What is the best way to camo a rifle?

Outcold

Outcold

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Hey there fellow CGNers, I have been researching different ways on how to camo my Remington 700 5R and scope. I don't want to start messing around with it until I have all my bases covered on how to go about doing it. If anyone has done this and had any luck doing so could you please let me know what steps you took or which product you used to paint it? I am looking for a finish that will stand upto the elements.

Cheers, Outcold
 
I used Krylon. Base coat of tan and then worked in patterns in a progressively darker shade, then did another run to blend it together more. Masked off the lenses, numbers on the dials and anything else pertinent on the scope, then taped off the ejection port, mag well and the butt end where the bolt slides in. An ear plug works great for sealing off the muzzle.

It flakes off pretty easily but the paint is relatively cheap and I can pick it up at the local crappy tire.
 
Thank you for your response. How long does it last before it starts flaking? I was hoping that it would last atleast a couple of months?
 
i used krylon on mine, few base coats and some twigs, done deal haha. as far as durability... thats 100% dependant on how you use your rifle.. in a nice case shooting prone - will last a LONG time, taking a few spills and sliding it around in gravel and its gonna chip


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I didn't do a thorough job of cleaning the gun and prepping it for paint, your mileage may vary. Two alternatives that come to mind that I've heard very good things about are Aervoe and Cerakote, but I'm not made out of money and Krylon is durable enough for me.

The two biggest wear areas on my 700 are around the action where it's subject to a lot of lube and where my support hand sits in front of the mag. I have around 400 rounds down the tube since my last application of paint, this is what the action looks like as of today:
ZsaDjh0.jpg


Here's my beater shotgun after a year of being thrown in the back of a truck, getting dragged through sand and banging off of trees/brush/foliage/whatever while hiking.
45ziPIF.jpg
 
Outcold said:
True enough, nothing really lasts long if you treat it rough. Did you just hold twigs in front of the rifle and spray?
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i did, first i did a full coat of a single color, then layred on various patches of the colors i wanted, and let dry 100% then using ceder tree branch, plucked parts off untill it wasnt so thick paint wouldnt pass by, hold against rifle and used the tan to fill in
 
Mossy oak camo vinyl wrap. Easy to put on, no glue so easy to take off/reposition. Waterproof. Cheap. You can get wraps in all sorts of patterns and change them as often as you like.
 
Buy some Plastidip camo spray. If ya don't like it or want a different pattern, just peel it off and start over. :)

h ttp://www.plastidipit.ca/youdipit/index.php/aerosols/camo-colors.html
 
Ya I heard about the plasticdip stuff but at $20 a can, it could get pricey very quickly.

The trick with painting anything is make sure you spend a good amount of time prepping it and the finish will less lightly to peel off.
I painted this about 6 years ago now.
 
You could get the barrel ceracoted, but that would cost more $$$. Not really worth it if it's a matte blue finish already. A good Krylon plastic paint would work for the stock, or you just wrap the rifle in a small cam net. I've seen cammo-wrap tape at Bass Pro as well.
 
(Buy some Plastidip camo spray. If ya don't like it or want a different pattern, just peel it off and start over.)

That was my idea to do for my optics, I was thinking that if I ever had to send it in for warranty that it would nice to have something that peels off in case painting it voids the factory warranty.
 
Outcold said:
Is that professionally done or is that something I can buy myself and apply?
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Duracoat is very easy. It's an A+B mix, and you can use a hobby-type airbrush kit to apply it. Do nice light coats. You want your barrel at room temperature before you start, and you can hang your parts with copper wire. Also ensure you wipe all your surfaces to be coated with an industrial solvent, such as acetone. Then wipe them down again with a fresh cloth and more acetone, as you want to ensure the best bonding possible, and you'll mitigate chipping and scratches in the future. Give all your surfaces a very very thin coat, a little more than a dusting but definitely not "a layer." Let them dry for 10-15 minutes (use very small batches of A+B mix, it'll be good for maybe an hour but don't press your luck) and then apply another very very thin coat. Keep your arm moving before and after you spray so you will never get a concentrated spot. If you f-up you can wipe it all off with solvent before it's hardened and start over. When you've finally got enough coats on to give a nice solid layer, put a few more thin coats on for good measure. Be patient.

When you're finally done that layer, you bake your parts I think around 200F but don't piss on me if it's 225. It'll be in the instructions. You can use this stuff to coat your internals, too, as it eats up the slop in your action. Lots of people coat the inside and out of their 1911's and AR-15's with this stuff to great success. Few surfaces shouldn't be coated at all such as the contact surfaces between your trigger, sear, hammer... And don't spray your springs.

When you're happy with your base coat, you can start applying your patterns and follow the same process.

Edit: I should add that if you're using a hobby-grade airbrush kit, you will want to avoid that "canned air" or "truck-tire air" as your pressure source because they provide a non-linear pressure over time. Use a compressor with a storage tank, and experiment with pressure and nozzle settings before starting. You can apply multiple coats (of different colours) before baking, or you can bake it and start your 2nd layer fresh, and just bake it again.
 
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