i was cleaning a mossberg shotgun and removed the wooden plug. it has a small plastic or rubber tip on one end, does this tip go toward the front or toward the back when reinstalling? thanks.
Doesn't really matter as long as you have a plug in when you need to. Used a piece of tree branch one time I got out and found I left the plastic one Remington uses at home.
However, a new plug has what appears to be plastic/rubber washers on the body of the plug, not the end. http://www.mossberg.com/store/12170.html
Mine looks exactly like the one at the Mossberg store. It has an O-ring on each end. My 70 year old J. C. Higgins Model 20 has the wooden "stick" but no O-rings. The O-rings must keep them from rattling.
