Thanks for all the info. The gouge is missing the wood and fairly deep - about 1/16 - 1/8". It is not just a dent so I will need to fill it with something. It looks like there was a soft spot or knot in the wood that fell out when I stripped it. I'm worried that if I fill it with something and it doesn't take the stain well, that spot will stick out like a sore thumb. It's on the top of the stock about 1" from the butt so it's in a very visible area. Marc's suggestion of the clear epoxy sounds interesting.
I did use the steam method for some smaller dents and it worked well. I used an iron and a wet/damp rag. I also sanded a couple of the larger dents that did not steam out completely making sure not to round corners.
At this point it is completely stripped and I'm working on removing dents and scratches. This is not a high end gun - just a Stevens 5100 20 gauge that I will use for my brush busting grouse gun. I'll want to put a good looking but hard and durable coating on it after staining.
