Painting my 'new' gun

[Admiral Alaska]

I recently went out and bought a used mini-14. It is in really good shape and I love it with one exception, it has a silver barrel and all the other parts, I want it black. I was wondering if it is safe to paint the bolt and the receiver and the like in that end of the gun. I looked at duracoating videos and after buying the gun I'm out of money for the expensive paint, but was wondering if spray paint would do the job and if it would effect the action of the gun. I can take it apart so that's not a problem, I just don't really want to damage my "new" gun. So any advise would be appreciated.

PS: Sorry I ranted on for so long and I hope I got my question across and that someone actually understands this.

[Skyowl]

You can clean the exterior and paint it but I would defer to Big Saw on the internals. I believe he has a mini 14. Mags has also done the outside of his so he would be another source of info on painting your gun. Hope it all works out for you.

[kenno]

I've recently painted several Rugers using Krylon and Rustoleum. Spray paint is perfectly safe and can be stripped-off with the usual solvents (check instructions). If the paint is baked on after it has dried it will bond a bit better but it's wear qualitys are the same as most spray paints. Field strip the rifle and degrease with brake cleaner, denatured alchahol or acetone, this is the most important step. Use alcohol for plastic parts that may disolve with other solvents. Mask areas not to be painted with Blue masking tape, set small parts, like screws in a wooden block drilled with appropiate sized holes. Follow directions for painting. I prefer flat green and brown paint, but single colors are alot easier.

[avking]

You should save up and go with the Duracoat. I sent out myAR-30 with mags and optics. $225 was all it cost. I am going to send my 1911 and LR-308 as soon as I can get the time to ship them.

[denvernative321]

You should save up and go with the Duracoat. I sent out myAR-30 with mags and optics. $225 was all it cost. I am going to send my 1911 and LR-308 as soon as I can get the time to ship them.

+1 dont just use some cheap spray paint i would opt for the duracoat.

[slowz1k]

Duracoat is NICE!!! and I can't fault anyone for doing it "right", but I'm a cheap skate. Unless it's a safe queen, or handgun, it'll see Krylon for any and all color changes.
Obviously, the Krylon will not hold up as well and will show scratches, and chips, which may or may not be viewed as "character", but a touchup is just a rattlecan away. Try it. If you don't like it, strip it off. My mossberg is Krylon and seen heavy use and has yet to be touched up.

[PalmettoNative]

Duracoat is NICE!!! and I can't fault anyone for doing it "right", but I'm a cheap skate. Unless it's a safe queen, or handgun, it'll see Krylon for any and all color changes.
Obviously, the Krylon will not hold up as well and will show scratches, and chips, which may or may not be viewed as "character", but a touchup is just a rattlecan away. Try it. If you don't like it, strip it off. My mossberg is Krylon and seen heavy use and has yet to be touched up.

where did you get those sights?

[Big_Saw]

Ahem......"cheapo spray paint":



You could touch this up every year and still save $$ over the higher priced finishes :D But I've never had to do more than a quick spurt here and there...one can of one color in Krylon should last a 1/2 a lifetime for touch-ups....YMMV.

[slowz1k]

They are from MMC. Ghost ring rear... Banded front with tritium insert. Awesome sights but I would think twice about buying from this company again. It took months to get the sights and only after almost daily phone calls, and threats of reporting them to the BBB. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go with the Mossberg ghost rings, and an XS tritium insert. Heres a link to MMC.... Beware.

http://www.mmcsight.com/

[Demorian]

From the looks of MMC's online store if the company is still in business their store sure isn't

[Long_Hunter]

I recently went out and bought a used mini-14. It is in really good shape and I love it with one exception, it has a silver barrel and all the other parts, I want it black. I was wondering if it is safe to paint the bolt and the receiver and the like in that end of the gun. I looked at duracoating videos and after buying the gun I'm out of money for the expensive paint, but was wondering if spray paint would do the job and if it would effect the action of the gun. I can take it apart so that's not a problem, I just don't really want to damage my "new" gun. So any advise would be appreciated.

PS: Sorry I ranted on for so long and I hope I got my question across and that someone actually understands this.

When you say "silver barrel" are you saying that the barrel is old and no longer black (blued) or is it a stainless steel mini??

[kenno]

I should have added that my 40 year old m-870 got a dose of black Rustoleum about 30 years ago. I did not properly prep the metal so the paint wore off a bit faster than normal but I have yet to need a serious touch-up. Sure Duracoat is what the Tactical Gurus endorse and it is a good product, if someone coated mine for free I'd endorse it as well! but concidering you can buy 1000 rnds of quality ammo for the price of a Duracoate, and on a stainless gun you need not worry about rust anyway.

[Long_Hunter]

Well, I never heard back about your barrel... so...
If you are set on painting, here are two viable options, neither as expensive as you might have thought, and both are effective.

1. This is from Brownells and is very popular and very easy; it has an excellent record withstanding modern bore cleaners and solvents: http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1...A_HYDE_reg__II
2. Duracoat; avaiable in a kit form that includes the air brush- many patterns to choose from and all are affordable: http://www.houtsenterprises.net/dur_rhodesian.html (link is to the Rhodesian pattern, but it gets you there)

RLTW!!
LH

[avking]

I just got my Kimber back from the Duracoater. $75 for the job and it included three coats and he did 4 mags with it. We went with old school mil green and black accents. For any extra $50 he did a treatment on the slide and frame kinda like teflon and it no longer needs to be lubed along the slide.

[Mags]

DuraCoat and the other "professional" coatings are great but just not nessessary for me. I've Kryloned my kit including my Kifaru packs for years. I never used a "pattern" prefering to just spray it on and let it wear. Over the years I've gotten the best results when the paint was wearing off my gear. Again, the pro coatings are great just not something I need. "She ain't pretty but she runs."

OD Green TT First Responder Bag dusted brown & tan.


E-Tool Cover & Bino's dusted brown & tan.



OD Green Kifaru EMR painted brown & tan, ready for deployment.


Black Safariland Holster painted tan.


Two shots of my "Black Rifle" Kryloned up.



Black spotting scope & Lieca Laser Range Finder.


Lightfighter/Eagle OD Green RAID Pack painted tan.


Ranger Green Paraclete chest harness painted tan.



Just some examples from over the years........... Krylon is good nuff for me.