Ok so i bought a used a-5 off ebay, turns out it was very used and the powder coat is literally falling off in a few places.  I figure no big deal, i can just repaint it. So i find a thread on the forums about custom paint jobs that tells me i can use krylon spray paint and then bake it at 350 for 5-7 minutes.  so i follow the instructions and sand the factory powder coat lightly so it accepts the primer well, 2 coats primer and then 2 coats of red krylon and let that dry.  Baked it at 350 for just over 5 minutes and find that the paint is bubbling up in quite a few places.  Tried to just deal with the nasty paint job results but i couldn't.  Strike 1.

So i go ahead and strip off the paint with a solvent (zip strip).  I works very well so i decided to just take all the paint off and the factory powder coat as well.  At this point i take it to a local shop and ask them to do a new powder coat on it for me.  Now maybe they are just bad powder coaters but on their first try they got a lot of the bubbles i got during my in home bake.  they stripped the receivers and tried again with the same results.  The shop owner then told me that they decided to try a second powder coat without removing the last coat.  And at this point its looking even worse then my skill-less attempt at a paint job, over coated in so many places i cant even screw it back together without doing what id estimate to be 2 hours  of careful sanding by hand.  Now the shop told me to bring it back in after the holidays and they'll give it another shot.  I don't have much faith for the next attempt doing and better and ill probably just have to have them strip it one last time and try something else. Strike 2 (i feel it in my gut)

Now that Ive got you up to speed (or bored the ____ out of you), what should i do with the soon to be stripped receivers?  I'm looking for a simple 1 or maybe 2 color job.  Doesn't need to be bullet Prof strength, but i don't want it to get scratched off by a tiny twig on a woods ball course.  I really don't want to use a sticker kit to cover it either.

Should i attempt another powder coat with different shop?

Try a different method of in home painting? what type of paint?

Would anodizing even been an option?

Any other suggestions are needed and would be greatly appreciated.

   I'd just suggest that you paint it yourself, without baking it. It's really simple to do, and won't bubble up on you (shouldn't). Just get some self-adhesive primer (so it sticks to the bare aluminum), then some automotive spray paint (really any kind will work), then use clear coat to finish it off, and to make it more durable. If you do it right, and follow the directions on the can(s), then it should be pretty durable. Now don't expect it to last a world war, but you get my point.

   And you can't ano Tippmann's.