What you have done is probably a great idea.....for that gun. But, if I were going to put a finish on a gun that I wanted to look H.C., but using a modern product, I'd just apply, using my fingers, many (approx. 10) coats of Tru Oil, Linspeed or even a 50/50 cut of Varithane cut with mineral spirits. You will end up with a very shiny finish but after a reasonable curing time of about a week, you can rub it down with a Birchwood Casey product called Stocksheen (or maybe it is Stock Sheen, two words :idunno: ) Anyway, after doing a careful and thorough rubbing with the Birchwood Casey product, you will end up with a magnificient soft luster that looks just like an original linseed oil finish. Only this finish will far outlast a linseed oil finish and drying time is a fraction of that of linseed oil. You can use 4 ought steel wool and some mineral oil for your final rubdown but you will have to go very easy so you don't cut through your finish. Steel wool, even 4 ought with oil, can be pretty aggressive if you are not careful. Rub lightly and keep a rag handy to frequently wipe the oil off your work area so you can see how the rubdown is coming.
Note: I have, in the past, used a mixture of rotten stone and mineral oil to do the final rub instead of the Stock Sheen. Some use water but I prefer oil. It works about as well but the only problem is that when I went to buy some rotten stone recently, it was hard to find and when I did find some, it came in a container larger than I would use in 6 lifetimes and cost far more than I remembered it the last time I bought some. Unless you have a friend who has some and will give you a handful, I'd go with the Birchwood Casey's Stock Sheen.
Whatever you choose for your final rubdown, you will need to work on a relatively large area at a time and make frequent checks to be sure that you are rubbing it down evenly all over and not leaving an uneven patchy look.
That's just the way I do it 'cause it works for me. It surely ain't the only way to do it, but I think it is the best. But, that's just me. Take it for what it's worth.
