In my recent efforts to square-away my Colt 901 as my "DMR", I have arrived at the camo point. I'd like it to be camouflaged, but I am hesitant to paint the gun. I have rattle-canned guns to good effect before, but I can't bring myself to do it to that one. I have had it for seven or eight years, and I don't see myself ever selling it, but it's also one of the few guns I own that has increased in value since I bought it.

So far I have painted the stock, grip, exposed portions of mags, silencer, scope sun shade and lens covers, and rail covers. I am also hesitant to paint the scope or scope mount; I wouldn't mind painting the mount if it didn't mean taking the gun apart. I then got some camo wrap tape; it's like medical wrap, in that it sticks to itself, and not the gun. I used it to wrap the scope and the bipod legs. The finished product looks a bit goofy, but I think it almost effectively breaks-up the silhouette. I have contemplated masking areas that would be hard to remove paint from, and painting portions of the receivers, but haven't made that leap yet.

Any techniques I am not aware of, that would be worth trying?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KSGM,

If I were to, I would start with this guide: https://kitbadger.com/painting-your-rifle/

A camo net wrap is also interesting, obviously best on top of an earth tone rifle. https://www.lowproapparel.com/...gmento-ghillie-snake
If they ever restock, or just make your own.

I have painted rifle barrels because one authority cautioned that tape could affect precision or point of impact. Otherwise I usually prefer two types of tape: Camo Form wrap (which may be what you mentioned) and “gaffer” tape.

In my environment the Mossy Oak “Brush” Camo Form is very effective for most backgrounds, and it’s my preference for things that it can be applied to like scopes and tripod legs. Although it can become a bit tacky in hot weather, it’s easy to apply and leaves very little residue when removed.

Gaffer tape is similar to the more common “duct” tape (horrible stuff!), but it’s much easier to remove after being left applied for a long time, and even after long applications the adhesive residue is very minor and relatively easy to remove. The tape is strong and relatively durable, and therefore also provides some protection for the finish it’s applied to.

I’m aware of two types of gaffer tape with camouflage patterns, one that’s brown/tan based and the other darker, based on green. An alternative to painting the equipment directly is to apply a light colored (e.g., tan) gaffer tape and paint it.

Gaffer tape:
https://www.amazon.com/Camoufl...-Power/dp/B06ZY26CV8

The photo shows Camo Form wrap on the scope body and tripod legs; tan camo gaffer tape on the receiver and sunshade of the scope. (The one leg has MultiCam pattern wrap, and the other two have the Brush pattern. I ran out of the latter but later used it to replace the MultiCam. For some reason the Brush version is also less tacky than the MultiCam.) If left applied for extended periods, Camo Form and gaffer tape will leave a bit of adhesive residue when removed. That residue can be removed with solvents like 99% isopropyl alcohol, lighter fluid, or acetone (be careful using that, though). The below are not intended to be full-on military level camouflage jobs, and are more for protection of the finish of the various parts and pieces, but show the basic methods I use.





Painted barrel and bipod legs; Camo Form on the scope; tan camo gaffer tape applied to small areas:

There's also hydro-dipping, but there's a bit of a learning curve.

I did an AR in gator skin just for the sake of silly. Not a great job, but I didn't really care.

I hide my camouflaged weapons.

That Ghillie bungee cord is a clever idea, but it'd be tricky to rig it up without impeding function or controls.

I would not hydro-dip anything. I think it looks tacky, and have heard tell of moisture being trapped between it and the firearms surface.

Thank you, sigfreund, for the feedback. The wrap I got is an off-brand Camo Form wrap. I didn't want to invest in the Camo Form without experimenting first.

Something like the Ghillie barrel wrap would be good if moving through appropriate terrain/vegetation to set up for a shot, but hardly for routine storage and use. And even for stalking that could be difficult to maneuver without its getting caught constantly.

If you’re able to live with a single color like OD and have some money burning a hole in your pocket, consider Birdsong and associates Green-T. It is a premium Teflon based finish that adds exponential resistance to moisture and even salt spray and worth every penny. A full rifle is $230.
https://black-t.com/our-price-list/

Rustoleum camo spray paint.

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
In my recent efforts to square-away my Colt 901 as my "DMR", I have arrived at the camo point. I'd like it to be camouflaged, but I am hesitant to paint the gun. I have rattle-canned guns to good effect before, but I can't bring myself to do it to that one. I have had it for seven or eight years, and I don't see myself ever selling it, but it's also one of the few guns I own that has increased in value since I bought it.

So far I have painted the stock, grip, exposed portions of mags, silencer, scope sun shade and lens covers, and rail covers. I am also hesitant to paint the scope or scope mount; I wouldn't mind painting the mount if it didn't mean taking the gun apart. I then got some camo wrap tape; it's like medical wrap, in that it sticks to itself, and not the gun. I used it to wrap the scope and the bipod legs. The finished product looks a bit goofy, but I think it almost effectively breaks-up the silhouette. I have contemplated masking areas that would be hard to remove paint from, and painting portions of the receivers, but haven't made that leap yet.

Any techniques I am not aware of, that would be worth trying?

Spray Paint.
But it wasn't my paint, and at the end of the day, they weren't my guns either.

If it wears off, just touch it up with more paint.

Blue spray paint since we all know they all seem to end up in rivers and lakes eventually.

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
I have rattle-canned guns to good effect before, but I can't bring myself to do it to that one.

Although I have resorted to painting on occasion, I prefer to use other methods or at least, as in the case of my M1A, have replacement parts to paint rather than the original. Painting is an easy decision if the equipment doesn’t belong to us, or if, “I’ll never sell this …”—until we decide to.

And if we’re going on a stalk, there are other things to consider besides changing the color and knocking the shine off our rifle.

I camo'd one of my rifles a few years ago. Put it down and haven't seen it since!

Somewhere I have a roll of surplus Russian rifle wrap. It was a roll of brown, and a roll of green dyed burlap like material, 1.5-2” thick. If I remember right, each color was wrapped in opposing directions, down the rifle. https://youtu.be/xJj0dbtOgws Wouldn’t be hard to replicate. And I have read posts online of people using white horse vet wrap for non-permanent snow camo. Personally I would only use something synthetic so it won’t hold moisture. I have a couple USGI mags that rusted inside a buttstock mag pouch, and no desire to have that happen on a whole rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
Somewhere I have a roll of surplus Russian rifle wrap. It was a roll of brown, and a roll of green dyed burlap like material, 1.5-2” thick.

Burlap (aka "hessian") was the O.G. camo wrap, back in the World Wars.

Used on some sniper rifles:



Also used on stuff like binoculars and periscopes:



And helmets:

NOTE that I posted a follow-up about this particular type of tape on the second page. It isn't the same as what I linked to in my first post above:
++++++++++

I just discovered that now there are many more camouflage patterns available on gaffer tape than the two I referenced above.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B..._03_01_t_img_lh&th=1

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigfreund,

No paint?
Well that changes things a little bit.

Hit 2 different places- your local arts & crafts store. If they sell fabric, look at burlap. The other place would be an Army / Navy surplus store. Grab a pair of cammo pants or a cammo shirt or two. Cut to the desired lengths, you can use good rubber bands to affix the cammo to the weapon.

The suppressor- there's a handful of different suppressor wraps that will fit what you have. There's a silicon one that's made from the same stuff as oven mitts, there's fabric ones too. Each have their benefits.

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
No paint?
Well that changes things a little bit.

The suppressor- there's a handful of different suppressor wraps that will fit what you have. There's a silicon one that's made from the same stuff as oven mitts, there's fabric ones too. Each have their benefits.

I should have included the paintless parameter in my thread title, and have made that adjustment, but it was clear in my OP.

I also stated in the OP that I did indeed paint other parts of the rifle, to include the silencer, but didn't want to paint the receiver(s).

I appreciate the ghillie suggestions, and also commented on the ghillie bungee suggested by someone else. Those options have since been eliminated for reasons mentioned above.

The gaffer tape is likely the direction I'll go. Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.

good options posted so far --

in any case -- you want to consider :

shine -- obviously matte is better than anything shiny / glossy...

shape -- anything you can do to create a little 'drape' so your rifle doesn't visually stand out as a rifle -- burlap works great for this

not just one color -- of course here is blending in with the native surroundings -- white in snow; earth brown and green in vegetated areas; tan in desert etc..

if you think about it -- the eye is drawn to motion and 'things that stand out' from their surroundings.

-------------------------

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
shine -- obviously matte is better than anything shiny / glossy...

The paint I had on hand was very subdued and earthy tones but, unfortunately, did end up with a bit of a sheen. I'll likely re-apply down the road.