Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Should I clear coat this or sandblast it???

I've been working on a Kimber Montana project, and I just out the final coat of paint on this one. Special thanks to PRM for the inspiration and the wonderful example.

I don't think my work turned out nearly as nice as theirs did, I do have a backup, there is a local certified cerakote guy who does an amazing multi-cam. So what do you think? Should I start adding clear coat on this think or should I clean it off and go get it done by a pro???

Clean off the recoil pad and clear coat it.

The pad is taped off, once I finish it I'll pull the tape

I guess you could say the tape is hiding!!!

I like it. Clear it.

W

Grab some pos stock and practice away. Keeping 1st efforts are always good for a pat on the back and a smile in the woods.

W

Looks nice, a little satin clear and you'll be ready to hunt it.

I'd put a matte coat and shoot! Looks great!

It's your rifle, you took the time and put the pride into it. You only have to please you. I have seen guys pay top dollar for work that you couldn't tell if it was done in a shop or someone's garage. I say clear it and be done....

Clear it, knock the piss out of it hunting, and then if you ever want to sell it either redo it or have the pro do his thing.

+1

Looks good.

Nicer than any thing I have and way better than I could do. Really nice work. Looks like a keeper. GaryU

^^^^^^^This, absolutely!

Nice job NOT over doing it!!

Thanks all, when I saw the one prm did, I thought that it matched my area during deer season perfectly, light tan dead grass with a Yellow hint contrasted by green Ashe Juniper (what Texans call cedar) scrubby bushes/ trees. I couldn't help but give it a try on my own. It got clear coated today, I was gonna get some more glamour shots in the wild, but my 2 year old decided to crack open his head and I spent the evening in the ER with him. Now it's raining like a son of a gun, maybe tomorrow I can find a fencepost :]

Good work; hunt it.

It's pretty easy to be overly critical towards ourselves and our work. Thing is with patters like that is they are intended to be random within a very large pattern parameter.

I'd say you did a great job. I'd clear coat it and call it done. Like Calvin says, go hunt it! No matter how careful we are, hunting rifles are going to get nicks and dings.

Thanks for all the kind words!!!

Here's the final result:





The business end, recoil from this 6lb 6 oz .338 federal is no joke, scope tapped my shooting glasses a few times before I got the pressure right on it.



And the hacksaw/crown job I did must not be too bad 1.5" high at 100 puts me 2" low at 200 with this load. With a 5x scope and a 200 grain bullet starting at ~2500... 200 yards is about my comfortable range for game both reliable power, optical magnification, and accuracy wise thats about all I expect from this one...

Great looking useful rig.

Looks fine. As above, clear coat it, then go hunt. Good job.

May want to add some flagging tape if nature calls. Been there done that...

Nice job..

W