Been wanting to paint one of my guns for a while but didn't feel right doing it to one of my newer or more expensive guns in case a screwed it up.
I had the AK for a while so decided it should be the guinea pig.
Used the pray camo from walmart, the brown, green and tan colors. Figured they would be the best colors for this area. Used sticks and leaves for templates to try to get some natural shapes in the color scheme.
Did you use Krylon camouflage spray paint? It may be cheap, but it remains true to lightness under NVG, even better than most of the expensive finishes. That isnto say, it doesn't show up really dark under NVG like most paints.
I had a nice Canon lens with camo tape on it -- put it down in the grass with my other stuff -- walked 15' to my van -- as I went back -- camera -- bag -- lens just blended into the background till I got close enough to see its outline --
That came out really good. I'm a huge fan of spray-painting your rifle . Personally, if it starts rubbing off and flaking, it only improves it because it shows you're getting out and using it.
Way better than a coating that ya pay someone to do.
I've painted so many that my taste changed and ya just go back and paint over the paint. Once you get out in the field with the firearm you may see you need to tweak the colors a bit.
I love some DIY paint camo, to my eye it looks better than the fancy stuff because it wears, and the wear its self adds to the whole look.
Now it wouldn't be the internet without some criticism right? Personally I think you have too much green, the thumbnails look very dark, almost mono-color. It may be step above all black for not standing out, but it still registers as a familiar shape to the eye. (If you like it thats what counts) But I'd suggest some more tan/khaki.
The only way you really do bad is if you paint over a wood stock! If you want to do that I'd suggest hitting it first with the peel off rubber stuff...plasti-dip. Then paint it. (that works for plastic and metal as well if you are timid about messing up)
But again, thumbs up, don't be surprised if you start doing more of this...the genie is out of the bottle now.
Hey, nice job! And like it or not, you are on your way to yet another addiction.
Not to be critical, but I tend to agree with Belnic, it is a little on the dark side. You want a "break up" effect, and some more "light" would help there. If you keep it in the near colors, its all going to run together and blob, especially as the distance opens up, and will still look like a gun.
I always start with, or close to it, the lightest color as the base coat, and then go from there. Makes things a lot easier, and tends to give a better job at break up and definition. Less can be better too. Dont get too carried away with the successive colors.
Ive painted wood stocks with no problems. As with anything, just make sure you degrease well, and all should be good.
Painting you gun has additional benefits beyond the break up. It works very well at protecting the finish under it too, wood, metal, whatever.
Nooo! Even commie plywood is worth sanding and oiling up nice. (I'm refinishing an old stock right now, have the 5th oiling done...about 15 more to go! Not commie wood bty)
Last camo job I did was a sponge camo attempt, not my favorite work (pushing the dark colors a bit), but pretty good. Most I have done using DIY stencils made from blue painters tape...have had outstanding ones, and pretty sad ones as well...but I think its a fun thing to play with. I'm leaning more and more to tans, khakis, light grays today and find they sort of reflect surrounding colors and blend in more than darker ones.
I think you did a good job, and the colors are probably fine. Everything depends on your local foliage anyway. Personally I think whitetail deer colors are the best around these parts. Mother nature agrees with me too!
I like it. Im gonna try the plastic bag camo paint trick on my horse trailer as soon as we get a few warm clear days. If that works, the truck is next. And if that works, the guns are next.
Yup, I agree, the lighter colors are more forgiving and adaptive in most environments.
Multicam has been my favorite since it showed up. Its also one of the easier patterns to mimic. I just use stencils trimmed out of printer paper and loosely draped over the gun and sprayed. The little bit of over spray gives that "blending" effect, and works well.
Oh, and BTW, you have 5,697 posts and in that time you were thanked 6,877 Times in 2,555 posts and have not found a single person to thank in return. Hard to believe that you were thanked that many times.
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Depends on what you want it for. Some paint is more permanent than others, and if you decide to take it off later, can be a real bitch to get off. Some require a bead blast.
Over the years, I mostly always used Testors Military Flats model paints for the most part. All the colors you need, and its removable. Lately, Ive been using some of the flat camo Krylons as well.
Ive used Brownells Aluma Hyde II for a number of things, and it works well, if you follow the directions to the letter. Works well as a paint for "paint over park", and/or a base coat for cammie jobs on guns. Its one of those more "permanent" paints thats not coming off without a bead blast though.
Ok experts, help me with this one.
10 yr old granddaughter wants a pink .22 for her 11th birthday (2 weeks). Problem is, she's already 5'7" and everything i've found so far is too small. So I'm going to buy another 10/22 and paint the stock pink.
I've been reading about painting guns and found some good techniques over on AR15.com that suggests using grass and sticks for pattern/block-out and it looks real good in the examples. I've been waiting to do this to my all black AR but the weather is getting nice enough now. Glad you reminded me. Nice job on yours!
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