Daryl, Tinker: You've added so much to this thread. Thanks!
Daryl: I absolutely agree about English sporting rifle stock design as being the proper way to make recoil manageable. It stuns me that so few stockmakers seem interested or even aware of the relatively straight stock with generous butt.
By the way, I believe Joe at www.thegunworks.com will cut just about any barrel size and twist. I may turn to his Oregon Barrel Works for a .69 or larger tube.