Turkish Model 1903 Rifle (Mauser)

Rick Love's OLDGUNS

Turkey always watched the weapons developments and progress Germany was making prior to WWI. Turkey purchased large quantities of the model 1903 rifle from Germany. The 1903 the Turks used was a variation of the German G98 rifle. The 1903 was fitted with a pistol grip style stock and an upper hand guard running from the front of the receiver to the nose cap. It was also fitted with a bayonet lug for the Turkish bayonet. The rear sight is a tangent leaf sight instead of the "Lange Vizier" style German sight. The model 1903 rifle has a long history with the Turkish Military. It served in the Ital-Turkish War of 1911-1912, the 1st and 2nd Balkan Wars,  WWI, The Greco-Turk War 1920-1922 and finally WWII.

STATS:
Length: 49"
Weight:  9.2 lb
Barrel:   29.13"
Caliber:  7.92 x 57 mm (8mm)
Rifling: 4 Groove, Right hand

Very good shooter. Fun and cheap to shoot. Uses military surplus ammo that's easy to find.

    I have refurbished five model 1903's and one model 1938 so far. I currently have a model 1893 in pieces. And also a German K-98 Mauser in works too. Most of the time it is pretty easy. I tear the rifle apart and bake the old cosmoline and gun oil out of the wood. This can either take a matter of days or sometimes even weeks. I soak all the metal parts in Mineral Spirits a day or two before cleaning. I always tear the gun down all the way so I can inspect the parts for corrosion and/or cracks.  By now I have a pretty good supply of spare parts on hand.
    I will remove deep dings and scratches as much as possible while trying to leave the rifle as original as possible. When I reblue the metal, I try to match the original color, just as I do with the stock and hand guard. Once the rifle is back together, and I have double-checked head spacing, etc., and ran a shell (without lead) through it to check the firing pin depth, I take it out and test fire it. If all goes well, I clean it and put it away. Then I'm off to work on my next project.