I recently bought a .458 Win Mag from an Alaskan for exactly the same purpose... although I don't get to do the daily Alaskan thing like you. This one is labeled a "Standard Model." It is a 98 Mauser action with 23" barrel, Hogue overmolded stock, and three leaf express sights. It looks to me like it is based on an M-48 frame and will only dependably handle and cycle two 510 and 500-grain rounds...one in the chamber and one in the magazine...not a good setup for Africa. But it cycles and shoots 350-grain Barnes, 400-grain Federal, and 350-grain Federal softpoints like a champ with three rounds in the magazine. The rifle weighs 9 pounds and the Hogue stock handles recoil very well.
I took it to the range Friday evening and ran twenty assorted rounds through it with no problems. I'd sure examine the Hogue stock before making a final decision. It is the best part of this rifle.
While this rifle isn't perfect it is good enough and I'm going to keep it and learn what works best. I've handled and shot a lot of new .458's that I didn't like nearly as well nor did I think they were as well set up.