I don't know if this is "right" or not, but it's worked for me, quite a few times.
I made up a batch of vinegar/iron solution several years ago, and keep it in an old glass jar with a wire-clamp lid: made the stain with a batch of white vinegar and dumped a wad of washed and rinsed 0000 steel wool in it; let it "cook" until it stopped looking... well, angry, and went to mopping it on wood. Never have measured any part of the recipe.
I usually save my staining jobs until summer (in NoNV): mop a bunch on the stock 'til it doesn't seem to want to take anymore, then lay the stock out in the sun on a steel work bench on the south side of the house and let it dry 'til evening. Bring it inside come sundown, and rub it down with steel wool.
I've used this on maple, and on both plain and figured walnut: again, don't know if this is "right", but both The Bride and I like how it's come out, so far.
Don't know if that helps or not, but that's what I've been doing.
Flinchrocket, I don't know quite what your original question was, if there was one: that rifle's a dandy. I'm with Dutchman on this one: that's one purty stock! I'd say, if whatever you've been doing works that good, I wouldn't worry much about what's "right" or "wrong"... as long as YOU like it.
