Mossy Oak Shotgun Graphics Wrap
While envying some of the new shotguns available at Cabela’s I couldn’t help but regretting not buying some sort of factory camouflage on my Stevens 350 shotgun when I purchased it. I have no idea if it was an available option but it should have been.
Feeling a little picked on I started to walk out the door when a little red and white box caught my eye. Mossy Oak Shotgun Camouflage wrap? Could it be that easy to camouflage my Stevens 350?
The answer is yes and no. I would buy the Mossy Oak Graphics wrap again but my expectations would be slightly lower than when I bought it. The day I saw the Mossy Oak shotgun Wrap in Cabela’s I didn’t buy it but when home to check around for a cheaper price online. I did find the Mossy Oak Shotgun Wrap available on Amazon.ca for about $10.00 less than what Cabela’s was selling it for. I ordered it and three days later it was at my door.
While I was waiting for the Mossy Oak Shotgun Wrap to be delivered I checked out YouTube.com for some helpful hints and tips on how to apply the camouflage wrap. Turns out Mossy Oak had the best videos available to guide a newbie through the process. If you are thinking about or have purchased the Mossy Oak Shotgun Wrap I would recommend checking out their FAQ section found here.
I do caution you about the video that he does make it seem very easy to apply, and to a certain extent it is, but there were certain parts of the process that are definitely harder than how it was shown in the video.
The wrap itself is very easy to manipulate on the shotgun or rifle. Depending on whichever firearm you are applying it too there are certain parts of the process that are easier and harder. For this review I am going to focus on the application to a shotgun.
First step before you start is to breakdown the shotgun to allow for application and also to clean the shotgun. The Mossy Oak Graphics wrap is an industry leading cast vinyl product. This differentiates itself from most camo wraps on the market as the competitors use a calendared vinyl that is more susceptible to cracking, fading or separating. I cannot really speak to this claim as it has been on my Stevens 350 shotgun for two weeks and I have never tired any of their competitors’ products.
As a side note I used Mineral Spirits (Paint thinner) to clean up my Stevens 350 and it did a great job. I am not saying this is the only way to degrease you firearm. I am only sharing what worked for me.
Once I finished cleaning I allowed amply time for the shotgun to dry and then I started the application process. I am only going to highlight the easy and problem areas as there are ample how to videos available. Regardless of which step of the process you are on I highly recommend a good quality heat gun. If you don’t have one you can get by with a lower quality or even a hair dryer but it will make the application process that much easier to have a good quality heat gun.
Most of the application process is easy. Applying to the stock, receiver, pump, barrel is a very simple process and the material of the Mossy Oak Graphics shotgun wrap makes it even easier as you can lift and replace the material multiple times with losing the adhesive properties.
The harder steps require patience and the use of the heat gun.
The stock grip is one of the particularly difficult parts of the process to get correct. You could slap the Mossy Oak Shotgun Warp around the stock and it will do its duty but it will take away from the look and feel of your firearm system. I took my time and I do have a few wrinkles in the material that I can see but nothing that can be felt or seen from a distance. I am taking this as a win for the first time I have ever attempted applying Mossy Oak Graphics to a firearm system.
I do recommend that you set aside time to do this project and try not to rush the process. Total time of application was close to an hour for my Stevens 350 shotgun but even if I pay myself $100/hour it is still cheaper to buy the Mossy Oak Shotgun wrap and apply it myself versus the cost of buying a firearm that is already camouflaged from the factory.
I rate the Mossy Oak Graphics system as 5 out of 5 put the ease of application as 3.5 out of 5. The Mossy Oak Graphics will not have the same feel or look as a factory camouflage firearm system but this is a close second place. I plan on applying the Mossy Oak Graphics system to all of my non-camouflaged firearms.
