Introduction

We as gun owners have a passion for customizing our firearms. The accessory and customization aftermarket is arguably as strong as the firearms market itself, but for some folks there is a line they dare not cross. Toady we are going to discuss perhaps one of the more challenging firearm customizations; painting your guns.

We’ve all seen some amazing custom paint and Cerakote jobs by custom shops. And even using cheap rattle-can you can often create some amazing looking firearms. I’ve really enjoyed custom painting a variety of firearms over the years, and I’ve had quite a few requests during the same time. So today I wanted to share my method, as well as help you take the plunge toward your own creation. With any luck, your result will be impressive and I’d love to share pictures of what you come up with below.

Why Paint Your Gun?

If you are like me, you see guns as more than just a noisy tool, it’s often an extension of our own tastes and practices. That is part of the reason you’ll find many of my guns are painted camouflage, not because I believe myself to be some kind of sniper, but because it fits into my shooting style and practice. I really doubt the camo paint on my rifles or the camo I wear while hunting is really that effective in many situations. I’ve killed as many coyotes wearing jeans and a hoodie as I have fully decked out in camo. But I like the look of a camo rifle, and that’s all the reason I need. And as important or unimportant as it might be, it sets my guns apart from others.

Custom coatings are becoming more and more common these days, whether it be your turkey shotgun or a varmint rifle. They do a great job protecting our guns from corrosion and salt-water, or whatever else you might encounter in your shooting practice. Factory jobs are pretty good looking, but they often lack some of the individuality we crave. That’s where we jump off today.

Pick Your Poison

I mentioned Cerakote, which is a bake-on ceramic coating that is extremely durable and protective to your firearm. There are many other kinds of coatings you can use that require less effort and surface prep than Cerakote, of course they are also less durable.

Having used both, I can say there are pros to going either way. For example, I like the weathered look of some paint jobs. Duracoat is a two-part coating similar to epoxy that also has very durable and protective qualities. Even the Krylon spray-paint you find at the hardware store can be effectively used to coat your firearms. Brownell’s Aluma-hyde also comes in a spray cans and creates an epoxy-like finish that is also very durable. Using one or more of these products together can create some cool effects on your guns.

Generally I use more than one of the aforementioned coatings, like a Cerakote base followed by one of the other products. This typically gives me the protection and sometimes weathered look I desire.

Artist Block

Perhaps the hardest part is deciding exactly what you want to create. There are plenty of designs out there you can copy or imitate, the good news is that even if you try to copy something it will likely turn out different.

I’ll share an idea that has helped me; I have two nearly identical use rifles, but I painted them differently. One of them has a camo pattern that fits in very well to the dry desert landscape of the Great Basin where I do a LOT of shooting. The other rifle is painted to match the alpine forests where I also spend a lot of time.

I also have other rifles that have been painted in such a way that they mix into either of those two landscapes. Honestly the way I’ve best overcome artist block is by looking at cool paint-jobs on the internet, and then coming up with something I like combining the looks of what I’ve seen. Often times I change it up in the middle of the paint booth and surprise myself.

Preparing your Guns for Painting

Cleaning

You should start with a clean gun, the cleaner the better. Mainly free of dirt an oil, so a better than typical cleaning is for sure in order. Even if the gun is brand new I like to at least clean it with solvent to remove any oils or other contaminants. Any part of the gun that will be painted or touched during painting should be clean.

I like to use something like acetone or MEK to remove everything from the gun’s surface after cleaning. Of course you should always look into the materials your gun is made of to ensure you don’t use something that will damage it.

Disassembly

Most guns will require some level of disassembly to properly paint them. If you don’t know how to disassemble your guns, this might be your first clue you’re in over your head. Make sure you research and understand the various parts and how everything goes together. Its also a good idea to see what parts don’t need to be disassembled to properly paint the gun.

Also something to keep in mind, if you are using a heat cured coating like Cerakote, its important to know what parts can be heated in an oven and what parts cannot. Some polymers can be safely heated to the cure temp, and some might not. There are alternative options like air curable Cerakote, the Duracoat and other spray paints. I typically try and use the same products on all parts for matching tones.

You can also break it up by doing something like painting the stock or chassis one pattern, and leaving the barrel a solid color. Lots of combinations to mix it up can create some good looks.

Surface prep

In addition to cleaning, depending on the coating or paint you intend to use, the surface may need preparation. For example when Cerakoting, metal parts need to be both clean and preferably bead blasted. The raw roughed up surface is what Cerakote adheres to. Other coatings and paints can also benefit from the same process though it may be less critical.

Anodized parts are fine as they are, in my experience most coating adhere great to anodized surfaces. Make sure all the parts you intend to coat are clean, and their surfaces ready before starting anything else.

Components

Another thing you’ll want to keep in mind while painting is the components that will go with the firearms. Whether it be a scope, a weapon light, or some other accessory. Keep it in mind while doing your prep, though I wouldn’t recommend putting your scopes and some accessories through a sand blaster or oven. Its also important to keep paint and coating out of places they shouldn’t get, like inside barrels, or other parts. The same goes for sand-blasting, make sure to seal barrels and protect threads and engravings etc. In short, cover everything you don’t want paint or sandblast grit getting into, and when in doubt cover it.

Also, many of my firearms are configurable. Meaning I can change barrels, handguards, suppressors and such. So if you are going to paint the gun, paint the other components to match at the same time. That way you can ensure a good pattern and color match because they were all prepped and painted at the same time.

Stencils and Masking

Stencils and Tape

I like to use stencils for custom paint jobs, there are all kinds of stencil kits you can buy that make it easy. Different patterns and styles can be had or made yourself. I often make my own stencils using just the blue painters tape or the high-temp masking tape if you plan to bake your parts.

I usually use a plastic cutting board, and an razor knife to cut out the shapes and features I want. I usually do this as I go, cutting and adjusting my stencil shapes to fit in the space available on the gun.

Colors and Layers

After deciding on how many colors I want to use, I decide how many layers it might take. For example, with three colors I start with the base color and start making the remaining two layers of color. It’s important to be able to visualize a negative image, much like looking at camera negatives. The first color you start with will likely be the smallest shapes in your pattern, and the last color you paint will likely be the majority of your paint job.

Every layer you cover with a stencil, will be represented by the color underneath. So if I have a base color of black, then add a stencil and paint brown, then another stencil and paint tan, the finished look after removing the stencils will give me a black/brown/tan in the shapes as they were covered.

Texture

I add more detail by adding texture to some layers by using a mesh, or leaves, or some other material. Doing this to some layers and not others gives a depth to the paint job.

Once you pull off the stencils after a safe drying period, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what it looks like underneath. The more time you take between layers the better, and there’s nothing wrong with going back over it afterwards to get the effect you desire.

This humble black/brown/tan example was an old handguard I didn’t need. This took a few minutes goofing around in my garage last night. So you can imagine how much better it would look if you took your time and made it better. That’s how most of the guns pictured here have been done, just with more diligence and prep-time.

Cure and Dry Time

Depending on the type of coating you use, you might need to bake your parts or just let them air dry. Using your wife’s oven for baking Cerakote will go over like a fart in an elevator so think this through before becoming single. I always like to use some level of heat, it not only speeds the process but also sets the paint better and removes the tackiness of the cheaper finishes.

In the summer time I will leave my parts out in the hot summer sun as long as possible to help bake on spray paint. Or sit them over a heating vent during the winter, but make sure you get the paint cured either with heat or time. You don’t want to be at the range a few hours later and have paint rubbing into your hands.

Final Thoughts

This is the way I paint guns, it is certainly not the only way. I’m sure some internet hero will be along shortly to tell me what I’m doing wrong, but thats ok. The only thing that matters at the end of the day is that you like your result.

That said, I would love to see what you come up with. So if you’ve managed to paint one of your guns and survived, message me how yours turned out, and maybe we’ll post it up here for everybody else to gaze upon.

-CBM