To me paint is the most realistic looking option because you can throw a 3D look to it with 2-3 different colors. Here are a couple of pics of my savage I did 2 months ago.
gander mountain also will camo your guns for you. You have your choice of 6 or 7 different camo patterns and colors to chose from. It is suppose to be very very durable and help protect your gun as well as make it look great. I have a gun that is waiting to get dropped off there right now.