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Hmmm...I'm at least a little surprised that to this point you're in the majority. I would have figured the flexibility of the M03 system coupled with the North American limitation would have put it in the lead.

I'm in the middle of a significant simplification of my rifles. After buying an Empire Rifles field grade takedown in .30-'06 last year, I commissioned them to make a 9.3x62 barrel assembly (should be done in the next month) and sold a .338 WM, .375 H&H, and a .416 RM I admittedly had no use for. There's another .30-'06 in the safe that will be departing soon, and I could probably get rid of my .358 WCF too but I won't because it's a great, single-minded pig gun. Long story short, my preference for my own rifles is the traditional Mauser 98 design and I love my Empire. Yes, I'd prefer one with a fine stick of English walnut and ebony appointments, but it's damned functional in forest green Kevlar.

I've got three boys at home. The two oldest ones hunt and burn through enough .22 LR, .22 WMR, and 7mm-08 ammunition that I buy it by the case (seriously...5,000-round lots of .22 LR, 500-round lots of .22 WMR, and 300 rounds of 7mm-08 last time I bought) and there's no reason for me to think the younger one is going to be any different.

Apparently I'm a sentimental bastard...I'd like to give them a head-start on fine rifles, and give them (and me) a chance to make some memories with those rifles while we're still hunting together. Right now I'm in the very fortunate position to take advantage of the incredibly good gun deals out there, and in the last 3 months I bought an NIB M03 Basic (in .30-'06 after some barrel trading) and NIB Empire field grade (in .280 Remington) for about 50% of what they should sell for new. I've managed to sneak both into the safe without the ankle-biters noticing.

I bought the Empire first, thinking I'd pick up two more in all-around calibers over the next few years. As I've already said, I'm a big fan of Empires. Then I found & bought the M03, and I'll have to admit I'm far more impressed with it than I thought I'd be. The fit & finish are great, tolerances are incredibly good, and the cocking lever "safety" isn't hard to use or to get used to. They're about $500 to $1,000 less expensive than Empires, they look good (to me, anyway) in the traditional Basic configuration, and the ability to swap barrels/calibers has some appeal. It's not controlled-round feed, but the biggest gripe I have is the 14.5" LOP apparently meant for folks with gorilla-length arms.

So...there's the full context of the question. My plan is to put away three same (or very similar) rifles for my little hunters over the next few years, without hanging on to anything extra. Does that long-winded explanation change anyone's opinion?

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