As a full time cabinetmaker, I would like to add that an alchohol stain's main positive attribute is its clarity. Some of the other stains cloud the look of the wood while they color it. As far as controling color, alchohol based stains can be a bugger to use on large surfaces, like a desk top, but on small items like a gunstock the fast drying is not a problem. Sometimes an alchohol based stain can raise the grain of the wood so a light sanding might be necessary before topcoating.