There are alot of guys that really like the Mosins. I, myself, owned over a dozen Finnish rifles at one time- they generally had much better barrels etc...than a run of the mill Russian Mosin and I was very interested in the Winter War. Too, lots of variations in those rifles- I still have a 28 built on a Remington receiver.....If only it could talk....Bought mine cheap when they first came in, they got stupid expensive and I sold most of them, retaining the most rare variants for myself.
However, as a "Rifle" they just fall short in so many areas that I can't recommend them. I just don't drink the "cheap = great" Koolaid. I'm past the stage where I buy things just to have them. If I want a rifle, I'm going to buy a rifle that is worth owning-today AND tomorrow.
Mausers, decent ones, will cost more than a Mosin but there are plenty of bargains out there if you are willing to look at all. There are some photos of a nice Gew 98 that a guy bought not long ago for under $200 on this forum for example. Go take a look at the Czech Mausers Aim is selling right now- they are friggen gorgeous, for $209. The Czech VZ rifles are widely regarded as some of the finest Mausers EVER made, their actions highly prized for building sporting rifles due to their strength and precision machining. Have you ever seen a $2,500 custom rifle made out of a Mosin action.....me neither.....?
The Mauser has EVERY bit as much history, variation etc...as the Mosin. In fact, Mausers were made a hell of alot more places than Mosins ever were and probably used more places as well. Mosins were almost never used in South or Central America for example-by the time the insurgencies got started in the 60's the Russians were sending out AK's, not Mosins..... Every place there was a Mosin being used there were Mausers too but the reverse is not true-the Finns used Swede 96's, the Chinese manufactured Mausers LONG before they made Mosins, almost all of Europe (east and west) was armed with Mausers in both World Wars, all of Central and South America, they saw use in Africa with the Boers (Whose motto was "Vertroue in God en die Mauser" ––"Faith in God and the Mauser rifle") and in the German colonies, Rommel in Egypt.... San Juan Hill ring any bells? Hell, the Israelis adopted the Mauser and re barreled some to .308! Many of the rifles available now are Russian capture rifles.....
No shoulder fired arm has more History than the Mauser, none-not even the AK (there are a few "also rans" though- notably the British Enfield and Brown Bess. The Mauser was CHOSEN by many nations....the Mosin was GIVEN to most nations where it served.