if by exact same you mean inferior in every way, sure
i've owned a tanaka kar98k, tanaka m700, tanaka m24, maruzen aps2 and maruzen type96 (twice). i enjoyed gaming with my L96's best. there's a cheap upgrade cylinder for it, no need to change the sears and it has some spiffy ass range. the absolute best part of it was how it put the fear of god into the hearts of man and airsofter alike.
right now i use my heavily modified m14 and honestly the range is comparable. i've gotten some ludicrous shots with it but i miss the satisfaction of bolt action kills.