.357 Talon Gets A Face Lift

I picked up this .357 Talon a while back. Unfortunately I’m not a fan of the Airforce Red anodizing. Especially in a hunting gun. I bought a hydro dip kit online and I did lots of research before attempting to dip my rifle. I watched video after video. I spoke with folks who sell the product. I read reviews and then I went to town on my Talon.

If you’re considering dipping your gun,

A piece of advice…..

FORGET IT!!!!!!!!

Getting acceptable results is NOT something that you can expect until you’ve had lots and lots of experience. I work with all sorts of coatings. I refinish guns part time. I possess a good knowledge of preparation and application of a wide variety of finishes, coatings and related products. I failed several attempts at hydro dipping mostly due to the difficulty in applying the activator chemical to the film.

After repeated tries I ran out of film. I couldn’t justify dropping another $60 on 2nd kit knowing that the odds were good that I’d fail again so I gave up and went to plan “B”. I had to do something because my gun had been prepped which means that the factory finish was no longer presentable so, out came the spray paint. I made up some stencils and went to work. Trying to get it done in a day meant worrying less about detail. Someday when the spirit moves me again I’ll redo the job. It’s not what I wanted but it’s camo and for me, it’s an improvement over the candy apple red original: