I own a couple of 40 x's and have been happy with them. A full on custom action they aint but I do believe they are made to tighter tolerances than a straight 700 - I've got a couple of those to. If you look back at bench rest (before custom actions) the firing line was awash with Remingtons, I think that speaks highly of the quality of them. Having said that you may just have a great gunsmith who knows what he's doing and has been able to improve on the 40X. If that is the case I would think you have a great rifle.