Mauser-Werke · Rifle

Mauser M1903

Name: Mauser M1903
Brand: Mauser-Werke

Bolt action · 7.92x57mm Mauser · introduced 1903

Also known as Turkish Mauser M1903, Ottoman Mauser Model 1903, Mauser 1903/38

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About the Mauser M1903

The Mauser M1903 is a German-designed bolt-action service rifle adopted by the Ottoman Empire in 1903. Based on the Gewehr 98 system with the Mauser controlled-feed action, it was originally chambered in 7.65x53mm Mauser. After the founding of the Republic of Turkey, the army standardized on the German 7.92x57mm cartridge, and from the early 1930s into the 1950s the Ankara (ASFA) and Kirikkale arsenals reworked the receivers and rebarrelled the rifles as the M1903/38, feeding from a five-round internal magazine via stripper clips.

When the Republic of Turkey reorganised its armory after World War I, it inherited a patchwork of Ottoman-era Mausers in 7.65mm. To unify ammunition with the widely available German 7.92x57mm round, arsenals at Ankara and Kirikkale rebarrelled tens of thousands of M1903 and older M1893 rifles, machining a distinctive crescent cutout into the receiver to feed the longer 8mm cartridge.

Mauser M1903 specifications

General

Type: Rifle
Action: Bolt action
Firing mechanism: Striker-fired
Trigger: Two stage
Calibres: 7.92x57mm Mauser
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds
Magazine: Fixed box

Dimensions

Barrel length: 740 mm (29.1 in)
Overall length: 1240 mm (48.8 in)
Weight (empty): 4.17 kg (9.19 lb)

Barrel

Rifling twist: 1:9 in (240 mm)
Rifling: Right hand
Grooves: 4

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Steel
Stock: Walnut
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 760 m/s (2493 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 3697 J (2727 ft·lb)
Effective range: 500 m

History

Introduced: 1903
Discontinued: 1950
Production status: Discontinued
Country of origin: TR
Designer: Paul Mauser

Features

Stripper clip loading
Tangent leaf sights
Non rotating claw extractor
Internal box magazine

Safety

Three position wing safety

Original 1903 production was 7.65x53mm; this entry documents the 8mm (7.92x57mm) configuration produced by the Turkish 1930s-1950s arsenal conversion program. Converted rifles show a crescent-shaped cutout at the receiver bridge to clear the longer 7.92x57mm cartridge during stripper-clip loading.