Steve, I appreciate your input. I just got off the phone with Martin and we went over the details again. He was telling me about being an apprentice 50 something years ago and his teacher telling him that a classy rifle with a recoil pad was like a well dressed man in a suit wearing rubber boots. I know the pad would be much more practical but I just can't pass up the good looks of the steel butt plate.

We also discussed the engraving. I asked Martin about a Texas/Western flavor look and he pretty much told me it would be a bad plan. After some discussion he suggested and I agreed that the rifle will be clean. No engraving, just case colored. I told him that I was after the best single shot in the world, but that it was going to be a working class rifle. Martin seemed to think that no engraving was going to be my best bet. He did tell me that he thought I could get 10,000 rounds out of the barrel with good accuracy, so I told him he could plan on rebarreling it in 3 to 4 years.

Oddly enough Martin was in Namibia last June and that is where I am headed in Aug. of '07.

Kill a big one,
Josh