Mike, What I often do, especially for a serious hunting rifle, is inlet to the best of my ability, then wet the inletting and raise the grain. Apply a very light coat of acraglass with an acid brush, paint on just enough to coat the surface. When dry you can see the well sealed wood right through the glass.
I also do this on the head of a shotgun stock to insure it will never get oil soaked.
The pic shows what it looks like when I'm just about there; 90%+ wood to metal. (I do remove most of the inletting blue.)
Steve
