Painting your rifle- or at least how I painted mine

I've been wanting to paint a few of my guns for a while now, but just haven't had the guts. Well, a few months back I picked up an old beat-up Howa 30-06 that was just begging for a paint job. The rifle was mechanically sound, it just had a lot of cosmetic damage. I figured I couldn't make it look any worse, so...

1) Clean it very well with Windex and a rag.  I also used an old tooth brush with windex for the tight spots.

2) Tape off everything you don't want paint on. Trigger, scope lenses, etc. I removed the bolt and painted the handle too.  I stuffed paper towels in the lens area and then taped it up.  I did the same with the area where the bolt goes.

3) Get a coat hanger and hang it from the strap point.

4) Pick out some paint.  I got mine at Wally Word.

5) PAINT IT! I put down two light coats of the middle color waiting about 10min between coats.

6)  Wait about 20 min and then bust out an old cup and a sponge brush that you've torn up.  Spray the paint into the cup and get a SMALL amount on the sponge.

7) Start small and then adjust as you learn how your brush works.  I did some streaks, some dabs, and drags.  I used the lightest color first, and then followed up with the darkest color.  I don't know why, it's just how I did it.

8) I could have stopped here.  It looked pretty good, but I already had another can of paint, so...

9) Wait at least 24 hrs for it to dry.  This is the hard part.  After it dries, take off the tape and ba-zinga, you've got a custom paint job on your gun.  Mine is currently drying in my garage... I'll upload pics when I take the tape off.  Also, I recommend using a new brush and cup for the third color- I had some color mixing, which actually created a fourth color- it all worked out though and I'm excited to start painting my other rifles.

If you're new to the site, please check out my website at www.InternetPrepper.com for all your prepping needs.

Savage Arms .22 cal Mark II Review

     I've owned a Savage Arms Mark II GXPB for about 14 months- no AcuTrigger.  I purchased it as a tool to add to my preparations.  I wanted a rifle to shoot varmints and for hunting rabbits and the like.  I was looking for something cheap and accurate.  I knew I wanted a scope on it.  I also wanted a .22 vs. a .223 for varmints due to the shooting characteristics and cartridge prices of .22 cal firearms.  I also have children; so having a light-powered (and quiet) firearm for them to train with was ideal.  I also wanted bolt action- generally better accuracy and better ammo conservation.

 I picked up my Savage at Dick's Sporting Goods.  It was on sale for $130 including the scope.  I purchased an extra 10 round magazine at the same time. 

Upon inspection at the store, I was impressed with the smart and crisp bolt action movement.  It was also a full-size rifle vs.. a youth model- that was a bonus considering I'm a fairly tall man.  There were sling points already on the stock and that made me happy.

I took the .22 home and broke it down.  Everything was clean (of course), but it was good to see all the parts laid out.  The machining appeared fairly good.  There were no rough edges or burs that needed attention.

After putting it all back together, I took it out to the range to zero it in.  The scope was supposedly bore sighted- it wasn't.  No big deal, but it took a few rounds to get me on paper at 50 yards.  After zeroing, it shoots a consistent pattern about at 3/4". Not going to win any contests with this one- but it will do the job.  I call this one my nail driver.  I've gotten even better with this rifle and after breaking it in (500 rounds) it will shoot within 1/2-1/4 inch patterns. 

     I tried a number of different rounds through it to see how it performed.  Hollow point XPert HV Winchester caused several misfeeds (3 out of 250 shots);  I suspected that the short stubby bullet would not feed nicely- and I was right (this can be remedied by buffing the ramp with a dremmel tool).  Also, the ejector did not function properly on a few rounds.  I had to remove the magazine and work the bolt hard several times before it would eject.  I understand this is common in this rifle and a new ejector may be needed.  The Winchester copper plated rounds loaded and shot the best for me.  No ejection problems with those- that will be my ammo of choice.

On the negatives, this rifle does not have iron sights.  This is a real negative from a survival aspect.  If the scope fails, then I have no way to aim it.  My options are to get a spare scope (I did) or to get iron sights put on by a gun smith (cost prohibitive at $300). This is something you will have to weigh in when considering this gun.  I would do it again- simply b/c of the great price.

Be careful when cleaning it- there is a port on the left side that will leak solvent onto the wood finish if your not careful.

In all, I recommend this rifle if you can find a good deal on it like I did.  It shoots straight and is reliable (once you find the right ammo for it).  It does not have sights- but this can be overcome with a little more $.  It is a good looking firearm- very rugged- but not overly heavy- especially when you put a sling on it.

BTW, if you're into prepping for emergencies, I highly recommend shopping at www.internetprepper.com for emergency water filters, grain mills, canned and dehydrated food.  The prices are among the cheapest on the web (when you consider shipping) and the owner is a USAF veteran.

In The News:

FDIC, Hit by Failing Banks, May Sink Into the Red
LIVESHOTS: U.S. Hospitals Save Canadians' Lives

Quote of the Day:

Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.

George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

A word about survival firearms

While the subject has been covered before, there is an excellent discussion of the usefulness of the AK-47 (and its variants) over at Survivalblog.com. 

This is my choice in assault weapons.  I choose it for dependability.  I chose it b/c I do not require marksmanship accuracy in my region of the US (wooded).  I chose it b/c it's easy to shoot. Rusty had this to say about dependability:

Just how important is dependability? On March 23rd, 2003, a convoy of the 507th Maintenance was ambushed at Nasiriyah, Iraq. Aside from the fact that 11 American soldiers were killed and 6 taken POW, the US Army's after action report found that every single American firearm had been rendered inoperable by the desert conditions. M2s, M4s, M16s, and the SAW-all of them were found to be nothing more than good-looking clubs during the battle. Of course, the Iraqi Kalashnikov didn't have the problems the American firearms had, and they held the field after the remnants of the 507th high-tailed it out of Nasiriyah. There have been other noted incidents of M4s and SAWs failing in the desert conditions of Afghanistan and Iraq. One has to wonder how many Americans have paid the ultimate price over the last 40+ years dealing with such an unreliable weapon.

In conclusion, the M4/AR15 is a excellent range rifle or SWAT weapon, but unless you intend on cleaning the firearm numerous times a day, which is doubtful in a SHTF situation, it is best to go with an AK or other dependable rifle and take a pass on the finicky M4 platform. -

___

Not every AK variant is accurate or reliable enough to use however.  Just b/c it's an AK doesn't mean it will function as designed.  Take yours out to the range and find out how accurate it is.  It will take time and training to use it well.  If yours is awful, get another.  I think that the AK has to be the best "survivor" rifle in a total SHTF scenario.  If you have time to clean and maintain any gun, then it hasn't hit the fan.  I think though there is hope for those of you who bought into the AR15 platform.  I've read that using teflon lubricant after a very good cleaning helps minimize dust and gunk accumulation- I use teflon spray on all my firearms and I am always surprised at how clean they are after a long day of training.

Check out Gabe Suarez's forum.  Good info there on the AK. (you have to register)

In the news:

Analyst Bove sees 150-200 more bank failures...

CASH CRUNCH: Colorado Springs police may sell seized firearms...

POLL: New Low for Obama Approval Index...

Government Plans Vast Swine Flu Vaccine Effort... (not for me)

Quote of the day:

Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade?

Benjamin Franklin