Gunsmithing Painting barreled action?

[BoilerUP]

I've gone through some of the "rifle painting tutorials" here but didn't see exactly what I was looking for...

After getting my Manners T2 & CDI DBM installed, I want to make my 10FP and CBI barrel a flat black color.

There's a local gunsmith who does firearm finishes and would charge me $100 to professionally Duracoat everything...but I'm thinking of trying a coat of Krylon Ultra Flat Black first to see how it looks. I figure if its bad I'll go ahead and do the Duracoat, if its acceptable I'll shoot a coat of matte clear on it and use it for a while to see how it wears.

What I'm curious about is the details of painting a barreled action; I could just attack the thing but I want to do it "right". I understand for best results I need to prep the all metal via sandpaper or blasting, then make sure everything is cleaned & degreased.

Should I disassemble the trigger & safety before painting, or just tape over them?

Should I remove the bolt from the rifle when I paint the barreled action, tape over the bolt in the rifle and paint everything, or just shoot everything the same?

I plan on sticking an earplug into the barrel...should I be concerned about paint on the crown?

Anything else I'm missing? Sure its not rocket science, but I do want it to look the best it possibly can.

Thanks!

 

[locked&loaded]

Re: Painting barreled action?

To be done right it needs to be degreased, and blasted with 120 grit alu ox.
Bolt and trigger assembly removed, chamber and muzzle plugged.
Coated with several light coats until a uniform coat is complete.
$100 for your local smith to do the barreled action is not a bad deal provided he is experienced with coatings.

 

[darrenk75b]

Re: Painting barreled action?

If you are just spraying krylon, I would not go through the extreme of blasting it first. Remove the trigger. Plug the barrel and breach. Also, I would stuff the action with newspaper first. Krylon is thick, and will affect the cycling of the action. Leave it off any real contact surfaces of the bolt and action (action rail and bolt lugs).

 

[jeepwilson]

Re: Painting barreled action?

I have Cerakoted a few guns in the last few weeks and if the gunsmith will do 1 for $100.I would let him do it assuming he knows what he is doing.But that is my .02 worth.

 

[Rprecision]

Re: Painting barreled action?

I have duracoated two myself.

No big deal mask off what you need/want and do your thing

Dont forget your scope ! Painting over turets, power rings, and on lens's coukld ruin your day

 

[hero's machine]

Re: Painting barreled action?

$100 is cheap. You will have a third to half in expenses.

 

[MedinaM40]

Re: Painting barreled action?

let the smith do it worth the trouble

 

[Reaper21]

Re: Painting barreled action?

I did the same thing you are wanting to do to my 10-fp about 4 yrs ago and used krylon. I didn't sand it, only degreased it. I removed the bolt and masked of the action. That's where you want to pay most attention to detail as to not get overspray in our action. I plugged the barrel (with a cloth if I remember correctly) and painted the crown. The only wear I've seen is in the crown. All the paint is gone, it's just too hard to clean without getting solvent in the crown. As stated before, take care to the scope, it's probably the most detailed part of job.

You could have it painted professionally and maybe have a better looking gun, depending on your skill level but then you also won't have somethin you did yourself. It's a good feeling when you have something come out great that you can say you did yourself and show off.

 

[mkmckinley]

Re: Painting barreled action?

A garage Krylon job and a properly applied Cerakote are two completely different animals. Cerakote is much more durable, thinner, and does a better job of protecting the metal. Krylon will chip and let moisture through to the metal. You can get rust under the paint and not even know it because you can't see it.

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: Painting barreled action?

This is the local smith that gave me the $100 barreled action quote; he's literally 5 minutes from my house:

http://www.kempscustomcoatings.com/

The closest Cerakoter to me is Para Bellum in Louisville...and I've read some shady things about their customer service here on the Hide. They quoted $140 and ~14 day turnaround for a Cerakote-H finish...which for many turns into 2-3 months.

I want a durable finish on my weapon but don't plan to beat the hell out of it so I dunno if I *need* to Cerakote vs. Duracoat.

 

[LRI]

Re: Painting barreled action?

I've recently dived hard/heavy into the world of gun finishing. I bought/made all the cool chit for doing this stuff.

What I've learned is the preparation part of the deal determines 99.9% of the outcome.

Whether its the latest coating or you are using a roller with house paint, the more time invested ensuring you have a contaminate free surface the better. Media blasting the surface will go a long way towards success. Glass beads tend to peen the steel finish. This will work to some degree but your really after a surface that's etched. Garnet or aluminum oxide media will do this really well. It literally cuts the steel and leaves a zillion little scratches on the metal parts. When painted it gives the paint the ability to grab onto something. Flaking will be reduced.

Your challenge is the hardness issue. Paint from a can is going to be either laquer or enamel. Enamel is harder but still pretty soft compared to a purpose built finish like CeraKote. It'll look good for awhile but likely wont last.

Break down the rifle as far as your comfortable with. Clean, blast, paint.

Good luck

C.

 

[ugsly]

Re: Painting barreled action?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've recently dived hard/heavy into the world of gun finishing. I bought/made all the cool chit for doing this stuff.

What I've learned is the preparation part of the deal determines 99.9% of the outcome.

C. </div></div>

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