I've been wanting a .22lr in a classic walnut stock for a while and wonder if anyone has used a pre-war Mauser .22 repeater. The 350b and 410b actions look like a '98 in miniature, but are the triggers, safeties, bottom metal, etc. easily customizable? The French MAS 45 looks interesting as well. Opinions from gunsmiths with experience building one of these would be greatly appreciated.

Slancy--

The old Mauser 22s are very nice guns but hard to make look like anything but how they started. They aren't mini M-98s at all. All are tubular receivers with rear lugs like many more 22 LRs....but MUCH better made than most.

Look for a Kimber of Oregon M-82. They were semi-custom and could be ordered in thousands of combinations of custom features. Some are truly spectacular guns.

Agreeing with JBelk, the latest model Kimbers are designed to mimic the M98 right down to the controlled round feed and extraction...

Look into their "Classic" model, few .22RFs are finer.

Another classic budget option would be the Winchester 52 Sporter reproduction for about $500-600. It's not as fine as the Kimber (it needs a little tuning), but you can actually hunt with it and not fret too much about getting a ding in the stock...