So for a long time, I've pondered the idea of changing the color of my rifle. I looked into Duracoat but didn't like the fact that it goes on thick so I decided to try out Brownell's Gun-Kote in Matte Dark Earth (matches Magpul FDE very closely).

The piece that I did is parkerized, the ideal surface for this product. Instead of applying it with an airbrush however, I just painted it on with a normal paint brush. Followed the video's instruction and gave it a durability test.

It is much stronger and has more lubricity than parkerizing. Only after I rolled it on pavement and dropped it intentionally on the corner from 6ft did it show sign of wear... Of course the metal piece was deformed so I didn't expect the Gun-Kote to stay on. After the Gun-Kote started to wear, I put CLP on it and rubbed vigirously and then sprayed carb-cleaner on it and rubbed vigiriously to no effect. I'm pretty satisfied with this but haven't decided if I want my rifle to have its color permanently changed.

Crappy cell phone pictures time!!

Below: Matching it with Ergogrip and Magpul rail cover
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/boogieman065/DSC00201.jpg
Below: Lacing the ladder rail cover with the Gun-Koted product
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/boogieman065/DSC00204.jpg
Below: Scratch test between parkerized surface and Gun-Kote surface. No sign of wear on Gun-Kote but parkerized finish wears off and shows aluminum
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/boogieman065/DSC00202.jpg
Below: Corner dropped from 6ft and rolled 4-5 times.
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/boogieman065/DSC00205.jpg
Below: Container of Gun-Kote with the test product
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/boogieman065/DSC00203.jpg

Looks good, that's rather impressive.  I might have to look into that product myself.

Painting with a brush it looks pretty damn good.

Gun-Kote puts duracoat to shame. It is much stronger. More than I could ever have believed.

But make sure you take the entire gun apart and spray the individual parts..and make sure to leave some parts black, or it will look retarded. The worst look is when the entire damn rifle is painted from stock to scope and barrel in some crappy lizard camo or whatever crazies are doing now....make it classic and awesome.

technical point but you can't park aluminum.

If I do airbrush, can I just use a crappy $25 airbrush with a $10 aeresol attachment? I don't want to invest too much money on an airbrush that will be used once.

I didn a few RETRO rifles in Matte Gray GUN KOTE from Brownells ( rattle-can)

I'm amazed how well the finish has held up, especially in places like the magazine well.











The M16A1 upper is original COLT gray anodized. I think it matches pretty well.





I'm interested in trying an airbrush next time.

what's a decent airbrush that I could buy for small projects like this?

I have an air compressor.

I tried a "joke" airbrush that was $15 and it didn't work at all. Ended up getting a $129 Pasche airbrush from a hobby store..i use it more than once, so it's a tool investment that i'm okay with...

Anyone done similar test with Aluma-Hyde?

I just did today with my plastic handguard to the same result. I did bake the plastic piece after it dried at 200 degrees for 4 hours. This way you can avoid waiting 2 weeks. You can use the product the same day you spray.

It does scratch slightly easier because it was on plastic. Can't be scratched with nails. For anything metal, I'd recommend Gun-Kote.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=4&t=487358&page=1