A lot of it depends on what you want to do. Most of the handtools that one really needs to do the gunstocking on a rifle would fit into a shoebox, especially if all your doing is assembling a rifle from a precarved stock.
At the top of the list is a good workbench. It should be solid and have room enough around it to swing a longrifle stock. My stockwork bench is relatively small, but it holds my Versa Vise and has six drawers in the base to hold my hand tools, it is also made out of maple so it is very heavy for its size. I also have a steel bench with a thick maple top that has two machinist vises mounted on each end that I use for metal work.
Working from a blank I would want a good bandsaw and either a jointer or good hand plane to do the same task. A drill press comes in very handy when it comes to getting holes straight and true. A router or table saw is good for cutting straight barrel channels, though this can also be done with hand tools or farmed out to someone set up to do it. A hand drill for drilling the ramrod hole is also needed along with a long bit for the chore.
As for handtools, you will need a good selection of files, which can generally be purchased at a home center. Get a good hacksaw and a quality blade while your at it. A small set of needle files is very handy. You would also need a small assortment of chisels and gouges. I generally use a both a 1/4" and 3/8" chisel that I made myself years ago, I also have an assortment of gouges from 1/8" up to 1 1/2" that I use quite a bit. I made these also. Don't forget sharpening equipment since the best chisels in the world won't help you if there dull. Sharpening equipment doesn't need to be expensive, I prefer diamond laps myself, but have also used sandpaper glued to sheets of glass and this works very good also. I like spokeshaves for stock shaping and have a pretty good assortment of antique wood ones that I have tuned up. I also use hand planes for much of the stock shaping process and keep an eye out for old wood body planes and also metal Stanleys at flea markets, tuned up they are generally superior to ones of modern make (with a few notable exceptions).
For fine detail work I use a #49 Nicholson patternmakers rasp and various cabinet files and scrapers. I do use scrapers quite a bit for final inletting and these I make myself from odd bits of tool steel salvaged from powerhacksaw blades, woodsaws, and files. You will also need an assortment of screwdrivers which you can either purchase, or make yourself. Than there is the smaller things like drill bits, sandpaper, epoxy, pins, screws, and such.
Really, like I said in the beginning, there aren't that many tools required. This is somewhat of a general list and shouldn't be viewed as all inclusive since many will have different work habits and will use different tools because of them. You don't need to rush out and buy everything on this list. There is a lot to be said for building tools when you need them and this gives good experience and also a lot of satisfaction. Most people who have been doing this for awhile have accumulated more tools than are generally required by a beginner. I for instance always wanted a metal lathe when I started this hobby, but I could never afford one in the beginning. I now own three metal lathes, one milling machine, a metal cutting bandsaw, and a host of other metalworking equipment, but they aren't really needed, just nice to have. Buy a good book on the subject and take your time selecting your tools, buy or make good ones so that you won't have to replace them later, and also, only buy what you need when you need it. Thats the best advice I can give you.
