Help- Building a hunting/working rifle. Suggestions on options?

[Ben Shepherd]

Short story:

Dad bought me a beautifully stocked and blued 700 BDL custom deluxe 30-06 for a Christmas present a few years back. Wonderfully accurate, even fairly light at just under 8 lbs. with a full magazine and a scope.

Problem:

I spend more time avoiding scratching the stock or blue job than I do actually hunting.

So:

I have a donor lefthanded short 700 action to build a rifle out of, and need some help. 99% sure I'll chamber it in 308. I want to keep the weight down as much as possible, as I usually hike all day on a hunt (20 miles in a day happens frequently), but not at the expense of accuracy. I am going to insist on a minimum of 1 MOA out of this gun when finished.

I want weatherproof gun here. Basically one that as my buddy puts it *old ugly*. Not so pretty on the outside, but a centerfold where it counts.

Questions/suggestions on-

Best barrel?

Best stock?

Most *bang for the buck* on action work by a good smith?

Why you think your choice(s) would fill the requirement would be great to hear as well.

Thanks.