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| Article by
Jamie Mangrum |
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My wife walked up behind me while I was searching on the
computer in Google's Image directory for camouflage
patterns. She asked me, "What are you doing?" I told her
that I was thinking about taking an old fiberglass M14
stock and trying to see if I could camouflage it. She
smiled at me and said, "Why are you looking at
camouflage for the wilds? Shouldn't you be looking for
patterns of buildings and sidewalks? Isn't that a more
appropriate type of camouflage for your environment?"
I just shook my
head and smiled.
I am not a painter. Let me repeat, I am not a
painter. Like anyone I can kind of stencil. I searched
around on the internet and after watching the
DuraCoat
video on camouflage techniques I got the idea of
creating my own stencils and trying to camouflage a
stock for my M1A carbine. |
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Camouflage |
camouflage: a noun:
- The act of concealing the identity of
something by modifying its appearance; "he
is a master of disguise"
- Device or stratagem for concealment or
deceit
- Fabric dyed with splotches of green and
brown and black and tan; intended to make
the wearer of a garment made of this fabric
hard to distinguish from the background
- An outward semblance that misrepresents
the true nature of something.
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Wordreference.com |
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Rust-Oleum produces a line of camouflage
spray paints that are available at most large
hardware and paint stores. I found mine at Home
Depot for less than $4 per can. I purchased some
new blades, masking tape, and 5 cans of
camouflage paint all for under $22. I had an M14
stock that someone had painted black and a hand
guard that I am sorry to say was all that was
left of another camouflage painted stock. The
matching stock? Let's just say it had a very
unfortunate mishap that it never fully recovered
from. |
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It involved a hammer and a very
angry owner. All because a pin in the trigger
assembly had slipped out somewhat and prevented the
stock from ever being removed again.
On with the project: I removed the butt plate and rear sling
swivel before proceeding. I also washed the
stock to remove any oil on the surface.
I started out painting both the hand guard
and rifle stock outside with several coats of
the earth brown color. |
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For my stencils I printed out a pattern I found online
and used a cutting blade to cut out patterns. You can
pick any color combination and search in the Google
Image directory for the keywords of
camouflage patterns. On the web you will find great
and clear
images of every conceivable military camouflage pattern
ever made. I wanted something close to the typical U.S.
military Battle Dress Uniform (BDU)
camouflage pattern. |
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After I had allowed my base
coats to completely dry I tried my first stencil
layer of green. I started off very formal by
taping the stencil in place. I then sprayed a
light to medium coat of green over the stenciled
area of the stock being careful to not spray too
much to cause drips below the stencil. |
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I then removed the stencil and
was pleased by the results. I continued on with
the color green and then once the green layer
had dried I switched to beige. Then I switched
to black. After a while I became less formal and
just held the stencils up and spray painted. I
also found if you make a mistake you can cover
it with another layer of color. The whole process
took a couple hours. |
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What I ended up with is not too bad for a first timer
just coming out of
the gates. It is more of a German military type of
camouflage pattern and color scheme, but overall I am
pleased with the results. I would not do this and sell
them - but they are good enough for home cooking. |
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I recommend trying out the stencils and paint on some
cardboard before going onto a stock. I also recommend
purchasing another stock and leaving your original stock
in all original condition. I chose for my project to not
camouflage the metal parts of the rifle. I just could
not bring myself to do this but if you choose to do so
it is your decision and your weapon. |
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If you are wondering what my carbine is exactly, no it
is not a SOCOM! It was built up many years before I
purchased it. It has an ArmsCorp
receiver and the front sight and muzzle brake were made
by
Smith Enterprise, Inc. It is without a doubt one of
my favorite firearms. And is it ever accurate? Heck Yes! |
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Well, according to my wife this is not an appropriate
camouflage schema for my element or neck of the
woods. You would think
she knew me better after being married for 22 years. I
may live in suburbia and work in the city, but it is not
my element. Like most red blooded males, my
place is in the forest! Living off the land, mud under
my nails, and smelling like something out on the curb
waiting for garbage day. That's me! I have to admit that I did not
do the prettiest job, but as we used to say in the
military - it is serviceable. It does meet the
basic definition of camouflage. I had fun doing it and I
can always return my rifle back to its original stock.
I just walked up to my wife with my rifle hanging at
my side and said, "I know you can't see it, but I am
holding a rifle next to me!" She just smiled and said,
"Where is it?"
Mission accomplished. If my wife can't see it, then I
can bring in another one without her even noticing.
Camouflage is good! |
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Adobe PDF
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Site Disclaimer |
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| Article by
Jamie Mangrum |
