what is best to useon hard wood gun stocks to protect ?

Johnson floor wax does a good job. cheap too.

i put a gray and blackboyds laminated thumb hole stock on one of my remington 700's and i used spar urethane. i put one coat on a day for a week. seven coats and man does it look nice. only thing is that i can not use it anymore. because my kid decided thats the guns he wants to carry.

I have been using a Minwax product, Polyacrylic, for some time now. This is water-based....and dries in 30 minutes. So, a stock can be completely coated in 1 day. It is self-leveling, so there are no concerns as to runs or sagging (as long as light coats are used). I usually use 7 - 10 light coats, inside and out. Then, wait 36 hours....and the stuff cures rock-hard. I prefer the satin finish, which doesn't shine brightly, only glows a bit. Also, the satin finish cures to a kind of "pebbly" feel, which provides a good grip. The end result is a completely waterproof stock, with a very durable finish, easily touched up if needed..... and that does not look like a "poly" finish.