Gnoahhh, regarding the "filling of pores" in the wood, why not just keep rubbing them over and over with a hand rubbed oil finish, until eventually the pores are all filled up? I know its a slow process but the end result is gorgeous. Here are two of my 99's with a hand-rubbed oil finish.
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Sure, it can be done, but one runs the risk of the oil in the pores shrinking with time, not to mention the very real risk of the filler not staying in place in adverse wet conditions. Look real close with a strong light glancing off the wood and see if there aren't teeny tiny depressions over the pores. If there aren't any then the finisher used something other than linseed or tung oil to finish them.
Finishing oils sold commercially are really wiping varnishes thinned to-hell-and-gone, and should be labeled as such. Truoil is an example of that along with products from Formbies, Minwax, Watco, etc. One can do better if one mixes his own with a quality spar varnish, pure linseed oil (or tung oil- it doesn't matter), and a couple drops of mineral spirits-- heavy on the varnish and light on the oil.
Even so, as alluded to, it's a loooong slow process, and the end result is a finish still not nearly as water resistant as a barrier finish. If one is going to go to all that work for a nice oil finish, one may as well just varnish and be done with it, IMO. Truly, a varnish finish if done right and rubbed out carefully afterward, then waxed, is hard to tell apart from a properly done oil finish at first glance. Don't confuse that kind of finish with, for example, the thick tough clear finish on, say, a Browning. Done right it'll be a thin tough elegant water resistant finish that is actually easier to touch up than an oil finish.
I should say that I do feel oil finishes have their place. I use them all the time on furniture, objects of art, and guns that will rarely make it to the range let alone go hunting. Even though I strive anymore to avoid going hunting when there's a chance of rain or snow, sometimes I get caught out in it and for that reason I want those stocks to be as weather resistant as possible. (I once broke an 1899H takedown in half and stashed the pieces under my Woolrich coat when the clouds opened up. I can't do that with bolt guns and solid frames, so I prepare them for the worst.)
Edit to add that the rule of thumb is it takes as long to finish a project (properly) as it does to build it. As with most things in life, what you get out of it is equal to what you put in.
