For the grips I carefully removed them and noted matching serials stamped into the wood. I used "Klean-Strip, Strip-X, Stripper" that I got at the local WallyMart. After trial and error I found the easiest was to put the grips in a gallon ziplock with enough stripper to drown them real good. It was a bit cool in my garage so I left them in there for a day or two.
I then took a toothbrush to the grips to gently work around the checkering, etc. A thorough acetone rinse left 'em looking pretty good. After drying for a couple of days I hit them with boiled linseed oil. That proved to be pretty dark. After another round of stripping, I then used MiniWax wipe-on Polyurethane coating. That seemed to do the trick and left the wood color looking better IMO.
I then got all dressed up, drove to my nearest mountain, and unloaded a few rounds:
Just kidding - I left straight from work without changing. It sure was a gorgeous evening.