Hi DM Shooting,
Your rifle has the very distinct Browning bolt stop that Browning generally had installed on most if not all Mauser 98 actions used for their (Browning's) rifles in the days before all these "A-Bolt" designs and such.
It seems a curious thing that Parker Hale and / or Dumoulin would use a Browning bolt stop on any rifle of theirs but evidently they did.
Not that there is anything wrong with using Browning parts and pieces but, it is just unusual as far as I know.
I'm only a shade tree rifle collector and so, perhaps those two outfits did indeed use Browning parts more often that I am aware of but, I have just never seen it until now.
My guess is that the maker used what they could get at the time or perhaps Browning sold a quantity of their modified bolt stop type Model 98 Mauser actions (actions made for Browning by FN) when Browning began to abandon the Mauser action in favor of their own A-Bolt or some other proprietary action of their own design.
In any event, those Browning bolt stops seemed to work just fine and of course the FN Commercial '98 action is generally one of the better versions of the Mauser action ever produced.
Too bad FN did not do a larger version in Orberndorf Magnum proportion or Brevex Magnum proportion, etc. but nonetheless, the one you have is a fine Mauser and it begs to hunt Africa.
One fine day I will find the right deal on a .404 but so far, such a thing has eluded me.
Meanwhile, I plan to live vicariously through your adventures with your .404 Mauser.
Cheers,
Velo Dog.
, but the internet is too slow to show me the photos and another thunderstorm is on the way so it will pack up again . i look forward to looking at it when i get back to lusaka 
