Those pre 1898 Mauser's which the Boers used so effectively against the British were also uses with extreme effectiveness against the USA in Cuba. The 1893 "Spanish Mauser" was actually the catalyst for the 1903 Springfield & not the 1898 as so many suppose, though by the time of the Springfield's introduction they did use a few features of the new design, such as the third safety lug & cock on opening rather than closing.

The "Cone Breech" of the Springfield was not used on any Mauser. While its purpose was to ensure better feeding its case head support was far inferior to any Mauser from 1889 on. On even the early Mauser's the case head was supported all the way to the extractor groove. The '98 design used an internal ring in the receiver which enclosed the bolt head & offered better gas venting. The pre 98's or the '03 Springfield in case of a burst head or blown primer would normally turn the gas loose into the magazine well, usually splitting the stock.

That said my "Go To" deer rifle has been a 1916 7 mm Mauser Spanish Short Rifle, (based on the 1893 design) since the mid 1960's. For a hunting rifle I still like the cock on closing design the best. Just me I guess, but find it the easiest to operate.

Miller/TN
I Didn't Say Everything I Said, Yogi Berra