Sundance,
The sale of the gun is going to help get me out of a tight financial situation..........you know how it is......shit happens :)
As far as finishing or refinishing wood stocks (or wood anything for that matter) it just comes natural to me (been doing it for so long now), so it's a feel as you go thing with me.
My key advice on finishing or refinishing, is to not over do the sanding. If things are pretty smooth to begin with, using 320 to 400 grit is more than enough, and don't concentrate in any one area (always go with the grain of course). Especially refrain from hitting the edges "too" much with sandpaper (no matter how fine), because that will be the area that will seperate the boys from the men. Even a little bit too much sanding on edges will cause a noticable re-contouring, and/or light looking areas that won't take the stain as well as should be.
I would say that hand rubbed finishes work best for me on things like gunstocks or fine furniture (I prefer tung oil, but will settle with linseed oil). Wet the bare wood or stained wood with the tung oil/linseed oil (using a lint free rag), and let it saturate for a while (5 minutes or so, while keeeping it somewhat wet). Then again wet it some more, and work it in using a cloth that does not shed on you (nothing like fighting off stuck cloth fibers on your project). Then take a clean unused cloth (always a soft lint free type), and rub it down. You are not trying to remove all you have applied, only buffing it out. Let it dry 24 hours, then repeat the steps. Once you have done this three or four times, you will again wait your 24 hours to dry and then ever so lightly go over it with 0000 steel wool, lightly rub the surface (always with the grain). Once this is done, remove the fine dust left behind, make sure you don't leave metal steel wool splinters, and begin the oiling process again (tung or linseed.........whatever you have been using). This should be done atleast two more times after receiveing the light steel wooling. Always buff the oil with care, and careful that you rest it in a manner that it stays clean and fingerprint free while drying. If you feel it needs more, do more, but remember, this is a hand rubbed finish. You don't rub so hard that you remove all of what you just put on, but not so softly that you are leaving a film like painting with a paint brush. The last few coats can be rubbed with more pressure, since you will now have a bit of a base.
After the first two coats of the project, you should have a bit of a feel for it. :)
Hope this helps :)