RE: New rifle coming!
I've always had a thing for stainless and laminated stocks. I love real walnut too, but it doesn't take much to garf up a really nice walnut stock, and moisture is a major issue. Laminate is nice to look at (IMO), it has all the "warmth" of a walnut stock, but has nearly the same stability and durability of a synthetic. There are very few synthetic stocks that I find pleasing to look at. I like the laminate Mountain LSS, but I'm not thrilled about the very thin (read whippy) contour barrels they have. I'm sure that it'd be nice to carry all day in the mountains of Utah or Colorado, but I like a little more mass in a rifle for accurate shooting.
Mike