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A black rifle is the easiest thing to spot in a hedge line. A good paint job breaks up that hard, dark shape and makes your gun look like it belongs in your loadout. It is a cheap, rewarding weekend project, but there are a few things you must get right first, starting with the law.

Before you start: the UK legal bit

You should also check whether painting will affect your warranty. Most manufacturers will not cover cosmetic damage, and some will not cover the gun at all once it has been painted or disassembled.

What you need

• Paint: matt or flat aerosol paint designed for plastics and metals. Specialist firearm coatings such as Krylon Camouflage, Rust-Oleum Camo or Duracoat-style finishes are ideal. Avoid gloss.
• Plastic primer if your gun has polymer parts.
• Matt clear coat to seal the finish.
• Masking tape (low-tack decorator’s tape) and a craft knife.
• Foam earplugs or cotton buds to plug the muzzle and openings.
• Stencils: real leaves, ferns, garden netting, or bought camo stencils.
• Degreaser: isopropyl alcohol or a gentle washing-up liquid solution.
• Fine sandpaper or a grey scouring pad (around 400 to 600 grit).
• Protection: nitrile gloves, a respirator mask rated for paint fumes, and eye protection.

Step 1: strip it down

Remove the magazine and battery (or empty all gas) and confirm the gun is completely safe. Then remove anything you do not want painted: optics, lights, slings, rail covers, grips and the stock if it comes off easily. Paint the accessories separately if you want them to match. If you are not confident taking the gun apart, mask rather than disassemble.

Step 2: clean and key the surface

Paint will only stick to a clean, slightly rough surface. Wipe every surface with isopropyl alcohol to remove oil and silicone lubricant, which are the number one cause of peeling paint. Then lightly scuff shiny areas with fine sandpaper or a scouring pad, wipe again, and leave to dry.

Step 3: mask everything that matters

This is the step that makes or breaks the job. Paint in the wrong place can ruin a gun. Mask off:

• The muzzle and inner barrel. Plug it with a foam earplug.
• The hop-up unit and adjustment wheel, and the ejection port.
• The magazine well and magazine catch.
• The trigger, fire selector and safety. Paint can make them stiff or stop them working.
• Sights, rail tops where you mount optics, and any moving charging handle.
• Trades and markings you want to keep visible.

Hang the gun from a wire coat hanger through a sling point so you can rotate it and paint every angle without touching it.

Step 4: prime and base coat

Work outdoors on a still, dry day or in a very well ventilated space, at between 15°C and 25°C. Paint behaves badly in cold or damp air. Shake the cans for at least two minutes.

1. Apply a thin coat of plastic primer from about 25cm to 30cm away, using smooth passes that start and finish off the gun.
2. Leave it to flash off for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Apply your base colour, usually the lightest colour in your scheme (tan, sand or khaki). Two or three thin coats are far better than one heavy coat, which will run.
4. Let the base coat dry for at least an hour before stencilling.

Step 5: create the camo pattern

There are three popular approaches, and you can combine them.

Natural stencils (leaf and fern)

Hold real leaves, ferns or grass against the gun and spray lightly over them with your second colour, usually olive green. When you lift the leaf away, you are left with a realistic base-colour leaf shape. Repeat with a third colour such as brown. This gives a very natural woodland finish that works brilliantly in UK sites.

Netting stencil (scale pattern)

Wrap a piece of garden netting or a hairnet tightly around the gun and spray through it. The result is a fine scale-like texture that mimics patterns such as Kryptek or snakeskin. Use it sparingly over a base coat.

Tiger stripe and blotch

Tear masking tape into irregular strips or blobs, stick them on, then spray. Peel them away to reveal broken stripes. Freehand blotches sprayed from further away give a softer, airbrushed edge.

Step 6: seal it

Once the pattern has dried for a few hours, apply two thin coats of matt clear coat. It protects the paint from scratches, solvents and UV, and kills any shine. Then leave the gun to cure fully. Most aerosol paints are touch-dry in an hour but need 24 to 72 hours to harden. Do not take it to a game the next morning.

Step 7: unmask and check function

Carefully remove all the tape, cutting along painted edges with a craft knife so you do not lift paint. Remove the muzzle plug, refit your accessories, and check that the trigger, selector, magazine release, charging handle and hop-up all move freely. Test fire at a safe range or chrono before your next game day.

Common mistakes to avoid

Non-permanent alternatives

Not ready to commit? Camo tape, neoprene wraps, rifle covers and rail covers and panels in tan or olive give a similar effect and come off in seconds. They are also a great way of testing a colour scheme before you reach for the cans. Swapping black furniture for coloured external parts and attachments is another easy way to break up the outline.

Frequently asked questions