Scraping with glass...now that's something I wouldn't have thought of. I would imagine that requires a piece of glass with a certain shape to it? I'll have to look into that.
fuonlynu pretty much hit what I was getting at. I didn't want to write a book expanding on my methodology but I'm not doing anything more important so here goes. Doesn't matter how the finish coat comes off, it's all got to go. My preference for that step is chemical stripper because it's usually off in 2-3 coats. Which is a heck of a lot easier than sanding because most finish coats gum it up quick.
Then there's the matter of working passed the old stain. To date I haven't been successful with chemical strippers. My patience wears out long before I see bare wood. This is the point where I break out the sandpaper, starting with 80 or 120 grit and working my way up to 300 or 400 grit. If you're feelin extra frisky, the sky is the limit. Go up to 2,000 grit automotive paper if it suits you.
Sanding does remove material, but if done right the amount of material lost won't be noticeable. Tape off and work around any checkering to preserve it. Use a sanding block so you don't round edges that are meant to be sharp. Like the where the stock meets the buttplate. Make sure to sand evenly, with the grain, and don't hover over any one area so that you don't re-shape the stock by mistake.
Once I get to 300 - 400 grit sandpaper, I "paint" the stock with hot water. Close to, but not quite boiling, to raise the grain. Let it dry for an hour or so. Then I start at 200 grit and work my way back up. Then I'll hit it once with 000 steel wool, wipe it down with a clean cloth and commence with staining.
I've seen video of folks using steam to draw stain out of a work piece after stripping the clear coat off. Looked like all it took was a piece of cloth to drape over the wood, a steam clothes iron, and more patience than I have. Basically the steam raises the grain and pulls the stain out of the work piece and into the cloth. Move the cloth around as it fills with stain. This also has the neat side effect of raising any dents the stock might have.
Let the stock dry for 24 hours after you get the stain out. then knock the raised grain off, starting at 200 grit and working your way up. Since I've only seen this done and not done it myself though, I'll link you the video I learned it from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkIDm_2lN1c I like sand paper because it keeps me busy. No apply chemical, wait half hour or so, wipe down and repeat. And when you're done you can go straight to staining, no 24 hour wait or washes to neutralize chemicals. But there's more than 1 way to skin a cat, and now you have 3 to choose from.