Painting a Handi Rifle?

[MrChaos]

I want to paint my handi rifle is there a guide out there that describes what all I need to take off/mask off in order to paint the rifle correctly. Also the best paint to use, I have seen krylon, engine enamel, duracoat, etc. used.

[oldsoldja]

I paint barrels and receivers with gun kote from brownells, works very nice. I have not sprayed any stocks , so i cant help u there.

[quickdtoo]

Lots on painting Handis in the FAQs sticky including warnings on paint in the wrong places.

Tim

[HWB13]

I have used duracoat on two guns, for my daughter's 15th birthday a escort 20ga and my handi 22 hornet ultra varmint.  stay away from the barrel lug and the inside of the frame that will change the lock up.

I just had to have a Green Hornet.  And my daughter had to have a pink shotgun.

[MrChaos]

did you do anything like taking the hammer out etc?

[HWB13]

i did not.  as soon as i posted thought of acouple of other things with duracoat, i would stay away from the duralaser series, the finish is very hard to work with, but the clear coat is wonderful if you want to keep a protective coat on a traditional looking gun.  if you deside to go this route pm me, can give you more details and advice.

[trotterlg]

You should ask Dinny, I am just now parkerizing a barrel for him that he is going to paint, I understand that is about the best preperation you can do before painting a gun, it will be interesting to see how it truns out.  Larry

[Dinny]

I plan to use Lauer's Shake 'N Spray kits to coat my Grendel barrel. There are a bunch of videos on YouTube, as well as, some knowledgeable folks here that have boosted my confidence in using this product. Duracoat is durable as is, but parkerizing helps it hold on even more. I have 5 guns that have been Duracoated and I'm very pleased to say the least. Stainless steel can't be parkerized so I just prefer to spray them with Krylon instead. It works fine, but I've had to touch it up several times over the years. Finding the same color can be a daunting task sometimes.

I think Larry and I are going to have eachother's addresses memorized if this first barrel turns out nice.

http://www.lauerweaponry.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=929

Thanks, Dinny

[HWB13]

Dinny is right the Shake-n-Spray is the way to go if your going to one color at a time.  Duracoat is hell on a airbrush, found out the hard way you have to do a complete cleaning after each coat, even though there is only an hour between.  It will harden in the sprayer.  the only problem I found with the shake-n-spray is if you mix the whole thing you have more than you need for one gun, and once mix it has a shelf life of 6-8 hours.  I have some rather odd things painted in duracoat colors just so it didn't go to waste.  The last project had a white base that needed to be applied then the color coat, then a clear coat.  The barrels and frames had a different clear coat.  mixing just enough and cleaning the airbrushes made the project very time intensive. but the finish will be there forever and then some.  you can reassemble in 24 hours but should handled lightly for about 3 weeks, the finish continues to cure after that but it has reached a very durable hardness.  For a lasting finish you wont  find anything better, just make sure it is what you want.

[hoytcanon]

I have never painted the metal work on my guns, but I have done dozens of stocks. I just use Krylon and use a eight coat process... first I sand to 200 grit, then wipe with lacquer thinner. I start with two coats of flat black, sand lightly between coats, then two coats of textured satin black (no more sanding), then two more coats of flat black and then finally two coats of Clear UV Matte. It makes for a very hard, durable finish that is easy to care for and wipe down, and it doesn't scratch very easily either. You can also substitute the colors of your choice.



 

[glockmeister]

MrChaos, you might try looking in the FAQ section of he top of this thread. Lots of good info there and a couple sections on painting Handi. When all else fails, ask Stimpy, he paints his and in some very Awesome colors! Take care, John.

[stimpylu32]

What , me paint a Handi  , The key is all in the prep , matter of fact I just finished up a set of neon pink custom stocks that are on my daughters 17 Rem Handi  .
 
Two things you must do , one is rough-up & clean the old finish that H&R uses , and the 2nd is to use light coats weather you use an airbrush , rattle can or roller .
 
stimpy

[sluggo]

stimpy is right...........when I was station @ Ft. Hood back in 80 I help paint a friend's entire plymouth with a roller, 4 rolls of masking tape and a gallon of military grade flat o.d. green paint. Too many 12 ozers and we ended up with too thick of a coat (wavy gravy). On the bright side, it never rusted and you could hit it with a hammer and not hurt it.

[Sourdough]

I had a slightly different reason for painting mine.  I dropped my 30-06 handi in a river where it stayed for a week.  When I finally retrived it it rusted before I could drive home.  I decided I needed to do something with it fast, seems the more I cleaned rust of the faster it came back.  Plus I wanted a more textured finish that would not be slick when I had blood on my hands.  When you are elbow deep in a Moose is when the Grizzlies like to walk in on you.  I also did not feel like spending a lot on a $167.00 gun.  I selected Rustolium's Textured paint for the metal parts.  Feels like it has sand in the paint.  Since the wood had seen better days I decided to do something with it at the same time.   

I completely disassembled the gun.  I painted the barrel, the base mount, the fore end cap, and the reciever.  I was careful not to get paint on the barrel lug, inside the reciever, inside the barrel, and only painted the upper portions of the hammer and release button, the portion that shows.  My son took off with the trigger and the next time I saw it it was gold.  I put six very light coats of green textured paint on all the metal.  I put three coats of Rustolium Accents paint on the wood.  It feel really rough, easy to grip, feels and looks like stone.  Black stone with white speckles. 

It's now been six years and it is showing some wear from all the use it gets.  Especially the stock.  It rides in a Koplin case on my 4-wheeler or snowmachine every trip I take.  When it's not in a case it's either in the back seat of my Jeep or behind the seat of the truck.  Right now it's under a blanket, lying on the back seat of the Jeep Wrangler.

 

[Dinny]

My Duracoat spray kit is set to be delivered on the 30th. I plan to spray one receiver, scope base, barrel and (if product remains) an old synthetic stock set. Will post pics of before and after once it's all done. Also, I chose the self-lubricating formula colored TangoDown Flat Dark Earth.

Thanks, Dinny

[watsisname]

Hey Oldsoldja,  Do you blast the metal before you spray gun kote? What kind of media do you use?

[Ranger99]

i've painted two toppers with
shake-shake. either krylon or
rustoleum. i didn't paint the
receivers. stock came off,
barrel, forearm and stock got
a light rough up with either
steel wool or appropriate grade
of scotchbrite, a good wipedown
with acetone, and two light coats
as mentioned above, each coat
dried completely. wadded paper
towel in each end of barrel. of course,
the machined surfaces on the breech
end didn't get any.
works good for a good field gun.
turkeys and deer never balked at
$3.99 refinish job.

[bikerbeans]

I have painted a bunch of barrels and receivers but no stocks.  I use Rustoleum Textured Matte Black.  My surface prep is minimal, wipe down with alcohol and let dry, hang the piece from a wire and paint.  The first paint job is over 2 years old and still looks fine, to me.    As stated before, do not paint the latch shelf, lug or breech faces.  I don't disassemble the receivers, so don't spray directly into the receiver internals unless you want to tear it down for cleaning.
 
BB

[Singlebarrel]

After reading SourDough's posts about painting guns, I painted one of my 45-70 Handi's using the textured paint in the can.  Worked very well.  I had to add a coat after hunting season to cover the bumps and bruses, but that is easy enough.  I like it.
Tried pictures, but, as my son says, I am technologically challanged.

[mcwoodduck]

I have used duracoat on two guns, for my daughter's 15th birthday a escort 20ga and my handi 22 hornet ultra varmint.  stay away from the barrel lug and the inside of the frame that will change the lock up.

I just had to have a Green Hornet.  And my daughter had to have a pink shotgun.

If that is the green Hornet is the Pink one called Kato?

[HWB13]

 
No she's not enough of a gun nut to name her.  Not yet anyway

[mcwoodduck]

Are you going to make a BLACK BEAUTY? 

[HWB13]

got a couple of black guns that are beauties, but no Black Beauty

[MulberryRiverBoy]

My 1911 had most of the original military parkerize finish worn off and it was trying to rust, so I decided it was time to do something about it.   After reading a lot of internet articles about durable finishes, I still wasn't sure what I wanted.    At the Wichita gun show I talked with a vendor who was showing several guns done in Cerakote.   I was very impressed and had my gun done by them.   I think there was only a two week wait and if I remember correctly, it was $140.00.   

The gun was returned to me looking absolutely fabulous.   I will also state that this finish, which is ceramic in nature and is sprayed and then baked on is unbelievably tough.   I couldn't be happier with it.

I'm posting this because I have read quite a lot on the forum about people looking to re-do their handi finish.   Just saying it is a real viable alternative if you are looking for a first-rate finish.
John

[Dinny]

A special thanks goes out to Trotterlg for parkerizing my Grendel barrel in preparation for Duracoating! Here's the finished product following 3 coats of TangoDown Flat Dark Earth. I followed the LCW Shake 'n Spray Kit instructions and have only a few tidbits of info to share. First, they have included alot of product with a relatively small amount of degreaser. I could have coated 3 barreled receivers if I had enough of them prepped. Since there's a flat rate for shipping hazmat ($15), I recommend ordering extra degreaser at the same time the kit is ordered. Second, my barrel was parkerized and I can clearly see and feel a difference in the texture of the finish between it and the receiver. Lastly, do not under any circumstances add the stock set, scope base, or connect the barrel to the receiver within one week. I have a few hidden finish flaws because I couldn't wait to see how it all looked assembled. Also, spray the layers thin, I got one run on the receiver because I wasn't paying close enough attention to how fast/thick it was spraying.

[HWB13]

Dinny it turned out well, good job

[quickdtoo]

A good lookin Handi, Dinny! Love those 6.5s!! 

Tim

[tanoose]

i used 3 coats of minwax hunter green stain on the stock ,underneath 3 coats of minwax wipe on poly. the barrel has 3 coats of rustolium high heat od green.

[tanoose]

stock

[tanoose]

its a .45/70 with a 18"bbl