Best way to paint an AR

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Pig Man

New member
Hey everyone, I'm getting ready to start over on my AR and this time I'm thinking about painting it some kind of tan color. I've already built an AR that had all black parts and it just wasn't practical so I'm stripping it down and starting over and I just want to change things up a bit by going with a different color. I want to paint the entire gun tan but I'm not sure what the best way of doing it is. Something that I could do myself is preferable but I wouldn't mind sending it somewhere to get painted. I also need something that I can take off just in case I decide to sell the scope or the rifle, I can return it to its original color. Is cerakoting really worth the money or would I be better off with something such as krylon? Also, does krylon or cerakote give the rifle that sticky feeling like you get from spray paint? Any suggestions on how to do it would be helpful.

Thanks,
Josh
 
I don't know if this is a serious question or not (really feels like a trap), but Cerakote and Krylon are very different animals.

Cerakote "can be done yourself", but I'd honestly say it "can't be done FEASIBLY yourself", unless you're pretty serious about doing more than just a few (or just one) application project. It takes a lot more than just an HVLP to do properly. Cerakote essentially cannot be undone, that is, without a pretty severe blasting job. Once you Cerakote a rifle, it'd be best to leave well enough alone in my book. Cerakoting can add value to a rifle. Cerakote is very durable (arguably the most durable coating finish on the market).

Krylon, on the other hand, is a crappy paint job. It can be sticky, rub off, scratch easily, etc etc. In general, any rattlecan job will hurt the value of your rifle, but it's fairly easy to blast off and refinish (wouldn't be worth my time personally, but I wouldn't rattlecan a rifle to start with).

Somewhere between these two is Duracoat, which is closer to Cerakote in quality than Krylon, in my experience. Duracoat, done right, does take more than an HVLP, but it doesn't require an oven (other than degassing). It's harder and more durable than rattlecan krylon jobs, and if it's done well, it can add value to your rifle.

Personally, I'd Cerakote, and nothing in the world could make me rattlecan one.
 
Everyone will have different option on this topic.
That said here is a how if you want to try it yourself. DIY gun camo job....

Personally I'm on the fence about it. May do a cerakoat base then try this sponge deal on top of that.
 
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Krylon can actually result in a pretty decent job. A lot depends on the amount of preparation you put into the job, and how much attention to detail you apply. A 'quick-'n'-dirty' job will be just that. I have seen some very respectable jobs done with Krylon, and some very crappy ones.

Remember, you are the only one you have to please with your efforts.

Wash the plastic components with Dawn dishwashing detergent, Simple Green, or something comparable. Rinse, and wipe dry. Degrease the metal components, and then keep your oily hands off until the paint dries. Mask off or remove anything that you don't want painted. Let the paint set up for a couple of days before you handle or reassemble, and you just might be surprised by the results.

And FWIW, I don't paint scopes.
 
If i was gonna go one i would cerakote it. Get a airbrush and practice. I rattle can my old beater shotgun cuz its just that a beater gun. Havnt worked up the kahonas to do the AR yet.
 
I'm doing a rattle-can camo job on an AR right now. I painted the lower receiver extension, then realized that was a mistake - the stock wouldn't slide with it painted. Went back with paint thinner (after a few days), and had a helluva time getting the paint off! I finally was able to remove enough to make the stock slide.

Maybe it's the 110+ degree Arizona heat, but the paint seems to set up quite hard after a couple of days. My results are far from professional quality, but they are more than adequate for hunting coyotes! I'm after function rather than strictly form.

I'll post pix once I'm finished - still need to apply some green and then a clear top coat.
 
Here is my rattle can job:
Yea I wouldn't do it on a $1000 + rifle but I only have about $700 into this one and built it that way because I planned on doing a rattle can job on it from the beginning.
To each their own, if it makes you happy to *^$#@ with everyone else!

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Thanks for the help everyone. Alright so I've pretty much decided that I'm not gonna do krylon. I'm gonna have more than $2k in the rifle when I'm done so I think it deserves a quality paint job. So if I get it cerakoted, where's the best place to get it done and about how much should I be expecting to pay to get the whole rifle cerakoted? Also, should I cerakote the scope(Trijicon Accupoint), or should I just leave it black? I'd like to get the scope cerakoted but it sounds like cerakote is pretty much permanent and I don't want to cerakote it if it's going to lose its value. Thanks everyone.

-Josh
 
Originally Posted By: buckskull
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Really dig the diamond grate pattern! I can definitely understand "I'm building this for [blank]" mentality as well, if it's going to be a workhorse, build a workhorse, and don't trim it with diamonds.

BUT, if you're not looking for a workhorse finish...

In general, the way I feel about gunfinishing is that it should either be a dip job, Cerakote, or at the budget end, Duracoat. If you can rattle can some Krylon, then you can Duracoat, and you'll end up with a far superior finish for durability.

Personally, I haven't ventured to Cerakote anything myself, would dang sure like to, but have not yet done so. I've done a lot of duracoating, and have been fairly pleased with the results, but again, it doesn't hold up as well as Cerakote, and duracoat isn't as well respected as far as resale value as Cerakoting is.
 
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I couldn't make up my mind what pattern I wanted on my AR permanently, so I hit it with Krylon fusion. It is coming off in places, but that just adds to the break up effect. It can easily be touched up. No tacky feel and no smell. I needed something desert like for a trip with Tony Tebbe, so I had a few cans of liquid courage and taped off the moving parts and let her have it. Much more than a few hundred bucks in this AR, but it is removable. When I make up my mind, it'll get Duracoat or Cerakote depending on the color scheme I go with. Fishnest stockings with Khaki base coat and Brown over the netting in random places. Let the coats dry over night before adding the next for best results. I didn't do the grip, bipod, or mag since it seemed unnecessary and figured it wouldn't last long.

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Ive camo'd most of my rifles, decided to go with solids on this one. (ignore the scope, looks bad and been too lazy to fix
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best way to paint an AR is to make it disappear...this is my 6 DTI painted with rustoleum
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this is my bushmaster, also painted with rustoleum.
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have you concidered the foam tape approach. I have rattle canned a few lower end guns but when it came to my RRA I was not brave enough to spray it. The foam take sticks to it self not the gun so it leaves not lasting damage. It comes in differnt patterns so you can change to match you environment.
 
Thanks for all the help everyone, I think I've decided what I'm going to do. All of y'alls rifles look great and diamond c, I didn't even notice the shotgun until bushy said something about it, and even after that it took me a minute to find it. Once again thanks for the help everyone, it really helped out a lot.

-Josh
 
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