I'm not stoned. My sample is around 15 or so examples so maybe I haven't shot enough of them to find a good one. In my experience, those High Standard barrels on the Higgins are terribly ROUGH and hard to get to shoot (as are most of the cut rifled barrels I've messed with on the older non-Higgins FN Mausers).

Regarding gunsmiths, it's a lot easier to find a gunsmith that really knows how to chamber and build an accurate rifle without taking five years if you have a Remington 700 action. I've had plenty of heartache with gunsmiths building Mausers. Many of whom I've run across and are willing to work on Masuers, aren't great at machine work, but know how to make them feed and often know how to build a nice looking and handling rifle. I would currently recommend one gunsmith, who posts on here, for a nice Mauser build, though I am sure others are out there. Additionally, I know one other gunsmith / benchrest shooter that will cut a precision chamber and is willing to work on a Mauser and will do so in a reasonable time period. With him, a person would need to figure the feeding and stock work out on their own. I doubt he would want his name publicized so I won't mention it.

I love FN "Mausers" more than any other hunting rifle, but you've got to love them to have them built because there are fewer gunsmiths these days that will build them and build them well. Many times that custom dream gun on an FN will break your heart because it's never quite right after coming back from the gunsmith, which has happened to me more often than not. Remingtons and Model 70s are much easier, but I love them less.

Last edited by DesertMuleDeer; 08/09/20.