I think it's important to realize that most of these actions -- no matter if it's an old military Mauser, pre-64 Model 70, or latest-version Model 70 Classic -- shouldn't necessarily be evaluated for what they are in their factory-original form, specifically if you're going to have a custom rifle built.

For example, a great many high-quality military Mausers, such as the 1909 Argentine, are quite soft in their original form, and should be properly and scientifically rehardened (carburized) by a heat-treating specialist. And a good custom riflebuilder will see that this process is completed in the right manner, by the right metal lab. The action might start out "soft", but it'll end up "just right" before the rifle is completed, tested, and delivered to the client.

Likewise, some pre-64 Model 70s ARE too hard as they came from the factory, but a quality custom riflemaker will have the harness of the action tested, and if it's found to be too hard he'll have it annealed, then the action will be carefully heat-treated by the same sort of special heat-treating lab that recarburizes Mausers. The process will be different, but the end result will be the same. What started out as a problem ends up as a non-issue.

The Model 70 Classic, since its inception around 1990, DID vary widely in terms of quality. However, with possibly over 400,000 of these rifles built over a 15 year period, there's still plenty of them to go around, and an astute client or custom riflemaker can take his time, look around, and hand-select excellent specimens for customization. Then the action can be further reworked and remodeled into an incredibly precise foundation for a best quality rifle. What didn't start out as perfect, ends as very-nearly perfect, with no problems whatsoever that will get in the way of a lifetime of solid performance. Once again, problem solved.

If there are no glaring defects that preclude the use of a specific action, there is no quality Mauser or Model 70 that's any better or any worse than the man you hire to rework it and turn it into a rifle. That action is only as good as the riflemaker will allow it to be, pure and simple.

And in the same way, it's no better or no worse than your ability, as a client, to hire the right man to build your rifle.

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