I'm just going to paint it a plain dark gray color.
Since you are going with a solid color, I suggest you take a look at Brownell's Alumahyde II aerosol epoxy. It is available in dark gray and that is just what I used to paint a Bansner. It was very impressive for me. I did the barreled action also but felt it turned out much better on the stock than the metal....probaby a prep issue but to me it seemed to adhere better. Only about $30 a can and one can is good for several coats but you should only need one or two.
