I'm still looking for a good M1917 in the original configuration. Makes the history buff in me wanna cry when I see a 1917 in a Monte Carlo stock and scope. :-(
Myself, I’d like to get a P-14.
The reason why you see so many 1917 conversions is this:
When a custom gunsmith customer wants a rifle in some Monster Magnum chambering, the Mauser 98 has limitations. Specifically, once you get to something longer than, oh, a .375 H&H or a cartridge fatter than a .404 Jefferies, the Mauser starts to “run out of metal.”
Not so on the 1917. That thing has enough metal to allow it to be chambered in some calibers usually intended for flak cannons. eg, the .577 T-Rex. The 1917 is a huge, strong action, and the people who want absurdly large calibers in custom guns really have few other choices for a conversion.