NitroX,

As always well said. Usually after you have posted so completely I find I have nothing to add. This time I think I can comment on the Chapuis part of the discussion.

I hear you on Chapuis being a touch "overstocked", not sure if that's a word or not but it has never stopped me from using it before. The reason I like the Chapuis stocked rifles is that I'm 6 foot 5 inches tall and 250 lbs, they just fit me better and fill my hands. With a 16.25 inch LOP they seem well balanced and very well scaled.

I own a two barrel set Chapuis rifle in 9.3x74r and 7x65r. The 9.3 shoots like a dream while the 7 is a scatter gun. I have not sent it back to reregulate, because I do not want to live without the 9.3. Oddly enough I also have a Chapuis in 450-400.

The 9.3 and 7 costs looked like this;
9.3 rifle $8,000
-3x wood
-color cased receiver
-65% scroll engraving
-QR 30mm rings and bases
-Leupold vx6 1-6 red dot scope
Set of 7mm barrels $3,500
-barrels
-forend
-QR rings and bases
-Leupold vx6 1-12 scope
-16.25 LOP

The 450-400
$12,000
-3x wood
-French grey receiver 50% scroll, buffalo on bottom of receiver
-QR rings and bases
-Leupold vx6 1-6 red dot scope
-16 LOP

If I had it to do over again I would forget the 7x65r set of barrels and buy a complete rifle on the tiny Chapuis action in 7x57r.