Gun Paint Planner·Updated September 28, 2026
Rattle Can Flecktarn Dots: History, Colors and Paint Jobs on Real Guns
Flecktarn is the German army's five color dot camo, designed in 1976 and worn by the Bundeswehr since about 1990. Here it is painted with real spray can colors on 12 real guns. Pick yours to open it in the planner, then reroll the layout or paint over it by hand.
Quick answer
- It takes 4 spray cans: Woodland Light Green, Olive, Brown, Black.
- Spray it light to dark: Woodland Light Green first, Black last.
Cans and spray order from the Krylon and Rust-Oleum color charts, matched in GunPartPicker's paint planner.
Flecktarn Dots camo on 12 real guns
Where flecktarn camo comes from
The name is two German words: Fleck, a spot, and Tarnung, camouflage. Designers drew it in 1976 for a Bundeswehr trial, and the version called Flecktarn B won.
Money held it back. A second trial from 1987 confirmed the pick, and it went out to troops around 1990 and 1991. Germany had tried dot patterns before, in the 1930s.
Clusters of dots do the job pixels do in digital camo. Up close you see dots, and from far away the clusters merge into bigger shapes.
Denmark, Russia, Japan and China all made their own versions, and Germany has desert variants too. On rifles it's a niche look that people love, especially on AR-15 furniture.
- Designed
- 1976, Bundeswehr trial
- Issued
- Around 1990, German army
- Colors
- Five: light green, olive, dark green, red brown, black
- Name
- Fleck (spot) plus Tarnung (camouflage)
Spray cans for a Flecktarn Dots paint job
In spray order, lightest first. Either brand works; do not mix them in one job.
Krylon
- 1Camouflage Woodland Light Green
- 2Camouflage Olive
- 3Camouflage Brown
- 4Camouflage Black
Rust-Oleum
- 1Camouflage Army Green
- 2Camouflage Deep Forest Green
- 3Camouflage Earth Brown
- 4Camouflage Black
Painting flecktarn on a gun
Freehand dots look like a mess. Use a dot stencil or a cut sponge, and build in layers: olive clusters over the light green base, then brown, then black.
Go light on the black. In the real pattern it's the smallest share, and too much turns the gun dark.
We'd make the sponge from a kitchen sponge cut into small blobs. It's faster than a stencil and the dots look more natural.
How to spray Flecktarn Dots on a gun
1. Strip it down
On an AR pull the bolt carrier group and split the upper and lower. On an AK take off the dust cover and bolt carrier. On a Glock take the slide off. Remove the optic or plan to tape it.
2. Degrease everything
Wipe every outside surface with acetone or isopropyl alcohol. Paint will not hold over gun oil.
3. Mask what moves
Plug the chamber and muzzle, tape the ejection port, magazine well, trigger and safety, and cover the optic lenses.
4. Base coat in woodland light green
Two light coats over the whole gun, 8 to 12 inches away, 10 minutes apart.
5. Lay the flecktarn dots pattern
Clustered dots in four colors, German style. Spray olive, then brown, then black, light to dark, letting each color flash off before the next.
6. Let it cure
Handle it after an hour but give it a full day before it goes in a case, and a few days before hard use.
More rattle can camo patterns
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Germany adopt flecktarn?
The pattern was designed in 1976 and chosen in trials, then issued to the Bundeswehr around 1990. Sources give 1989, 1990 or 1991 for the start.
What colors are in flecktarn?
Five: light green, light olive, dark green, red brown and black. Our spray can version uses four: Woodland Light Green, Olive, Brown and Black.
What spray paint do you need for a Flecktarn Dots paint job?
4 cans of Krylon, sprayed in this order: Woodland Light Green, Olive, Brown, Black. Rust-Oleum has a match for every color.
Can you paint Flecktarn Dots camo on a real gun?
Yes. Strip and degrease the gun, mask the bore, chamber and anything that moves, lay the lightest color first and build the look light to dark with tape and stencils. Plan on an afternoon plus a day to cure.
Cite this tool: GunPartPicker, “Rattle Can Flecktarn Dots: History, Colors and Paint Jobs on Real Guns”, https://gunpartpicker.net/gun-paint-planner/camo/flecktarn-dots. Paint colors from the Krylon and Rust-Oleum color charts; gun photos credited on each gun's page. Free to cite with attribution.
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