The real solution to this very difficult conundrum is to simply own both or as many as you can afford and your "CEO" will tolerate; this sometimes involves,bribery,obfuscation, outright prevarication and divers other forms of chicanery; this is quite acceptable, in moral terms, for gunaholics, but, not for other areas of life.

As to the Mannlicher, Dakota, Mod. 70 and Mauser 98, I am not so certain that anyone of them is superior to the other, there are features that I like about each one of them. I own and have owned numerous examples of fine Mausers, about three dozen Mod. 70s and one Dakot and three minty M-Ss. Actually, the M-Ss that I have had from 1967 to the present, have ALL been 1/2" shooters with hunting loads, so, given their fabulous feeding and smooth operation, I consider them equal to any of the others.

Dakotas were not designed to be clad in synthetic, mine has quarter-sawn English which has not changed p.o.i. once in the 11 yrs. I have owned it and I hunt in rainy weather with it, in very rough wilderness conditions. I would never restock it in synthetic because it is simply too beautiful and functional as it is.

I have noticed that most of our gun problems can be simply solved by just buying more guns, works for me!

I like tupperware. That grain does not show up very well when it is covered with camo paint.

Wood is a great composite,it's both light and strong,just keep it dry.A well finished stock wins on looks hands down.There are a couple of ways around the fact a tree lives by sucking up moisture,Serengeti Stocks have one answer or coating is another.