9.3x57,

Yeah, I was somewhat concerned with the "ungainliness" of the 98 action. To be truthful, weight wasn't my primary concern with this project. Rather, my main focus was form, shape, and feasibility; especially with the stock design. However, I hadn't even thought about using a small-ring Mauser until you mentioned it. I will definitely look into that as an alternative. To your knowledge, were there any small-ring Mauser actions made in the "commercial" format? I am anti-thumb notch big time and consider that feature as a deal breaker.

I am a big fan of the 6.5 Swede - it's a great cartridge. But I had something a little more obscure in mind, so I think I'll stick to the 6.5x57.

The more I think about it, a "hog-back" Mannlicher stock with a straight grip sounds really cool - certainly something you wouldn't see everyday.

Thanks for the insight.