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The title should have read "Why do so many people prefer 8mm Mausers?"
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I hear ya.
Once you get into the Mauser world, you will find that there are substrata of Mauser cultists, like 6.5x55 Swede fans, 7x57 fans, Persian fans, etc. I guess the Mauser was the AK-47 of it's era. I have seen them all over South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Interestingly, I have seen quite a few No.1s and No. 4s in the Middle East as well.
If the balloon went up and I was standing in front of my safes and had to make a quick decision on a single bolt gun, I would feel comfortable with either the Mauser or the SMLE. I keep 100 rounds on stripper clips for each in its own bandoleer.
I know where there is a No. 5 for $300 in pretty decent shape, but I have not had the hand guard off of it to see if it has the scallops cut in the chamber area of the barrel. Money is tight right now, but I will probably not get another chance like this.