Mauser,

Can you post a pic of your gun? It would help in understanding what you're starting with. I wouldn't consider the use of stain to be "cheating". Stains have been used by people for thousands of years to alter the color of wood. You may not want to rub your stock with ink berry, but maybe you could trade some beads to Sherwin Williams for some Minwax that would achieve the color you desire.

lol yeoman...do you want pics of it NOW with tru oil...or stripped??

i actually just found something REALLY interesting. putting diffrent metals in jars with vinegar and MAKING stains...im REALLY interested in that. then find a piece of walnut to test them out on and pic what i like. hmmmm

I'd like to see it with the True oil. I've used it a lot on guns and Osage self bows and am interested in what happened.

i can try to get pics of it as of now tomarrow or this weekend...im at college right now..ill be heading home for the weekend tomarrow night..

heres pics of it the FIRST time around with tru oil..looked pretty nice..i think i messed up the second time. i noticed the grain wasnt full so i cleaned it off and added a bunch more coats of tru oil..now its cloudy/white..i dont know what happend..i dont know if itll capture in a pic..its all about lighting and angles to see it lol..but ill try

here it is after the first round of tru oil...

in the first pic bottom of the stock far right you can see the clouding kind of...i didnt know it had it originally...maybe thats another reason i tried adding more coats to it 2 years later lol...you can kinda see the brass black too...i like the look...but you can also see it doesnt stay on well so im going to get an acid solution to "antuiqe" the brass...

i just PMed a guy on another forum about how he made stains..i might have to try that..find some scrape walnut and test all the diffrent colors on walnut and see what i like...i just want something i REALLLLLY like lol..

any reason why it might be white/cloudy?? ill try to get more pics this weekend or tomarrow

Mauser, that's a nice looking stock. It is difficult to see the white/cloudy area you describe. Tru-oil is pretty forgiving stuff. I presume you hand rubbed it on. About the only problems I've seen were bubbles from the bottle being shaken and dust from sanding that wasn't cleaned off. I'm guessing your problem came over time. The finish can fail if subjected to heat or direct sunlight. May the gun have been hit by summer sun for a prolonged period?

hmmm..i cant think of it really getting beamed with light. ive taken it ground hog hunting a few times..couple long sits on the shooting sticks...but i dont think it was long enough to hurt it. it was hand rubbed. ill try to get some pics tomarrow or this weekend. i can notice them in those pics but you really have to know what im talking about..it almost looks like a flash glare but i know its not. and if your just glancing at my rifle now youd say "oh good job" until you look it over at angles and diffrent light..ill try to get it on camera..

really think im going to end up starting over. making my own stain sounds awesome..i love doin stuff like that..waiting for the guy to PM me back with details..think it takes a while for it to become stain..but starting over and getting it the color i want sounds like its the way to go.