Finally

It is here.

The details:

Action: Remington 700.
Reason: I didn’t want to save up long enough to buy a BAT if I had I would have gotten a left load right eject with a left side bolt.
Barrel: McGowen, it’s a hefty 1in thick contour from breach to muzzle.
Reason: Highly recommended company with very high quality standards. Plus they agreed to purchase a custom button and give me a slightly faster twist rate AND they didn’t charge me for it. They are cheaper than Hart or Krieger. I have a McGowen barrel on another gun and it is excellent.
Stock: Bell and Carlson Remington Tactical in Natural Break Up Camo.
Reason: The B&C stock will accept a bi-pod as well as fit a standard bench rest front bag. The bi pod placement can be adjusted to almost anyplace on the forearm you want it. The Tactical stock is adjustable for check piece and length of pull. By removing the rear swivel stud it will fit most standard rear bench rest bags. I picked the camo pattern because it looked better than the basic black.
Trigger: Jewell, and yes it is good and crisp.
Scope (not shown): Leupold Mark 4 with an ART Recital. The base will be a 20 or 30 MOA pic rail with Burris Signature Z rings and another 20 MOA in the rings. I’m doing it because I own one. Yes, it was fun writing that last sentence.
Bi-pod: Harris, is there another choice?
Rest: I want a SEB so bad I can taste it. I won’t buy anything less, so it might take a while to get this. If you ever use one you won’t want anything else either. Besides SEB and his wife are good folks.
Caliber: 7mm-08 Remington.
Reason: What you’ve never heard of it? It is a .308 win case necked down to 7mm. Yes there is lots of commercial brass and loads for it. No I’m not actually going to shoot factory ammo, are you nuts? This little gun can do everything a 308 can do except with better ballistics. Transonic is about 1,200 yards which makes it a perfect 1,000 yard gun. Even in a lightweight sportier gun it only has 11lbs of recoil, in my much heavier configuration it will have almost none with no muzzle break. The barrel will last forever compared to a 6.5-284 and it should prove easy to feed with a variety of powders available (more important now with the shortages). I suspect that the Berger 168’s or the 162 Amax will prove most effective on dogs and yotes at 1,000 and deer and goats to 700 or 800. Moose will be limited to 400 and elk probably 600. When/if I get that elusive moose and big horn tags I’ll probably just use my 06 anyway.
Gunsmith: He shall remain nameless, unless I have something I dislike about the gun. If he waited just 3 more weeks he could have missed his delivery date by an entire year. Which is bad enough. He didn't do all the work I ordered, and the project is way over cost due to the fact that he didn't get me 2007 prices on components because he couldn't be bothered to return my phone calls or emails back in 2007. I have used this guy before and the quality of his work is good but the way he runs his business is shabby.