sir springer,
I'm also a fan of sorts of the large M17/P14 actions with two M17s (30/06 Win sporter and 308 Eddystone target rifle) and a Remington P14 (303/25 sporter) in the safe. Your gunsmith is right in that the P14 will handle some monster cartridges and do it arguably better than the M17. To understand why you need to look at the bolt faces side by side ... the P14 when opened gives a greater bearing area due to the lugs being a different shape.
My thoughts on a gunsmiths greatest achievement is to do something totally different and unique. On my "to do" list for example is to convert the P14 I own in 303/25 to the much more useful (to me) 400/350NE. Getting a bolt actioned rifle to feed and utilise a rimmed cartridge is high in the "cool" factor stakes for me.
Cheers...
Con
