What color/colors for .50 cal.

I paint them black, then dry brush with steel.

Darrell;

Hi!

Ma Deuce. This weapon is / was "always" finished by a matt phosphate coating, and not black enamel nor any sort of semi-gloss "blueing". The finish is a standard military-grade phosphate. There have been various shades of this over the years, and guns may appear "black" in some lighting, but they are not actually really black...

The best color for the basic finish may be something like a very dark gray, sometimes with a seeming greenish tinge. When newish, the phosphate finish soaks up light and is pretty "matt". Well-used guns will show some wearing-off of the phosphate on ridges and edges, and eventual shift towards some "satiny sheen". Handling of course leaves grease on this finish, which can further "sheen" it and make for some nice-but-subtle shading. Some small parts on the receiver and trigger set were/are blued or other metal finishes.

Used barrels tend to become lighter gray as the phosphates bake off and "ash" when those barrels get very hot.

For the detail-minded, a Google search around the "Browning 0.50cal M2 machine gun" or some other will yield lots of nice color pictures of specimens - and it would be worth looking to see how you might tweak and tint your ma-deuce for best appearance! No BLACK ones for me! IF I wanted to depict some wear on the large metal parts, I would dry-brush with some dark "gun-metal" color, and very lightly with well-thinned stuff, at that.

Bob

Paint it dark grey, wash with black ink (or thinned black paint), hit the edges and high points with a pencil for a slight sheen. Job done!



Here's a shot of a WWII era M2 I did recently.