So a sunshade is not always the best thing to keep on the gun full time as it can cause damage if banged hard enough and prevent ease of cleaning the objective lense. So if you cannot use a sunshade thats 2.5” long and no one makes it shorter than what do you do? Well a couple years ago a couple of working guys started using the neoprene stray light shields from clip ons so they could slide it forward and act as a sunshade or help in rain when needed and slide it back when not in use. Nothing new but guys are seeing the advantages. This is not to protect the optic from surface wear and tear like tape, guys running tape are just trying to keep their scopes looking new.