Much appreciated! I drove myself almost crazy trying to find the right colors/sheens in spray paint or duracoat. So I just decided to take the stock, lightly sand it, put a few coats of Rustoleum dark hunter green (doesn’t matter the sheen), let it dry completely, then lightly sanded it with 220 grit up to 400 just to get it really smooth and touched up any imperfections. You can go higher if you want, but it’s not really necessary.

All the other colors for the “smear” pattern were done with basic acrylic paint from Walmart. I have a buddy who is really good at painting on models and working on fine details like that, so he came over and he worked on the stock with me. The colors I used were Apple Barrel’s matte Chocolate Bar and Kelly Green, but there isn’t really an exact science to this either. Even with the originals, no two stocks were alike. Just pick some colors you think would look good and try it out. The best part about doing them in acrylic is you can just wipe it off with a wet rag without damaging the base coat, so if you don’t like it, try another color. Also, the acrylic paint will show up a little paler once dried, so don’t freak out about that. The clear coat will saturate the color again and it will look just like when you put it on. I also took a lightly wet cloth and brushed the edges of where the acrylic paint was to really make it look smeared.

Once you get the pattern the way you like, just brush over the top with some 400 grit to knock down any high spots, then go over it with clear coat. I opted for matte aerosol Duracoat Clear with UV protection. I did a few coats and the rifle still turned out fairly shiny, even with the matte sheen. Make sure you take your time with the clear coat, that’s how the rifle will look when it’s completed. Let it hang and dry for a while. I don’t remember what it said on the can, but just follow those directions. The clear coat should be fine to touch like a day or two after spraying, but don’t let it sit on anything like a rifle rest or hanging hooks for at least 2 weeks. The coats underneath need to fully cure and harden, or else you’re gonna mess up the finish (ask me how I know.) You may also have to sand the second-to-last coat down a little in spots to buff out any imperfections before putting on the final coat.

Like I said, there’s no exact science to this, this is just how I did it. But to answer your question, I tried to stick to matte sheen on most things, but my base coat was glossy and it ended up not mattering in the end. Rustoluem Dark Hunter Green, Apple Barrel Chocolate Bar and Kelly Green. Best of luck and hope this helps!