gun Slicker while afield, choosing to only use it for transporting my shotgun. I foresee a different sort of use come deer season, and in bad weather I’ll probably put the Gun Slicker on my rifle at camp and leave it on until I get in the stand — and if the weather is truly bad, I’ll leave the Slicker in place, staying ready to uncover muzzle and scope when the big boy steps out.

In addition to the elastic of the large drawstring opening, the fabric itself is a bit stretchy. About the only disadvantage I’ve found is that my Gun Slicker’s fabric isn’t quiet — but you’ll most often be using it during rain, when your quarry won’t be able to hear very well anyhow.

I can recommend the made-in-USA Gun Slicker wholeheartedly. This link may take you to the black one; at the time of publication you could select black, flat dark earth (FDE), or the Alpine Mountain camo pattern seen in this review.

Now that I have a Gun Slicker I’m almost looking forward to a cold rainy day in the deer stand… sure beats working, anyhow.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.