Has anyone stripped and redone an airgun stock

[Vee3]

I like finishes that can "burn-in" to the previous layers, which allow repair.  Shellac and Lacquer are great options for this reason.

Lacquer (the real stuff; lots of products say lacquer on the label) is the only commonly available wood finish where each coat becomes part of the previous one. Other finishes just pile up one on top of the other.

And one thing nice about lacquer; there's no need to sand between coats.

One not so nice thing is that it's not very durable nor water resistant.

[YEMX]

Another option that's admittedly not cost effective (this is subjective of course) would be to get your stock hydro-dipped.  You can of course go down the camo path, or if you're dead-set on a wood grain, there's many wood patterns to choose from!  You can get gloss or semi-gloss, even matte (though I'm not sure a matte clear would look good w/wood grain?).  Just a thought. 

[denovich]

Lacquer (the real stuff; lots of products say lacquer on the label) is the only commonly available wood finish where each coat becomes part of the previous one. Other finishes just pile up one on top of the other.

Shellac is another finish that burns in.  The Target Coatings water-based versions of both do burn in. (The shellac being way easier to apply than traditional shellac) I used their shellac on a kitchen table that sees daily use/abuse and it has stood the test of time. (They have more durable coatings, but the shellac is really easy to work with.) I’d have no problem using it on a gunstock. What you need to do is give it a long time to cure before it’s ready for hard use (like a month or two). It takes a while for it to really dry out. I put my table into service too early and nearly had a heart attack when a wet glass left a raised ring on the finish. Thankfully the ring disappeared after it dried out. It’s been about 6-7years since I made it. I’ve sanded it out with 2000, 3000, 4000 grit abralon followed by automotive polish to remove scratches and restore a glass like surface.

Another wood finish I can recommend is Osmo Polyx (it also burns in) No voc, non-toxic, safe for kid’s toys, etc. It’s described as a hardwax oil finish. Very easy to apply and very durable. I used it on my hardwood floors. The only drawback is that it doesn’t dry as hard as a lacquer. But it doesn’t chip or peel.