I suppose when someone is starting from scratch without a mentor and in a hurry, chasing the influencers is the way to go. What alternative do they have? Right now I'm toying with the idea of building my own DGR (dangerous game rifle). Mauser is the preferred choice. Yeah, it's been done (quite frequently in fact) but I'm finding the build is more complicated than I thought. Since our local gunsmiths are either retired or dead, I'm kinda flying by the seat of my pants as I explore this. And the exploration has been an adventure. For starters, unlike Springfield '03 or Enfield P14/1917, a Mauser is not just a Mauser. There's lots of different variations. And what calibers can be made to work with which variation can be a sticky wicket. The internet has been mostly my only source of information. It's great because 1) there's a ton of different experiences to resource and 2) NONE OF THE AUTHORS ARE TRYING TO SELL MAUSERS OR MAUSER BUILDS OR EVEN THEIR KNOWLEDGE. For that reason I think it's a stretch to call them influencers. How did I even get the idea to build a DGR in the first place? The outfitters and PHs I've worked with in Africa all used new factory guns (almost exclusively CZ). I still have yet to read any of the classic Africa hunting literature written during Mausers heyday (Horn of the Hunter, Death In the Long Grass, etc). I have seen a few Africa hunting videos where clients or PHs used Mausers. Maybe that's where I got the idea but I really don't know. Can't say that I recall seeing any video sponsored by one of the modern Mauser gunmakers (e.g. Westley Richards or Mauser). So, I would have to say this decision was more or less inate and not influenced by any commercially backed "influencer."
