DaveN,
I know your frustration on this matter. I have never dealt with The Rile Shoppe, so I have no words of wisdom.
On the bright side, I have loosely followed this thread, and am still in awe of whatcha got!
Also, taking time for such a project can be normal. I have some rifle projects that have taken as long as 10years to complete. I must state that some things are worth the wait!
Thanks for posting!!