Truck Gun Finish... Grill Paint?

[Skofnung]

I’ve been chewing on the idea of the perfect Florida truck gun for years now, and I think I may have hit upon it.

Here is the gun I envision:
1. Used Marlin 336 with the barrel/mag tube cut and crowned to 18” (possibly left as is depending on budget) [~$175]
2. XS sights installed [~$90]
3. Forearm thinned for weight reduction and comfort [DIY]
4. Buttstock drilled out for cleaning kit and trapdoor buttplate installed [DIY]
5. Eagle Shooters Stock Pack or equivalent added for onboard ammo [~$40 or DIY]
6. A corrosion resistant finish applied to the exterior

The last item leads me to my question. I am looking to keep this project as inexpensive as possible, (it is a truck gun after all) preferring to do most of the work myself. I’ve read that some folks have used both Barbecue Grill Paint and High Temp Engine Paint to refinish guns, and that the British used black paint on some Enfield rifles. My question is how corrosion resistant would this make a rifle?

Please bear in mind that appearance is not my primary concern here, utility and cost is. I know that hard chroming or Gunkote would be better options in terms of appearance. What I am concerned with is keeping the rifle from rusting in the humid Florida summers. This will be a dedicated beater gun.

What say you?

 

[JohnKSa]

Any metal finish paint will be perfectly corrosion resistant until it is compromised in some way--by chipping, scraping, scratching, etc. As long as the surface is prepared properly and the finish is intact, there should be absolutely zero corrosion.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I've used satin black wheel paint on a No4MkI sporter. It's practically indestructable and chemical (cleaner) resistant.

 

[B.D. Turner]

I did an AK in truck bed liner spray that I bought at WalMart. Cleaned off all the oil and sprayed the wood and all. It was a very tough finish and held up well. The stocks looked like plastic after spraying. Heat was not a problem either mag after mag fired the bed liner had a high heat resistance so it never flaked off of the barrel.

 

[trainwreck100]

What about the snakeskins shrinkwrap covers from BassPro? I've got a butt-ugly Mossberg 20 gauge that rides in the gunrack of the one-ton, and I've been seriously considering putting the stuff on it. Anyone else ever tried it?

 

[soul_rapier]

if you can weld and have some stainless steal handing make a tub big enough for the rifle and parkeriz it i did 3 AK's that way and a wingmaster i sprayed a coat of black paint on it after i got them out of the tank looks good and you can do it at home just buy some parkerizing and if you got a old grill to cut up to place the tub down in that will make the job faster

 

[brentwal]

High temp paints need to be cured at high temps to be they're tuffest.

 

[rangerruck]

i went one better, and alternated coates of engine paint, and truck bedliner paint. very nice!

 

[Deles136]

I use Krylon from W-mart. The paint is black satin "Fusion". It bonds to plastic well and little cleaning is needed. I let it cure for at least two weeks and it holds up very well.

 

[AK103K]

I dont think it really matters what kind of paint you use, as long as you prep it right and cover everything well. I've been painting guns since the 60's, using all sorts of paints, and never had a rust issue.

The paint I've used the most over the years has been Testors model paints, and specifically their military flats. They come in just about any color you need to match any camo you might have. They also can be totally removed with no damage to your gun. Takes some work, but it can be done.

One of the best, more permanent paints I've used is Brownell's Aluma Hyde II. Its specifically made as a gun finish paint and works very well when applied according to the instructions. It works well on a lot of things, not just guns. I've done whole guns, just the metal parts, stocks, scopes, knives, even a bicycle with it. If you prep right, and allow it to fully cure, you pretty much will have to bead blast it to get it off.

 

[Skofnung]

Thanks guys. I'm going to try high temp grill paint out on an old almost worn out .22 this weekend.

 

[mio]

ive been considering the grill paint also. any ideas how well it will hold up with extreme temp changes? i live in northern michigan it needs to be able to handle 90+ summers and -30 winters not to mention fall when its 70 during the day and 30 at night.

 

[7mmsavage]

header paint

I've never tried grill paint but I did use automotive header paint to refinish the gas cylinder on my garand. After heatng it in the oven the stuff is so durable that I was able to scrub it with steel wool to "age" it. It came out so good I used it to refinish the barrel and gas tube on my wasr after straightening the front sight and gas block. It almost perfectly matches the parkerizing on the reciever.

 

[wnycollector]

I suggest checking out duracoat. I picked up an old beat up 16 ga double barrel shotgun at a gun show last year for $35. There was no finish on it to speak of. I put on black duracoat and baked it on...what a nice finish!

 

[Skofnung]

Well, I used grill paint on the old .22 today, and it looks better than I thought it would. I'm going to do some work on the stock and give it a few more days to "cure" before I wring it out and torture test it.

 

[enfield]

I painted all the metal forward of the receiver on my FAL with black grill paint, as well as the dust cover. The Argentinian army had worn off most of the original paint. That was 5 years ago. So far it's holding up just fine but, then, I don't carry it by the barrel.