Bought a synthetic stocked Model 70/270 earlier this year and decided now would be a good time to get rid of the black and put some camo on it. I went with two Krylon paints made specifically for bonding to plastic, and two Krylon paints for general camo.

Taped off all the particulars that would not do well with gummy speckles and then wiped everything else down with acetone. I had the rifle suspended by a coated strip of electrical wire fed through the forward sling stud and wore nitrile gloves during the entire process.
I am happy with the results, but am wondering, should I put some sort of top coat over it or just touch it up over the years as it wears away? Paint seems pretty durable on the plastic parts but I'm sure it will scratch off the metal parts when bushwhackin.

Here's some pics -

I have seen it overcoated with semi-gloss urethane and I liked it better.

I think it looks good as is.

Cover it with flat clear coat, and your camo will last longer. It is going to scratch off, but the clear will slow it down. Make sure there is no gloss to the clear, or it will cause glint. And that can get you busted by predators, especially.

Clear coat for sure.

Flat clear for sure

Flat or matte finish, nice job

I like the reds you used.

Thanks for the kind remarks and advice guys. I will see what kind of 'clears' are good to use on top of the Krylon. I kinda like it the way it is and hate to muck it up at this point.
Funny, the idea of shooting paint over it didn't wig me out near as much as the idea of putting down a clear top coat. I guess I'm worried about it reacting with the paint or gumming up the works.
There are a lot of the gloss or semi-gloss products out there, acrylics, polyurethane, lacquers and urethanes. Flat and matte are not easy to find.
Craft store has something called 'Make it Last' that comes in a spray can. Not sure what type it is, but the label shows spraying it over ceramics.
Auto part shop has automotive grade 'clear', but high gloss.
Home fix-it center has aspar urethane in clear, but it was gloss as well. I've used it on outdoor benches. It works well, but is not compatible with all paints.

I think a 'test' might be in order. Maybe camo a plastic tackle box or an old cordless drill case and see how the various products interact and hold up.

. Thanks! With the standard three colors, light green, tan, and brown, it looked a bit green to me. The red color is actually from a leftover can of Krylon brown made for spraying plastic chairs and such. It is a lighter brown than the standard 'camo' brown. By spraying it on through some twigs and grasses it thinned it out and gave it more a red tint.

Very good looking work there

Cool, good choice!

Be aware, that Krylon brand clear coat commonly available at big box stores is acrylic lacquer while the color coats are enamel. These two products are generally incompatible when sprayed over top one another. That particular clear will cause the enamel underneath to shrivel.


Krylon does change their formulas often, so be sure to test on scrap before spraying a clear over your camo job.

I've seen a lot of ruined paint jobs over on the guitar building forum.

Thanks for the heads up! That's exactly what I'm worried about. I have an old plastic case a cordless drill came in. I will camo it and then see which clear coat product is the most compatible with the Krylon I used.

Here's the grayscale version.


I also wanted my long black rifle sling to hide better. I used two colors of 550 para cord to make a padded section up front and then wove in some blaze orange. Standard cobra weave pattern and just random with the orange. Actually feels good on the shoulder and helps keep the sling from sliding around so much!



Grayscale version

I love the look. You did a great job. I would clear coat it but make sure it is mat finish or at least something without a sheen. Looking good!

Looks fantastic! As many voted, I also feel flat clear now is the way to go.

Looks great! I used matte clear on duck decoys once upon a time it seemed tohelp the color stay on longer.

That is one AWESOME looking gun!! Congrats!! What kind of school is that?