What is the stock on? It makes a difference which finish you are knocking down.
You can always start with rottenstone and oil on a felt pad. Do not rub small areas and try to blend at the end. Instead, use long overlapping strokes.
If rottenstone is not cutting you can wetsand with very fine sandpaper. P1200 is about right... finer and it polishes rather than mattes. Talking about thick finishes with wetsanding... Browning is the first to come to mind.
