Gun Paint Planner·Updated September 28, 2026
Rattle Can Red Tiger: the Call of Duty Camo on a Real AR-15, AK-47 and Glock
Red Tiger is the Call of Duty camo you earned with 150 headshots on one gun. It showed up in Call of Duty 4 in 2007 and came back bigger and redder in Modern Warfare 2 in 2009. 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 Red Tiger camo comes from Call of Duty.
- It takes 2 spray cans: Gloss Banner Red, Black.
- Spray it light to dark: Gloss Banner Red first, Black last.
Cans and spray order from the Krylon and Rust-Oleum color charts, matched in GunPartPicker's paint planner.
The Red Tiger camo on 12 real guns
Where the Red Tiger camo comes from
Infinity Ward put Red Tiger in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in November 2007. You unlocked it gun by gun: 150 headshots with that weapon, or 100 for shotguns.
Modern Warfare 2 brought it back in 2009 with the same 150 headshot rule. It sat second to last on MW2's camo ladder, right before Fall, and the stripes got bolder and deeper red.
Red Tiger hides nothing. Bright red stands out on every map, and that was the point. Carrying it said you could hit heads, so it worked as a skill badge more than camo.
The pattern is the Vietnam tiger stripe in red. Red Tiger came back in Modern Warfare Remastered in 2016 and Black Ops 4 in 2018. It's still one of the most requested camos to paint on a real gun.
- Game
- Call of Duty 4 (2007), Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
- Unlock
- 150 headshots with the gun, 100 for shotguns
- Based on
- Vietnam tiger stripe camo, in red
- Made by
- Infinity Ward
Spray cans for a Red Tiger paint job
In spray order, lightest first. Either brand works; do not mix them in one job.
Krylon
- 1COLORmaxx Gloss Banner Red
- 2Camouflage Black
Rust-Oleum
- 1Painter's Touch 2X Gloss Apple Red
- 2Camouflage Black
Painting Red Tiger on a real gun
Two cans: Krylon Gloss Banner Red and Black. Red goes on first over a white or gray primer so it stays bright. Red over a dark gun turns brown.
Cut the stripes from tape as long blades, fat in the middle and sharp at both ends, and run them along the gun. Spray black, pull the tape, then add a few thin stripes freehand.
We'd prime white before anything else. You'll use half the red and the color will pop like it does in the game.
How to spray Red Tiger 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 banner red
Two light coats over the whole gun, 8 to 12 inches away, 10 minutes apart.
5. Soft black haze
Mist soft patches of black from 12 to 18 inches, so the edges fade.
6. Black tiger stripes
Cut tiger stripe shapes from painter's tape or a stencil sheet: thick in the middle, pointed at both ends, leaning steeply across the gun. Spray black.
7. Black tiger stripes
Cut tiger stripe shapes from painter's tape or a stencil sheet: thick in the middle, pointed at both ends, leaning steeply across the gun. Spray black.
8. 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
- Blue Tiger (Call of Duty)
- Golden (Call of Duty 4)
- Arctic (Modern Warfare 2)
- 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 Red Tiger in MW2?
Get 150 headshots with that weapon. In Modern Warfare 2 (2009) it came after Blue Tiger and before Fall, the last camo.
How many headshots for Red Tiger in Call of Duty 4?
150 headshots with the weapon, or 100 for shotguns, tracked per gun in multiplayer.
What spray paint do you need for a Red Tiger paint job?
2 cans of Krylon, sprayed in this order: Gloss Banner Red, Black. Rust-Oleum has a match for every color.
Can you paint the Red Tiger 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 Red Tiger: the Call of Duty Camo on a Real AR-15, AK-47 and Glock”, https://gunpartpicker.net/gun-paint-planner/skins/red-tiger. 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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