Keep guns looking new or battlescared???

[CON10R]

Just curious on what people do.

 

Do you baby your gun and try not to get any marks on it?

 

Or

 

Do you enjoy the battlescar marks on your guns cause they add a bit of a used look to them? 

[Mels]

If its a gun I actually skirmish then I use it normally and I'm happy with any marks it picks up along the way.

[EDcase]

My toys are to collect as well as skirmish so as soon as I get one I 'carefully' add wear so they look more authentic.  This wear would take years to accumulate and I don't have the life expectancy to get em all  done naturally😄

 

A few examples:

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by EDcase

[Adolf Hamster]

i tend to go for the natural weathering, i won't go out of my way to make a gun look battered but i won't lose sleep over any marks it picks up along the way.

 

the issue with intentional ageing/weathering is whilst some folks can do an amazing job and make something that looks awesome, it seems so very easy to mess it up and have something that doesn't look right.

[concretesnail]

Natural wear, that way the wear pattern will be in the areas you manipulate the rif and how you use it.

If you want to speed up the process do some drills and play in very textured gloves.

[Cannonfodder]

42 minutes ago, concretesnail said:

Natural wear, that way the wear pattern will be in the areas you manipulate the rif and how you use it.

If you want to speed up the process do some drills and play in very textured gloves.

This. If you're painting a rif and want the weathered look then one option is to not clean it properly before hitting it with the rattle cans. This way the paint will wear naturally faster

[Rogerborg]

Dammit, I had a "they're toys, just play with them" post all lined up, then I realised that I have just weathered my LARP-laser-gnu.

 

I've become everything that I mocked! 😧

[BigStew]

They get marked the minute you use them so let them wear naturally. Will do preventative maintenance to stop any rusting but its too much effort to keep them pristine.

[Floperator]

Just imagining how much less fun skirmishing would be if you were bothered about marking your gun.

[Impulse]

I don't ever purposefully weather my guns, but the way I play weathering is sure to happen at some point as I crawl through bushes and thorns and all manner of nasty flora that seems to want my blood. I maintain all my guns pretty well, but I'm not going to stress out over the occasional scratch or mark.

[Unreal Warfare]

Don’t see the point in making them look weathered. They will weather with usage which will tell it’s own stories.
 

If you’re actively using your kit then there’s no point in getting upset over general wear and tear.

[CON10R]

I've always taped up were I connect my 2 point sling to, so metal on metal doesn't happen and cause marks but tbh I never cared if I got a mark anywhere else on the gun so I shouldn't even bother taping up these areas.

[Sneaky]

I let the wear happen, but will occasionally do some external cleaning if and when it is needed. Got to look good for photos!

[Druid799]

Unless it’s for a specific look(BHD M14 ,Blood diamond xm177 , etc) and needs to be painted then yes I may start the process off with a bit of wet’n’dry and wire wool but otherwise leave life run it’s corse.

[Madhouse]

I don’t have the talent to artificially age something without it looking naff, so am very much in the camp that says to let it wear naturally.

Although I’m also in the camp that says it’s your kit, do what you like to it!

[Jan Pawlowski]

I like my guns looking like they are from CoD multiplayer: Custom paint, sticker etc.

[Darkmikey22]

Now I am guilty of heavy wearing my collection. 

But alot can be hidden with spray paint.

And sometimes I do believe that a good spray job looks better than any other weathering. 

So as pictured is my mk46 and GPMG barrel. I have worn the mk46 a small bit just around the edges. But then I sprayed it and then weathered the paint away without damaging the weapon, and leaving it looking like it's just come off the battle field. Same as my gpmg barrel. It's not worn like you thing. The original paint is untouched underneath. I sprayed it car trim steel colour, then sprayed it black over the top. All I did was white sprit some of the black away and now looks like it's been on the ranges for a few weeks. 

 

But if you feel like you want to weather then I do say less is more. Like above, unless your going for a specific look like I've done with the susats and gpmg. Just keep it simple and just do the outlines to give it a patina, but then let general use kick in like in the pick with the browning.

 

But at end of the day it's down to the user. If you want it worn then that's great. If you want it looking new then that's great too. 

[Rogerborg]

Aside, if you have any graphite powder around that you've been using as dry lube, it can add some subtle shine without having to reach for the spray can. Even my nine thumbs can't mess it up.

[Spartan09]

Generally I let all my guns wear naturally as they get used and shot (yes it does happen).  My John wick hicapa has some pretty heavy wear marks from being carried in a quick release holster on the chest of my plate carrier.

 

I will give all my guns a clean after a game day to remove any mud/plant material as well as prevent rusting, but beyond that and cleaning the barrels, I don't bother about marks, as I'm more worried about replacing parts that are actually broken, such as the safety on my hicapa and missing (dummy) bolt release on my tippmann.

 

That being said, I am planning to restain the wood furniture on my S&T Lee enfield to make it look less orange in photos, and appear more realistic colour....   but I still don't care about scratches/marks from being used

[Shamal]

Agree. A gun is a tool like any other. It does a job. Sure maintain it but if it gets marked then it gets marked.

If it works it's good to go.

I've got a set of chisels that are older than most of the people on here. The handles are battered and fluffed and the ferrules have lost their shine but fuck they can cut hinges and lock plates as well as a router.🙂

 

Regards 

 

[THE CHIEF]

As a prop maker I have quite a critical eye for these things. It bothers me when a gun is worn in places that it just wouldn't be. It can be done well, that GPMG above is superb! Looks like the barrel is still warm. But generally let it happen naturally. 

[clumpyedge]

On 27/07/2022 at 13:29, CON10R said:

I've always taped up were I connect my 2 point sling to, so metal on metal doesn't happen and cause marks but tbh I never cared if I got a mark anywhere else on the gun so I shouldn't even bother taping up these areas.

 

I do this but for another reason - my play style is more on the sneaky sneaky side of things so I tape up on the areas where metal hits metal so its dampens the sound if I am moving about. All my toys get treated as the majority of my RS stuff, its there to do a job. As long as I clean it and look after it and performance doesn't suffer I don't get too precious about it.

[SussexMatt]

Personally I just let them pick up wear as I use them. However I paint guns (and lots of other stuff) to order. I've been painting models for 30 years now and have specialised in weathering, I do lovely rat look models of people's cars, well clients love them anyway. 

I have done quite a few RiFs now but as I tell buyers, if you buy a pre weathered gun you need to manage your expectations, weathering if painted on will come.off if not looked after properly. 

Even the most protected paint job can be chipped an worn and will contrast. 

If you 2ant a gun weathering then hit me up!! 😉