Richard,

As far as I am aware, Empire use the Granite action and the Domoulin (spelling?) Magnum Mauser action and the Domoulin action rifles are cheaper than the Granite based actions.

The Granite action based rifles would be selected if you were doing a 505 Gibbs because the Granite has a .75" diameter bolt.

I do not know if the Granite is any better than the Domoulin but I suspect Empire see no difference as the rifle they list as their "flagship" rifle is not on the Granite. The pricing difference is probably only a reflection of their financial deal with the two action makers.

Empire obviously see Dakota as their competition as their site has a comparison between the two rifles and the Empire in the bigger calibres is exactly the same price as the Dakota African.

Mike