I have a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight (Pre '64). The wooden stock had a few nasty gouges in it so I filled them in with wood filler and sanded them down smooth.

But I can't get them to stain correctly so now they're discolored spots everywhere I filled in. I'm considering saying fuck it and getting some duracoat and just painting the whole thing.

Do I have any other options? If I do go the duracoat route, what color should I paint it? I assume Black/Tan/Brown are the safe colors if I ever want to sell it - which I probably will.

Pic related but not mine. Looks very similar.