hanco,
The new trend is already here, and a general term for it might be "tactical." It includes AR's and bolt-actions with detachable magazines scopes that can be dialed up and down without wearing out, etched "ballistic" reticles, and either synthetic stocks designed primarily for prone, or "chassis" stocks that can be adjusted in various ways.
Those are the hot sellers these days (which many manufacturers have confirmed), partly because competitive rifle shooting of various kinds is becoming very popular. I suspect this is partly because going hunting has become more difficult and expensive for most Americans: It's easier to shoot on a range, and competitive shooters are far more willing to spend money on rifles and scopes than the average deer hunter. The average deer hunter tends to flinch when rifles or scopes cost more than $500, but competitive shooters are willing to spend several times that for both.
