I ran across and wrote a story about this rifle with R.G. Owen and Tom Burgess (B in circle 3-49 date) barrel markings. For those not aware of Tom Burgess I'd call him the father of modern custom rifle metalsmithing. I first visited him about 1978 at his shop in Lakeside, MT just above Flathead Lake. At the same time I also visited his nearby neighbor Monty Kennedy who live and work on the shore of Flathead lake. Kennedy and Burgess worked together on many projects. Burgess also did metalsmithing for Jerry Fisher (who live in Kalispell at that time) Maurice Ottmar and other well known stockers of the era.From my examination I believe the metal and wood are original to each other.
This rifle is a M-98 Mauser in .257 Roberts (My fav). The last line of my story (Sports Afield, July/Aug 2022) is, "This is the only rifle that I am aware of that bridges pre- and post-WWII custom gunmaking, representing two top craftsmen from each era."

[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]
[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]
[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]
[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]