If you use water based acrylic it won’t be as durable but you can always shoot a coat of flat clear over it after you weather it. 
Ah, no guts no glory… jump in, it’s only paint. 
In all honesty…the shroud doesnt cop that much handling or wear.
The grips, the pump etc handle most of it.
Maybe a lacquer base, and acrylic on top…??
When it finally wears through, it reveals a lighter, more durable brown under.?.?
Acryilic will work good as long as there is no flex in the plastic it tends to crack. Clear will help lock it in somewhat.
With this
as an example. Hard body ABS, with crashes will snap I did 4 coats of lacquer (Tamiya TS) for the colour. Let dry. Applied the stickers. Then 6 thick coats of TS13 clear to seal the stickers and everything. It’s held up well to multiple rollovers and endos.
The clear on top really helps . I’m not sure about lacquer then acryillic on top. Lacquer is more flexible and acrylic tends to be more flakey and less durable, but then depending on what mix and what it’s on. Acrylic you usually use on static models that don’t get hammered.
Not an expert in painting models etc just sharing my exp.
Do some trial sections first with both, inside somewhere that doesn’t matter. Then see what works best.
To add: with Tamiya PS paints for polycarbonate bodies that are flexible, that is lacquer too but bit different mix and spraying on the inside of the RC body so it does not get scratched off the outside. No clear needed. Polycarbonate bodies are clear. It’s different to what you are looking for I know but some does transfer across.
I wouldn’t overthink it… a well executed airbrushed brown of your choice should do the job.
Don’t forget, light weathering will totally change the look anyway. 
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I did watch a acrylic weathering job vid last night, thought might be bit over the top. But eh more info for the man might be of use, I’ll go find it. Looked pretty cool, on a tank model. Still more tools in the box…
oops not acrylic…
Make Your Models POP! Easy Beginner Weathering Tutorial for a Pinwash on Model Tanks
Hmmm…
Maybe baby poo brown, is closer to the mark…
Here is my HCG Hero…(albit under night lights)
The smaller spatula mark, in closer, is the lacquer…
Full shot, body shot…
under crap night lighting.
I’m still keen to see what dark gunmetal grey looks like, on the barrel/vents/ stock…a near black colour, but just off…
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Looks to me a in between the two would be it.
I did read this… A quick PSA about different types of paint on ABS : r/Gunpla
But I don’t understand as I use lacquer on ABS plastic fine. Fk’d if I know… I just spray and pray 
Let’s see what the light of day brings 2morrow…
80% lacquer…20% acrylic…
Let’s call it Lacqurylic…!!
Or Acyl-Lacquer…
Which sounds like…
Accer-Dacker…!!
You’ve been…thunderstruck.!!!
For your dark gunmetal, you could always do what I did to my KELe Peacemaker and M16. Gunmetal grey Tamiya with a coating of translucent smoke Tamiya to darken it up.
It comes out well, looks metallic too, but not OTT👍
If you look at that M16 photo, the receiver and mag are both Tamiya gunmetal… the mag got a light smoke coating, the receiver got several smoke coats. The more smoke you apply, the darker it gets.
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Looks good,worth considering…
How much paint do you need.?
These paints seem to cost around $333 per litre…!!
Does your airgun kit, only consume small quantities.?
I’ve only used larger airguns, for painting fences etc…
That might be TS38 I used on my Clodbuster.
One 100ml can would do it with a few coats.
Bingo, Maiphut… TS38 it is indeed. 
And yeah, one $12 can goes a long way… certainly enough to do the PR bits.
And here’s the smoke I use to darken it up… TS71
Ok…
Full daylight shots.
This is the 2008 HCG Hero…probably the most colour accurate…
The smaller dab on the spatula, is lacquer (brown bess bottled)
Different depending on the angle, but reasonably close (assuming this was the reference colour).
The bunnings paint (larger dab) is darker/ browner…
Distance shot…
I could try, getting a bunnings trial pot, from this HCG colour, as its different from the bitsa…
This is the “bitsa”.
Its a cobbled up knock together , i got years ago from the states.
It looks like this guy has done his own custom spray, and made his own brown bess colour. Which i had bunnings do the trial pot yesterday.
It looks to be acrylic, as its old, thin, worn, and faded a bit.
I would happily give these shrouds a trial spray, as it would be an improvement, finish wise…and NOT being a blaster, a easier tear down…
The larger dab, is the bunnings match pot…
The lacquer is not a good match for this one…
The shell on this has a few cracks / repairs, and could do with some TLC…
The Bunnings looks closer to me. The Brown Bess bottled looks too grey/light 
In this light, I’d agree… but it’s hard to compare when the sample of the Bunnings paint is so thick…
It’d look much different thinned out and sprayed on.
To complicate matters…
Went to bunnings with the HCG hero magazine.
Colour matched that, for another acrylic paint sample.
She said it could also be done in a oil based paint…is that more durable.?
Brown is a hard colour to match, and the photos vary on the angle…
You really gotta do it in the flesh.
I got a piece of timber and elcheapo brushes, i’ll do larger samples / equal sizes/ same number of coats, and see how it ends up.
I reckon the “USA bitsa” is a prime candidate for test sprays…the paint on it is already buggered / acrylic and its going to be a simpler tear down for the shrouds…
Test pots are cheap…$12 for 500mls. …!!
No test pots for oil based…$75 per litre.
Stay tuned…
Yikes… I don’t really want to spray oil based paint through my airbrush gun.
she also said its glossy finish, too…
Yellow and brown Tamiya colours are better with an undercoat and many light applications, Grey undercoat will give brown a bit of a greenish tinge
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