Remington Model Seven

My new rifle arrived today though I am still waiting for the scope and mounts which are coming from the UK.

Firstly the gun is not quite what I ordered or thought I ordered. Remington only has an American website/catalogue which illustrates models available in the USA. Try to order any of these in Europe and you're told they are unavailable outside North America. Looking in the Rivolier catalogue (Rivolier seem to function as the french importer) I ordered the Model Seven 'as pictured in your catalogue' - a Model Seven CDL in fact.

Now mine has arrived it appears that Remington Model Sevens for the European market are different.
Different stock altogether - Hogback not straight comb.
Different checkering pattern (very poorly done).
Longer in the forestock, no rosewood end.
No swivel studs fitted ( though the shop supplied and fitted some for free).
The barrel has iron sights already fitted.
The trigger is the older style remington trigger, not the new x-mark pro.
The bolt, receiver and barrel however appear the same.

The stock - nice bit of wood, finish is a bit plastic looking 

The business part - note the hinged floor plate doesn't close snugly.

The fitted iron sights (hopefully they won't interfere with the scope when fitted). Forestock goes to within 6" of the end of the barrel - looks a bit too long, to my eye. Sorry about photo quality should have taken pictures in daylight.

The trigger breaks at 6 1/2 pounds! but actually it is crisp (with no creep or overtravel) so it feels much much less and I might leave it as it is.

Having said all that, it's still a nice rifle for the money - very light, comfortable and manoeuvrable - I just hate not getting what I asked for. The tikka was better finished but it was much more expensive. Anyhow, the proof of the pudding is how it shoots and I'll only find that out when the scope and mounts arrive, I go down the range, zero them in and fire some rounds.

But why do a company as huge as Remington Arms not publish a catalogue or set up a website to tell european customers what they're getting?

You might be interested in what I did to my model seven over the next few years...see here and here.