As well as those mentioned already, a cheaper alternative would be mausers made by CZ. CZ was the largest small arms producer in the entire world in the 1920s and made some of the finest mausers ever made. You can get a 98/22 or a VZ-24 for less than $200. Their finest offereng is the 98/29 Persian contract rifle which I belive to be the best mauser value out there- they were made with every single option available and would be close to equalling a 1909 argie if they would have been given a hinged floorplate. These rifles had very little if any use and usually have perfect bores, can be found for $200-250. A rarer rifle made by te czechs and the most coveted rifle used by the Germans was the G33/40- it was a very light and handy carbine built on an odd small ring mauser 98 action.

Swedes are in a class of their own. Swede armorers were very picky sorts and made sure hte rifles were perfectly maintained. The stocks were handfitted to the barreled actions for accuracy. Inaccurate rifles or those with worn bores were taken out of service and rebuilt. Unfortunately the prices are skyrocketing and there aren't any new ones pulled straight from swedish armories available except for some of the more expensive variations.


Here's a picture of my swedish sharpshooter rifle- the swedish military used these from the around 1941 to the late 1980s/early 1990s. Mine is a 1899 German rifle with a 1942 dated scope. It will shoot 1/2 moa or better with handloads.


Here's another 1899 mauser 96.