Me too are fiddling with one day, to get M03 Mauser as new gun. The safety isn`t the best..when that said, the last one I hand in my hand , The "Outback" model, the safety worked perfectly!.
I like the fit N惠eel of the Mauser M03, more than any other factory gun I have had in my hands or seen for a long time.
MY big problem is this though. My gunsafe is packed with the original M98s, and some of them I haven`t even shot yet, that I would consider unfair for them if I went to buy a new Mauser....hahaha
Of the people I know here in Denmark, I have only heard well about the Mauser. The shoot very accurate.
If I ever get a brainstroke, and decide to sell all my pre WW1 sporters, it would definatly be in exchange to the M03. I believe with that gun, Mauser has finally reclaimed world dominans, and conquered lost territory.