David, I finished The gun several years ago so this is basically what I normally would do. When I refinish a stock I start out with a good base and build on that. As an example go to Photo Trail and at Wonderous Wood Refinish.They show 2 formulas, one for soft wood and one for hard wood. After the base is on and dry I put a small amount of boiled linseed oil, only a couple of drops, on each side of the stock and hand rub it until it is completly dry. Repeat this procedure until the wood starts to take on a beautiful finish. This may take several days or weeks. Some like a dull finish and others like a more glossy finish. I like it somwhere in between.This can normally be contolled by the amount of hand rubbing. When I started rust blueing about 25 years ago I used various mixtures taken out of a book called Firearm Blueing and Browning by R.H. Angier. Some worked out but some were not so good. Two solutions that I have used with good results are in the Brownells catalog.They are Belgian Blue(good for small parts) and Pilkington Classic American Rust Blue. Good instructions are included in both.