I've read some of your questions regarding the 710 and have answers for you. I've owned a Rem710 in .270 for over 3 years and have done some modifications to it. I will try to post pictures of it later but I may have some answers for you.

710 Stock: The 710 stock is exclusive to the 710, though you can replace it, the only ones who supplies stock for the 710 is Remington. No other aftermarket stocks are available for 710. I've tried looking for them through other manufacturers, but I think they just want to bother with it.
And no, the hardware is not pressed to the stock. The barrel/reciever assembly can be removed to do internal work if needed.

Cocking Trouble: The older style 710's have a HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) oil impregnated reciever that should make the bolt slide eisier. However I found this to be incorrect. The "Plastic" tends to bind a little but with a little extra gun oil and some use, it tends to slide a lot better. I did notice that sometimes as I work the bolt, the reciever tends to flex when Ipushedthe bolt handle upwards and back simultaneously. The newer 710 have a metal reciever and it seems to work a lot smoother.

Modifications: Like any other rifle, the 710 can have modifications done to it. You just can't change the barrel off the reciever. Some will argue that this is a draw back, but considering that typical barrel life for most rifles is approximately 5,000 rounds, if taken care of properly, it should last you for quite some time. i.e. if you shoot 15 rounds daily, 5 boxes weekly, 21 boxes monthly or 63 boxes every three months, then yes, definately consider a rifle that has a removable barrel. But also consider this, anyone who shoots this much is wasting about $5,480.00 a year. Yikes!!!

I'll try to post more items later including some pictures of my modified rifle just for the fun of it. I'm sure many of you hard core gun enthusiests might think me a joke and mock me, but I'm not trying to prove anything. All I'll do is answer some of the technical questions that have been posted and that you may have in the future.