They aren't any better built than other Mausers of the era, however, when they were first put onto the surplus markets, many of them were still new in the crates, with all accessories
They are beautifully finished, and maybe that's why people say they are "one of the best made?"
I was lucky enough to get a crate of these beautiful Mausers that was opened for inspection in the UK, before being shipped to the International warehouse in Canada, where customs inspectors opened the crates again but were more meticulous about checking off serial numbers and opened the wrapping around the receivers.
They came in two versions, the rifle, with the 29in bbl and Carbines with 20 inch? barrels. There may have been standard length rifles as well with 23.5in bbls, but I didn't see any at the time.
They came in several grades. New in wrap to junk.
Just like the Brazilian Mausers, many were put into storage after the order was received for emergency purposes. The rest were mostly ridden hard and put away wet.
When these rifles first came out, many of them went to the US, however, Canadians got the best of the best, because we got first pick.
I really miss having International as a receiver/distributor of surplus firearms in Canada, something else to thank the BLOC, Liberals, NDP for and even the PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVES, under Mulroney and Campbell.
Bill C68 ended all of that.