Straight to 320 grit after filing wood?

[HighUintas]

I stop at 320, no whiskering. A rifle I finished like that got Best of Show at S.H.O.T. some years ago. It's what you know about the actual finish process that counts.

Did you burnish or use some other method to remove raised grain when staining and sealing?

 

[HighUintas]

She's all finished. Now I need to finish the metal pieces, install rear sight, and get to shooting!

 

[TDM]

Looks Great. Congratulations!

 

[64Springer]

That is exceptional work.

Looks like a piece of fine furniture.

The wedge plates/stock joints are seamless.

 

[morehops52]

Excellent piece of craftsmanship. Love the contouring and finish. It's too bad it's right handed

 

[waksupi]

Did you burnish or use some other method to remove raised grain when staining and sealing?

No. It is dealt with by multiple layers of finish, and 0000 steel wool between each application. You must be certain each coat is completely cured before steel wool is used.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Whiskering is one of those things you often have to do 2-3-4 times before the whiskers stop rising. Sometimes you'll sand through areas that were previously "whiskered smooth" and get a new growth where there wasn't one on a previous treatment. That's ok. Just do it again. And again maybe. It's just how it works when you're manufacturing goods in the "pre-industrial manufacturing age method".

What ever method you choose the important thing is to not get impatient and say "it's good enough" when you know it's really not.