Painting a shotgun can be an excellent way to spruce up an old gun that has lost some of its finish or that has succumbed to rust from moisture or improper care. Painting a shotgun can also help to spruce up the wood stock and other portions of the shotgun that have become nicked or damaged from age or hunting trips into thick brush. You might also want to paint a shotgun to camouflage it for woods, fields or snow. You can paint a shotgun effectively if you follow the correct steps.
Instructions
1. Do the preparatory work completely. This is the most important part of any painting project, and that holds true doubly for shotgun painting. Most guns have been cleaned and oiled numerous times and have a buildup of grease, dirt, and gunpowder residue somewhere on or inside of their mechanisms. The most important step toward painting a shotgun is to completely disassemble the gun, clean it with an ultrasonic gun cleaner and any necessary solvents, allow it to dry thoroughly, then make sure you have removed any traces of oil or old finish.
2. Prep the stock and other non-metal pieces separately. The stock and non-metal pistol grips, pumps, handguards, and other parts must be prepared differently from the metal pieces of the gun. If there is existing finish on these pieces, it should be fully removed down to the bare wood to make sure the paint will adhere properly. If rubber parts, such as butt plates or recoil pads, are attached to the wood, remove these to paint the wood that's underneath them. Poor prep work will cause regret for many years, or excess trouble in redoing the painting.
3. Paint the gun. You can use any of a number of types of paint. Make sure that whatever paint you select will adhere to the material of the gun. Usually, this means metal paint from a home-improvement store. The gun can be painted using a standard paintbrush.
4. Reassemble, and overspray if necessary. Once you have painted all of the parts of the shotgun, you will reassemble everything, overspraying if necessary to tie the paint scheme together. You will want to touch up any areas that you forgot to paint, or that were damaged or nicked during reassembly.
