I built a set up to do my own hydrographics a few years ago, then realized how much I had invested in it, and forced myself to do enough projects to make it pay itself back vs. paying professionals to have done it.

Technique is everything, I hand dipped a few, then realized that having a motorized winch system to steadily and evenly lower the work piece is invaluable. The orientation and angle that you dip an object is also critical, otherwise the graphics will stretch or not fully bond to the object, and there's no good way to get a "do over" since the graphics pattern won't line up on a second dip. I also quickly learned that having a flush and overflow system to eliminate the waste gel matrix before removing the work piece is well worth the investment.

So yeah, to do ONE, or even 3 or 4 guns, you'll likely save yourself money by paying a professional to do it. I know I have a couple grand into my set up to do professional quality work, and you can get an AR done for a couple hundred. The bare bones "I can kinda do it myself" kit will cost you a few hundred, which is more than a single rifle dip job costs.