Would you paint an 870's barrel and reciever?

L

look2thehorizon

Inactive
Brand new to this forum! Seems pretty cool...

I have a WingMaster (don't worry, I don't want to paint the WM!!!) and have been shooting clays and upland for a while now. I have some buddies who want me to get into ducks, and I've been training my new lab pup to be ready for this season. I'm ready to go, except... I just don't have it in me to drag my WM's walnut stock thru the muck.

A guy I know has a 870 Express Super Mag that he wants to get rid of for around $150. It shoots great, cycles great (I shot it myself) but the barrel and receiver have a bit of rust. That appears to me to be just cosmetic, but the wood stock is pretty beat up too. So I got to thinking...

My potential duck buddies are fanatical about camo. They think a black gun is like a neon sign to ducks. I disagree. Anyway, what if I bought a camo stock and forend, and some Krylon Camo spray paint, and sprayed over the rust to give the exposed metal a DIY camo paint job. I'd have a pretty decent, indestructable duck gun for under $250.

What do you think?
 
well i havent been here long either but i would say go for it as long as you dont get any paint in the action you should be good.being a waterfowl hunter myself i would have to disagree with your friends about a black gun.... in my experience movement is your worst enemy... if you cant hold still you will have problems... happy hunting:D
 
Take the bugger all the way apart... Buy some "industrial enamel" spray the receiver and barrel and put it in the oven at 170-200 for 40-60 minutes... Heck the Express is from smooth and i bet it holds up as good as engine paint....
Brent
 
I'd do it in a heartbeat if the gun already had some rust, and was likely to be used where it would collect more.
 
id listen to sarge if i was you ... he probably has alot of firearm experience..... unless you want a gunsmith to take it, thatll cost alot anyways.. i say do it and if it doesnt work out too well then you can try again, persistence is the key
 
Plenty of paints/coatings specifically for that purpose. Degrease it well 2-3 times and tape it off and have at it.
 
I painted my Sears/Mossberg pump gun, twenty-five years or so ago. I used some stuff called "Bowdull" made oddly enough for bows, and it worked like a champ. I just sprayed it in place and let it dry, flipped it over and did the other side. I never had a problem with it.

Sears2.jpg


It looks a little worn and beat up these days but it's put more than a few deer on the ground over the years.

I'd do the same to the 870 you mentioned. I don't think "Bowdull" is around anymore, but I'm sure there is something else.
 
I could never bring myself to paint a gun, not even the lowliest junk. I would strip the stock stain it with dark walnut and finish it with mat urethane. The metal I would steel wool the rust and cold blue.
 
Shoot. Paint the stock and forearm too, don't spend $$$ on camo furniture. Just don't paint the magazine tube between the forearm and the receiver, that's where the forearm tube runs when you pump the gun and you don't want to add paint to that area. And if paint wears off, spray it some more. Gotta keep your friends happy, whether the ducks care or not :D.

lpl
 
It sounds like good prep and finding the right coating are the keys. If it ends up looking ugly, all the better! As long as it kills ducks, it doesn't rust, and the finish doesn't peel off, that all I care about.

By the way, I build fine "furniture" (not gun stocks!) on the side. If I need to see some beautiful wood, I'll pull out my Wingmaster and shoot some pheasants...

Thanks to all for giving me the confidence to give this a try!
 
I understand the Express is a bit on the rough side but have you considered camo, tape? At the end of the season, you can peel it back off and perhaps refinish the stock. Do you have any concerns about the rust that might still be active, under the paint? This is an option. I dress up my Remington in this manner and even give it a winter camo tape for deer season. By the way, you can fool a duck with camo but a squirrel will spot you a mile away no matter what. ... :eek:



Be Safe !!!
 
I wouldn't paint it, but that's only because I don't have much faith in my painting abilities, and I still have nightmares about some of the paintjobs I've seen.

If it's destined to be a beater shotgun, make sure you stop the rust before you paint it.
 
Paint, varnish, for centuries they have been used as rust barriers.

Painting is cheap compared with re bluing, and it works.
 
Sure --- paint away, Krylon is what 6 bucks a can and can be redone anytime you please, other stuff might be 25 bucks a can... on a user gun like that just spray away.

Heck what do you think our guys in the sand box do? Whatever works.

As to fears of jamming it up... heck It's an 870, unless you pour paint in the action, it will be fine.
 
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