Gun Paint Planner·Updated September 28, 2026
Rattle Can Arctic: the Modern Warfare 2 Camo on a Real AR-15, AK-47 and Glock
Arctic is the white snow camo from Modern Warfare 2 in 2009, the one on Soap's M14 EBR in the Cliffhanger mission. Every player had it from the start. 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
- The Arctic camo comes from Modern Warfare 2.
- It takes 3 spray cans: Flat White, Gloss Smoke Gray, Black.
- Spray it light to dark: Flat White first, Black last.
Cans and spray order from the Krylon and Rust-Oleum color charts, matched in GunPartPicker's paint planner.
The Arctic camo on 12 real guns
Where the Arctic camo comes from
Modern Warfare 2 came out in November 2009 with Arctic and Desert already unlocked on every primary weapon. Everything after that took headshots.
Arctic was made for the snow maps like Derail, Sub Base and Salvage. It also shows up in the campaign: Soap's M14 EBR on Cliffhanger wears it.
In multiplayer it's much lighter than in the campaign, close to plain white with soft gray. MW2's level 20 title, Sgt., uses an Arctic background.
Real winter camo works the same way. White breaks up a dark rifle against snow, and gray patches stop it from looking like a solid white shape.
- Game
- Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
- Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Seen on
- Soap's M14 EBR in Cliffhanger
- Made by
- Infinity Ward
Spray cans for an Arctic paint job
In spray order, lightest first. Either brand works; do not mix them in one job.
Krylon
- 1COLORmaxx Flat White
- 2COLORmaxx Gloss Smoke Gray
- 3Camouflage Black
Rust-Oleum
- 1Painter's Touch 2X Flat White
- 2Painter's Touch 2X Gloss Winter Gray
- 3Camouflage Black
Painting Arctic camo on a real gun
Three cans: Krylon Flat White, Gloss Smoke Gray and Black. White needs a white or light gray primer, or it takes five coats to cover a black gun.
Mist the gray in soft blotches from a distance, then flick a few small black flecks on last. Keep the white dominant.
We'd only paint Arctic if you shoot in snow or just love the look. It shows dirt fast, so you'll want a clear coat on top.
How to spray Arctic 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 white
Two light coats over the whole gun, 8 to 12 inches away, 10 minutes apart.
5. Smoke gray blotches
Hold cardboard blotch cutouts just off the surface and spray smoke gray around their edges for hard edged blotches.
6. Black specks
Flick small specks of black: a short burst from a foot away, or a stiff brush dipped in paint.
7. 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 gun skins from games
- Red Tiger (Call of Duty)
- Blue Tiger (Call of Duty)
- Golden (Call of Duty 4)
- Fall (Modern Warfare 2)
- Dragon (Black Ops 2)
- Damascus (Modern Warfare 2019)
- Dark Matter (Black Ops 3)
- Diamond (Black Ops 2)
- Asiimov (CS2)
- Fade (CS2)
- Redline (CS2)
- Hyper Beast (CS2)
- Galaxy (Fortnite)
- Real camo patterns
- All gun skins
- Gun Paint Planner
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you unlock Arctic camo in MW2?
You don't need to. Arctic and Desert were unlocked on every primary weapon from the start in Modern Warfare 2 (2009).
What gun has Arctic camo in Cliffhanger?
Soap's M14 EBR in the Cliffhanger mission of Modern Warfare 2 wears the Arctic camo.
What spray paint do you need for an Arctic paint job?
3 cans of Krylon, sprayed in this order: Flat White, Gloss Smoke Gray, Black. Rust-Oleum has a match for every color.
Can you paint the Arctic 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 Arctic: the Modern Warfare 2 Camo on a Real AR-15, AK-47 and Glock”, https://gunpartpicker.net/gun-paint-planner/skins/arctic. 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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