Instead of that using that big dauber, you might want to try just wiping on with a clean cotton cloth, one pass, notrunning or dripping off the barrel. Also, the shorter you go between wipe and carding, the less deeply the pits become. If you want a pitted antique look continue with your process, but if you want a gun that has a nice even coat of brown, watch the rust develop and card it before it digs in too deep. And if you don't like where it has gone so far, just sand it back to bare metal and start over. (probably wouldn't try to remove all the pits though.) It really shouldn't seem hard at all.
