Curious...not sure why but I am.

[IdahoSharpshooter]

the claw extractor poses difficulties when making the extractor cut.
A lot of good gunsmiths are just too lazy to do the fussy fitting. Generally you fit, chamber, and headspace the barrel, then take it off the action a couple times to cut, trial fit, cut, trial fit again.
Same issue with 98 Mausers, but for some reason the custom hunting rifle gunsmiths are able to do the work well.

I have an OM 70 that is at Bartlein's being fitted with one of their barrels. One of the neat things; it has a Karl Kenyon trigger. They charge about $30 +/- more than one of the pipe actions.

wapiti25, you would not have extractor issues with a true CRF action.

 

[swd]

the claw extractor poses difficulties when making the extractor cut.
A lot of good gunsmiths are just too lazy to do the fussy fitting. Generally you fit, chamber, and headspace the barrel, then take it off the action a couple times to cut, trial fit, cut, trial fit again.
Same issue with 98 Mausers, but for some reason the custom hunting rifle gunsmiths are able to do the work well.

Mauser's don't have that issue, they don't an extractor cut.

I shot F Class last weekend and one of the guys I was squaded with was shooting FTR with a custom pre 64. It shot pretty damn good too.

 

[Geno C]

I have 3 different kinds of model 70 that I use. The CRF, the push feed and the controlled round push feed. They are just a capable as any other action.