The original reason 1909's got used for a lot of custom rifles was the hinged floorplate. They're generally nicely made actions, for a military 98, but other than the hinged floorplate there's nothing special about them.
In way they're kind of the Parker shotgun of 98 military actions. Parkers are good guns, though not any better than some others, and not as good as others. By now, however, nothing will ever change their golden reputation--or the $$$ spent on them by true believers.
