Painting a Rifle Stock

Painting a rifle stock is an easy and satisfying way of spending your time in the garage. There are various different processes and products one can use to paint a rifle stock.

The first step is preparation. Remove the scope and accessories. Disassemble the rifle and separate the stock. The next step is preparing the surface of the stock. Before doing anything weigh the stock and note down the weight in pounds and ounces.

The next step is to remove the old paint. This is done using sand paper. If the color is fast then solvents are used. Solvents help break down the essential properties of paints. Lacquer thinner is used if required, as it can dilute, dissolve and clean up. It is also useful in removing paint from metals and adhesive residue. Be careful when using it, as it is very strong and has the capacity to damage many surfaces and fabrics. It is also highly inflammable, and so keep the room well ventilated. Removing the old paint will take some time and you may use sand paper, razor blades, elbow grease, and lacquer thinner.

Once the old paint is removed, inspect the stock and check if any work was done on it previously. Use filler to fill up any cracks and parting lines. Small dents need to be filled with epoxy. The remnants of old primer will be visible and will come off during sanding. It is recommended that you use a sanding block and not electric or air sanders. Also avoid using chemical strippers. Always sand in straight lines and take care, so as not to round off corners.

The rifle stock and the forearm of the rifle are then taped. High build epoxy primer and sealer is then sprayed to fill all the remaining dents and voids. The rifle stock is then left to dry for sufficient amount of time. Once dried the stock is then once again sanded with a very fine 400 grit sand paper to give it an extremely smooth finish.

The stock is then, spray- painted with deep luster paint. Two or three coats of paint may be given. After the paint has dried up, the stock is then again sanded with 600 grit sand paper.

To refine your rifle stock, painting and finishing skills you might want to purchase a box of rejected rifle stocks from gun stock manufacturers. These are not suitable to paint. However, they are ideal to practice checkering, engraving, and finishing.