I am interested in a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby or 458 Lott (the jury is still out on which).....

I was checking out several of these on the rack and notice approximately 1/8" gap behind the rear of the receiver and the wood stock - On both the top (rear tang of the receiver) and the bottom metal (trigger guard). This gap was large enough to actually see inside the trigger group area from the top. Both the 416 and 458 had dual cross bolts.

Here's the question:

Is this large gap intentional for either bedding or to prevent the stock from cracking or just poor fit?

That sounds a bit extreme to me. To prevent wedging of the action into stock aka splitting a gap of 0.040" is really all that is necessary in my experience provided that that stock is properly inleted and bedded.

I was able to inspect three more CZ 550 Magnums's:

(416 Rigby) and (458 Lott) "standard models" priced around $1000 USC:

- One had the same 1/8" gap around the rear receiver as the above previous rifles.

- The other had a gray foam type recoil pad that looked like it was chewed on & missing pieces.

(450 Rigby) "safari classic" priced around $2500 USC:

- This rifle had decent metal to wood fit, but the recoil pad was very poorly fit. Looked like someone just grabbed one off the shelf and screwed it on. The wood was no better than either of the standard models (for less than half the price).

I'm kind of surprised about the lack of attention that was taken to the building of these rifles.

Does anyone have any experience with the laminate or kevlar stocked 550 Mag's, and maybe the original hump backs are just better made / fitted??

Take a look at a Ruger RSM instead. They run approx. $1,700 new, but are much better finished than the CZ. Better yet, look around for a used one in good condition. There are a few on Gunbroker now for approx. $1,200. Those heavy kickers tend not to get shot alot.