bwinters,
Thank you very much for all the pics & measurements as those help a lot, especially seeing the difference in the grip measurements as it seems that the Hunter actually has the smallest grip circumference.
I'm also a little surprised that the length of the Ascent is the longest, but that's almost undoubtedly due to being a magnum version............I'm sure the SA is closer to the Hunter.
I hope you enjoy your new Ascent.
As to the bedding & shooting, I also usually fix anything that I'm not happy with before shooting a new rifle too; some things just need to be certain ways & always seem to work better when they are right.
MM