Want to learn more about the 1983 Turkish Mauser? Read on for facts and info on this antique firearm developed in Turkey in the late 1800s…
The 1983 Turkish Mauser is perhaps the most popular rifle to have originated from Turkey. This historic rifle is highly sought after by gun collectors all over the world. Although it used to be very cost effective to produce and cheap to purchase during the initial period, it has now acquired collector’s status for which people are willing to pay large sums of money.
The 1893 Mauser has gone through a series of modifications with the passage of time. The most significant transformation in the configuration of this rifle took place when it was converted to an 8mm Mauser. The conversion took place in the early 1930s at the Ankara arsenal outlet.
Two possible techniques were used to transform the 1993 Mauser into an 8mm rifle. In some cases the old barrel was replaced with a new 8mm barrel, and in other cases the existing barrel was bored out. The face of the receiver was also cut into so as to enable it to load a longer bullet into its magazine. The magazine was then cut off at the right side and removed. Flanges were added to the modified rifles so as to hold the hand guard in place. The hand guard had retaining clips that would be fixed onto the barrel at the bottom. It was meant to be used when no retaining flange was attached to the rifle
Despite all these modifications, a large quantity of 1893 Mausers still had matching serial numbers. This is quite unlike the K.Kale rifles all of which have a different serial number for their barrels and receivers. The 1893 Turkish rifles had a number of different markings on them. The modified versions bore the mark of T.C, Turkiye Cumhuriyeti which in English translates as the Republic of Turkey. Other popular marks found on the rifles are Military Factory, ASFA, Askari Fabrika, Ankara and ANK ARA.
Also, part of the modification that took place was the removal of most of the Arabic script that was originally found on the 1893 Turkish Mauser rifle. This was primarily because according to the Arabic script the rifles were made by Mauser in Germany. Towards the left of the rifle is marked the year in which the rifle was manufactured. These dates are marked according to the Islamic calendar and in order to understand the actual date you need to convert the Ottoman Arabic calendar to the Gregorian alternative. However, the two calendars are based on totally different sciences, hence you will only be able to get an approximate date of the year of manufacture.
It is believed that the entire stock of 1893 Turkish Mauser rifles was manufactured between 1895 and 1896. The rifle is classified as an antique firearm under the official US law. Specimens from the collection of these antique rifles can be found in museums in Turkey, as well other regions around the world along with their modified versions.
