I have found that adding another step before sealing with a gloss (or dull) clear coat, is to take acrylic paint, the .99¢ tubes from Michael's or Hobby Lobby, and dry brush this acrylic on top of the wood stain. This may have been mentioned in this thread, I am just showing the results I got by doing it in the order I did it in. I will describe below...
So, by the numbers...
1) Apply light beige latex with a medium-to-small brush all over stock.
2) Wait 5 minutes, and use the brush to streak the base coat to simulate "grain" before latex sets up/dries.
3) Get new brush and apply a coat or two of MinWax Wood Stain (I use Provincial). Leave alone for a full day. It will mostly dry, but there will be some tack to it still.
4) THE NEW STEP I DID ON MY LAST GUN - dry brush acrylic of a differing brown, in varying levels of coverage.
5) After dry, mist very lightly with Satin Black Krylon (Before applying, I put the can of Krylon in a pitcher of warm-to-almost hot water for 10 minutes - it makes the spray particles less likely to clog and makes them finer/smaller).
6) Let dry for several hours. Then use Krylon Crystal Clear. I did 2 coats.
Leave alone for several hours...
Results...
I am pleased with this one. It is a keeper. That is a $60 Styrene Cushman MG-34. A great weapon for the price and it is 3 pounds.