i would only use a new made magnum action only if it were to be a big caliber 416 and up ,if you are thinking 275 then i would start with a 1909 or vz24 whatever can be had ,naturally an oberndorf would be nice ,,again look to see what dorleac is using for most of his rifles ....you,ll see mostly military actions,,,....personally i think for 8500 a close copy of a 275 rigby can be built ,,remember now,,no forend tip,,grip cap optional(tho i,d probably put one with a trap),and its possible to just rework existing military trigger guard,floorplate,thin rubber pad ,decent but not overly fancy wood,, cheekpiece ???..and your right the semi custom off the rack guns like dakota,kimber ,cooper blaser are pushing 5k or better ,,,now as a sidebar if you are going to build a copy of a rigby then dont deviate from it at all ..my thoughts are if it looks like a clone it should keep its resale value up as long as the work is done right (fit and finish) ...who wouldnt want a copy of a 1906 rigby ....paul