Picked up a Amberg 1904 Mauser that has:
1. Cutoff stock - refinished for sporter use
2. Barrel cut to 53 Centimeters
3. Front sight remounted carbine style
May be by rearsenal - May not be
4. Orignal barrel with Lange Visier rear sight
5. Bore is pretty bad - S marked barrel
6. Action has crest and Amberg 1904
Nice GEW98 on side - no rust above or below stock line on action - Serial # in 6000 range without any letters
7. Barrel and Action are the only matching numbers
8. Bolt shows little wear on face and has matching numbers on parts
9. Front section of barrel sanded to remove rust pitting
10. Barreled action had been painted - stripped and the metal is in pretty good shape.

Was this the first year Amberg made the 1898? Would the action be good to build a custom on?

Any info and insite would be appreciated.
James