Oh and discovered it has some sort of aftermarket trigger cause it is a 2 stage.
Military triggers are usually 2 stage, if you have pictures of the trigger out of the stock the Mauser experts can tell you what you have better than I. I like the .338-06 so you definitely didn't get hurt at that price. I wouldn't leave it alone, so at $450 it wouldn't be cheap for me.
I'd keep your GS a secret if you really like his work. If his price included a barrel (even Douglas) he's working cheap compared to the guys around here. Though his suggestion of a B&C stock wouldn't be my first choice. Nothing wrong with B&C they're a very serviceable stock, I'm just not sure that it is better than what you have.
