The rifle's G30 custom action is "blueprinted" and hand-fitted to tight tolerances, creating an accurate and smooth-working action. The rifle comes with an adjustable Jewell trigger, and the one-piece bottom metal includes a nicely tapered guard with magazine catch. A compact and well-contoured bolt release responds silently; the NP3-coated, fluted bolt slides out easily. A washer-style recoil lug is surface ground on both sides and pinned to the round receiver. The action is pillar-bedded into the synthetic stock.

The bolt handle (vertical, per those of Mauser sporters that inspired my first love affair with rifles) lies close to the stock when the two-lug bolt is in battery. A bolt-face extractor and plunger ejector make empties clear the breech handily.

The generous breech opening should please anyone who has tried to toss individual rounds onto or top off stacks in detachable box magazines. You can feed this rifle without looking.

McMillan artfully shaped the compact bolt release before installing it on the rear receiver wall. Drilled for 6-48 scope mount screws, the Prodigy accepts Remington 700 bases. "We supply Talley bases with every rifle," adds Britany.

Underneath, artfully shaped bottom metal includes a hinged floorplate latched securely by a small hinged catch seamlessly fitted to the swept and slender guard. The belly opens when you want it to and stays shut when you don't.

In my view, there's no better trigger than a Jewell. This .30-06 has one that breaks at a factory-set 21/2 pounds, without detectable creep. It is adjustable. The open contour, gentle backward sweep and slim profile of the finger-piece constitutes a study in elegance. Why other companies insist on thick, awkwardly curved triggers that hang high in oversize guards is beyond me.

"We don't guarantee any particular level of accuracy," Britany replies when I ask her about the test target that accompanied my rifle in its heavy-duty black polymer case. "But we'll accept back any rifle that doesn't shoot to customer expectations." This policy seems reasonable to me; guarantees of one-minute or half-minute accuracy presume a skilled shooter and appropriate ammunition.

My first group with the .30-06 Prodigy and Federal 150-grain factory-loaded softpoints measured 0.8 inch. Subsequent shooting delivered the consistency I much appreciate in hunting rifles. In fact, of the first eight groups I printed, with four very different bullets, half measured 0.8 inches or less. The biggest taped just 1.4 inches.

I'd much rather own a sporter that keeps a variety of bullets between 3/4 inch and 11/2 inches than one that punches occasional one-holers and as often prints a 21/2-inch group.

The spiral-fluted bolt cycled like an oiled piston, evidence of close fitting and "blueprinting" to ensure action concentricity. Feeding was interrupted once, when a cartridge balked halfway into the chamber. The failure didn't repeat.

Off the bench, I found the stock proportions ideal for unsupported field positions and when used with a sling. The trigger made accurate shooting easy. I like the quiet but positive shifting of the Remington-style thumb safety. When engaged, it does not lock the striker or prevent bolt manipulation.

Listing at $4,295 to start, the Prodigy is darned expensive for a .30-06. At least, that's how one fellow shooter appraised it. I agree. Then again, the main reason a .30-06 Prodigy seems expensive is that so many inexpensive .30-06s crowd the market.

If my test rifle were chambered to a more exotic round, it would not be any more useful. In fact, trading a big wad of green for a really good .30-06 and leaving your gun rack otherwise empty may be a truly smart investment.

For my hands and shooting style, this rifle has just the right proportions. Its lines, detailing, fit and finish--and its accuracy--should satisfy anyone with similar tastes and standards. It's one of those rifles that feels gunny--solid but slim, quick and natural on the point. Its trigger is without peer. Everything done to this rifle has been done right.

"You can get other chamberings," Britany reminds me. "We manufacture sporting rifles in three action lengths, for short, long and full-length magnum cartridges. And we plan to stock all of them."

Not that you'd want to start accumulating.

This group, just over 0.8 inch, was duplicated with other .30-06 factory ammo in the Prodigy.