I recently got really interested in the blackest paints in the world, Vantablack and Black 3.0.  It looks like this:

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I started wondering if it was possible to actually do an AR with it. Black 3.0 is a non-waterproof acrylic, but only ~$20 a tube. So I’m thinking... if you prepped the exterior surfaces, brushed on the superblack, then had it clear cerakoted... would it work?

Can someone educate me in paintology? How do you create the blackest of all black rifles?

Again?

Yes.

GD don’t count

And in all seriousness I’m evaluating the possibility of doing this IRL.

We have a NIR-to-UV photospectrometer at work and various calibration targets. The black reference target for calibrating “black” is a small cylinder/puck shape that you put into the integrating sphere. It’s so black, that when it’s clean your eyes can’t focus on it. Its kind of like trying to look at a true UVA/BLB blacklight bulb - your eyes just can’t do it. Even if you shine a bright light at it. It’s weird. Whatever it’s sitting on looks like there’s a perfectly cut hole in it. You can really only see it’s shape once it gets dirt/dust on it.

I think it’s called Spectralon SRS-02... has like 2% broadband reflectance from near IR through UV. If it was any darker, you’d be able to feed it for $0.99/day.

Clear coating it would degrade its performance. “Clear” is never clear. It will absorb something and probably reflectance will be a bigger performance impact.

Firstly, you want a matte diffuse black surface. Then you’d want the clear coat as thin and optically clear as possible. It’s a cool project idea. I’d love an entire outfit made of something ultra dark like that.

Edit: I visited the black 3.0 website and this is posted:

Q. Can I paint my car / bike etc…
A. NO - 3.0 is quite fragile and will just scratch off, it won’t weather well.
Q. Can I put a topcoat over it then?
A. NO that will destroy the matte effect, and many topcoats (including our COAT) will react with the paint and ruin the finish.
Q. I got some weird white marks form on my work, why?
A. You didn't let it dry fully between coats or you painted it on an absorbent surface without sealing it first.

Cool

Yeah the paint is designed for actual artwork, so it seems to be pretty fragile. The website sells this clear varnish for their paints, but even that wouldn’t stand up to firearm use.

Obviously, keeping the 99% light absorption is unrealistic, but even keeping 90% of it will make the rifle darker than any other rifle out there.

This is why I came here. LMAO

A very black substance that might hold up to coating a firearm, and wear fairly well would be to platinum plate, etch and oxidize.  Platinum oxide is that really dark stuff on certain black and white photograph prints. It is much darker than the silver oxide of most prints.

The downside, is the expense of the platinum.