Custom Camo: AR-15 Camo Advice

[HMMurdock]

Alright, here's my situation and I'm ignorant to this process so bear with me, please...

I own a Bushmaster AR-15 that is wearing foliage green Magpul stock, foregrip and pistol grip, a metal quad rail, and an Aimpoint PRO optic. In other words, a standard rifle with a few accessories.

I want, and am willing to pay someone who knows what they are doing to do it, my rifle camouflaged. I like the idea of Duracoat, but the look I am going for is what I usually associate with Krylon, but I want something very durable that won't wear or scratch easily.

The look I want is one without a definite pattern, but more of a "splotchy" look. Can I do it with my current setup? Anyone know where I might go about finding someone who can do this sort of work well?

Below are a few pictures of the idea I have in mind. Any advice is welcome and feel free to add photos of what you've done, seen or other recommendations. Thanks!

 

[Hookeye]

Krylon and clear, cheap and easy.............plus you can change it later when it starts to look beat up.

Here is a thread by an infamous poster..........what he did to his gun, or what he had done, or whatever.............

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/long_guns/218487-battlecoat_t_ed_ak.html

 

[HMMurdock]

Thanks! Awesome thread and that looks fantastic. But that's the thing, if it looks the way I want it I won't want to change it after it gets "beat up". Unless there's a type of clear coat to make it as "permanent" as Duracoat?

And regardless, I don't trust my Krylon coating skills, especially when it comes to the optic.

 

[Hookeye]

This is when I didn't have clear on my 700 stock. It's been on a dozen or so yote hunts and banged in the brush and looks the same, not even a chip or scratch.

Of course, I only did the stock, no metal.

I just did a beater 1100 receiver, in reg paint and clear (flat black). Dunno how tough it'll be. Plan is to run it as is and when it gets bad, acetone it and try duracoat kit (single color, 30 bucks).

Tape and rattle can job below. The clear does add some sheen to the previously flat camo job. But it's not too bad. Maybe not good enough to be tacticool.
The problem I've seen when some folks do duracoating, or heavy Krylon, is the more stencils/tape that are used, there gets to be some topography to the paint. I do simple stuff to keep things as smooth as possible, and then do a few coats of clear.

I'd really like a Moonshine camo "wildfire" stock, grip and forend on my TC deer rig, but the cost is a bit much IMHO. Looks cool, and I also like their Harvest Moon camo.

 

[Hookeye]

From what I've read. Duracoat aint that tough, unless you leave it alone for weeks.
I put together a flat black Duracoated Encore rifle for a guy and it didn't chip or peel, but I also was pretty darn careful. It had been sprayed and left alone for some time before I got it.

I have no idea what is available in color or patterning with the reportedly tougher Cerakote stuff.

Film dipping they shoot clear over to protect. Not sure what grade the big boys use, but the home kits come with a spray can of clear.

 

[Hookeye]

Quick camo job over textured paint- just simple striping/blotch.
After all, it was an Axis. Yup, it looks kinda cheesy, just don't sit that thing on the edge of a field when coyote hunting, it flat out disappeared (worked super good, surprised me).

 

[Hookeye]

You can also use Krylon "webbing". Bud had an almost empty can so I quick striped it to see what would happen......
got two cans from Hobby Lobby waiting for a victim, I mean beater stock on something

 

[Hookeye]

Bow got spraybombed limbs, think something similar for my deer rifle's stock...

What looks good up close sucks far away, so your idea for blotch I think to be correct. The 700 stock i did works well, I wouldn't make any tighter pattern
(did on another rig, different colors and far away it wasn't good, so I stripped it all off).

The ATACs dip rig on the other thread looks way better, but costs way more.

I'm content to just spray bomb a stock now and then, on a couple of rigs only. It's very tempting after doing one to screw up every gun you own
My turkey gun is factory black. My goose gun wears a factory camo stock, but metal is all black.

 

[HMMurdock]

Beautiful! I really am a sucker for the "quick" striping/blotching. More universal, I think. I just know if I get it the way I want it, I don't want to have to worry about touching it up or redoing it down the road. I want to enjoy it and forget about it.

Looks like you do fine work, Hookeye!

 

[Hookeye]

Thanks, my patience is lacking so I don't spend more than 2 hrs on a screwup
BTW, went to the Bushmaster site looking for a muzzlebrake and saw this:

 

[HMMurdock]

Ugh. My pants just got tight.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Cherekote or hydro dipping if you want something permanent.

 

[HMMurdock]

I understand the dipping is rather expensive, yes?

 

[phylodog]

I did this with Cerakote several years ago. It was pretty simple to do.

I had my .308 hydro dipped. You're probably looking at a couple hundred bucks to have something similar done.