GunSkins Reviews – Customizing Your Firearm in Style!

If you love to customize your firearms, or are simply looking for a way to distinguish quickly between various accessories and magazines, GunSkins can provide the visual effect you desire. These easy-to-apply vinyl wraps require only a few steps to apply and are available for everything, from your basic pistols to your favorite shotguns and tactical rifles. 

They also offered skins for various gun accessories, such as magazines. Project Gunner was able to acquire a set of mag Skins to try out the application process, and our results and GunSkin review are below!

A Bit About the Company

GunSkins was founded as a need to camouflage a hunting weapon after a coyote hunt went wrong. First started in the founder’s garage in 2013, it had humble beginnings that have since grown into mass production for shipment worldwide. Still proudly made in the USA, the company offers a vast range of heat-set, vinyl skin wrap designs for a wide variety of firearm and firearm accessories, such as scopes and rails, so you can find exactly what you want and need. 

Tools, apparel, skins of the month, and even customizations are offered, and to show their appreciation of the workforce, they provide various discounts. Look at what you can take advantage of:

GunSkin Overview

GunSkins are easy to apply, peel and stick, pre-cut vinyl pieces that are form-fitting to adhere as a semi-permanent option with heat application. All you need is a clean gun, a sharp utility knife, and a heat gun or hairdryer. A hand squeegee and sponge are also helpful for more intricate parts to ensure proper adhesion, but overall, the process is quite simple and forgiving, and all you really need to apply is patience. 

The skins themselves come in many distinct patterns – from various camo options to more bold and bright choices. Everything from full gun wraps to accent wraps to magazine and gear wraps is available and provides a touch of personalization, as well as a quick means to sort your mags by caliber type with a quick glance.

What to Consider Before Purchase

If you are considering investing in a few skins, first you need to look at what is offered by the company, and which quality vinyl patterns you prefer. There are many individual and bundled choices you can take advantage of to save some money, but not everything may come in your preferred pattern. But they can customize certain skins for you if you have something in mind. 

The company also sells the tools and cleaners they suggest, making it a true one-stop shopping experience to help you get started with your home customization. 

Another suggestion I feel is necessary to mention is to look at their application process and videos. Although the process is not difficult, it is best to see exactly what you will need to do to be successful with this project. They provide step-by-step visual tutorials to help you determine if this is something you want to take on, as well as a reference guide so you can check your own progress. 

Features and Benefits

First off, the skins are made for simplicity in both design and application, making them quite basic overall. Much more affordable than a hydro dip or professional job, GunSkin vinyl offers you the protection and customization you want without emptying the bank. Plus, the company offers some tried-and-true features worth highlighting to provide you with their quality. 

Semi-Permanent

As mentioned, the skins peel and stick and then adhere to a semi-permanence with heat. However, they are easy to remove if needed and will peel up from the edge. Once set, the vinyl can become ‌stiff so to make this job even easier, simply heat with a hairdryer to soften and then peel. 

No Residue

After removing a skin (or if it needs re-centering during application) no sticky material residue will be left behind on your gun or accessory surface. This is a nice fact as it keeps you from having to brush out old adhesive that could eventually cause issues with the workings of your gun, or attract dirt and debris. 

Pre-Cut and Labeled

All GunSkins are pre-cut and labeled to help take out any guesswork and to ensure the proper fit. Each sheet offers plenty of vinyl to work with, and any folds from shipping can be smoothed out with the addition of a little heat. 

Waterproof

Once applied and heat set, the skins are 100% waterproof and will not peel up or end up damaged, even with long exposure to moisture. This makes them safe to use in damp or humid conditions, as well as in all sorts of wet weather. 

Non-Reflective

Since the idea of GunSkins came about because of an unfortunate glare incident that tipped off the prey, all skins are matte and non-reflective to help absorb and keep any direct light from reflecting off your firearm. 

Durable and Protective

The biggest question asked about the skins is how long they last. The vinyl wraps last up to 5 years or more, depending on use. Yes, they can wear against a holster (as will anything with regular friction contact), but‌ not enough to peel. They are designed to handle weather and use and are made for firearm protection against the elements, as well as day-to-day handling. 

Lifetime Warranty

The company offers a limited lifetime warranty against the fading of the skin during the duration of use, as well as returns and exchanges for unopened packages for 60 days after purchase. This includes any open packages that may have defects. A money-back guarantee is also included if you are dissatisfied with the product after installation. 

My Experience

GunSkins sent me an AR-15 Mag Skin 3-Pack in Proveil Victory pattern, a muted, colored American Flag design with the Second Amendment scripted in the white stripes. It is a pretty clean-looking design and is exactly what I needed to help designate a few of my mags I like to keep a specific caliber round in. But if that isn’t your thing, they have many camouflage patterns and more vibrant American Flag patterns to take advantage of. 

Plus, they have plenty of online video tutorials. For the mag installation, it is a pretty straightforward process.

Mag application video:

Peel-and Stick Application

The application was super easy, and from the videos I watched, magazines are probably one of the easier accessories to wrap since the vinyl peeled up from the sheet easily and adheres just with hand pressure with no problem. The right and left sides of each are well labeled as if your magazine was loaded, so you can’t mess it up. Even if you do, the vinyl is super forgiving and lifts clear with a slow steady pull to allow you to reset it. 

I also wrapped both a polymer and aluminum mag to see which worked better, and which results in I liked best. 

Heat Set

Once on, I applied heat from the heat gun carefully to avoid getting it too hot. I first worked over the front surface and rubbed it with the microfiber towel to get it down into the texture of the mag. The sides were more difficult to work on because of the curve of the accessory, but with patience came out looking nice. I then repeated the process with the other side and went over the entire thing with the heat gun to work out any missed bubbles or loose edges. 

If you ‌get bubbles, you can poke them with a pin and they will work out without issue. I found the aluminum mag ended up with a few bubbles, perhaps because of the heating of the metal beneath. They rubbed out easily and ‌you should keep rubbing the vinyl as it cools for the best adhesion. 

End Results

Overall, these turned out really nice and have held up to initial use with no issue. I found the skins adhered to the polymer mags easier, and fit slightly better than to my aluminum mag. But, both wrapped nicely in the end. 

They’ve been dropped more than once as well, and you would never know as not a mark shows on the skin. 

Would I purchase more of their products for my firearms? Absolutely. The vinyl is easy to work with and is super forgiving through the application process. I love the look it lends and the protection it provides is a perk for the heavy handling my firearms get.

Wrapping it Up

The GunSkins Company is getting close to their first full decade in business and business is looking good! They have grown from a garage distribution center to a worldwide shipping site, and provide an excellent range of quality gun skins for customization and firearm protection. 

Let us know if you have ‌questions below, and, as always, please share!