Since Turkey was neutral in WWII, that rifle is not technically a WWII rifle. KKALE = Kirikkale, the arsenal in Ankara that did the modification work. The receiver markings are: T C = Turkiye Cumhuriyet (Turkish Republic)ĪS FA = Askari Fabrika (Military Factory)
That one is actually based on a standard Model 1898 action, origin unknown. Many were ex-German 98a carbines, hence the talk about 'small ring' Turkish Mausers.įor that reason, discussion of materials and whether 'Turkish steel' is soft is pointless. The resulting rifles, regardless of derivation or original appearance, are referred to as 'the Turkish Model 1938', a term that has caused a lot of confusion among American collectors and gunsmiths. In 1938, they decided to bring the hodge-podge of rifles up to a uniform appearance, basically that of the German K.98k. In spite of the CAI marking, Turkey never made any Mauser rifles all they used were imported, mostly from Germany.
