I have a few mauser stories, and a few actions, too. One story is when I was working in the machine shop for the company I work for. The supervisor said he had a sporter mauser rifle, that an uncle of his gave him. It was suppose to old, and had a stepped barrel. On hearing that, I naturally presummed that it was just a sporterized military mauser. He insisted it was not. I said I'd look at it. The stock was broken, but a european style stock, and well made. I dissassembled the action. Somethings puzzled me. I have dissassbled a few mauser actions, and know some of the design features and their functions. Some of those features were missing. Still, it had many of the features of an M-98 and features that an M-96 wouldn't have. I told him, he had something rare as in an early production run or prototype. I do have a WWI era action, and it has all the classic M-98 design features.
I told him he needed to have it apraised or evaluated by someone who is a real expert on them. I didn't want to hazzard a guess on it value. He contact a guy who wrote a book on Mausers. Not Ollofsohn. It was a large book with a lot of high quality picutures. The aurthor requested picutres. The guy had studio quality picutres taken. THe aurthor had picutres on of a simular rifle and action in his first book. He requested pictures of this rifle for his second book.
The stock on that rifle was broken in half on the grip. The guy asked if I could repair it. I didn't think my skill was good enough, or that someone could repair it better than I could. He had a violin restorer do the work. I could barely see any repair or crack. And I knew where the crack was at.
Some of the actions I have had are 1909 Argentine, 1909 Peruvian and 1910 Peruvian. The Peruvians are middle length action with large ring, small threads. The first on was on a Santa Fe sporter, that one of my brothers bought. He gave it to me for my action for TSJC gunsmithing project. I built a light weight sport in 7mm-08. He still has that rilfe, offically its mine. He also bought me a JC Higgins m-20 (or 21). It has an FN sporter action. I actually haven't seen it. Anyways one of the Peruvians has a bolt that recesses into the barrel, like the Japanese Arisaka. I also have one of those actions. The Arisakas are suppose to be very strong action. I have hears a few storys of the abbuse they can take.
Tom