Turkish Mauser, M1903/38, Markings

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Okay, I'm curious to know what some of the markings mean on my Turk. I know it's an ANKARA K.KALE and made in 1940, but I was looking to know what other symbols, letters, and numbers mean.

Crescent moon- I figure that's just a symbol denoting country of origin, but here we go.

Top of reciever:
Hammer, Star, C
AS (Crescent Moon mentioned above) FA
ANKARA
K.KALE
1940

Right side of reciever, in bolt lug recess:
A

Left side of receiver:
136

Bolt release:
69

Bottom metal:
C (square sided, no curves in shape)
33904

Rear sight:
136 (on elevation adjuster)
136 (on sight leaf)

Bolt Body:
3 (elongated)
VV (pictured up-side down) b
Crescent on handle
Circled Z on bottom of handle

Shroud:
Crescent
Circled "Z" (with a fat / in the Z)
VV (pictured upside down, on top of shroud by safety)

Safety:
Circled Z

Cocking piece:
Stylized a (12 o'clock position)
06 (6 o'clock position)
Really fancy E

I was hoping someone could tell me what these mean.

 

[Uncle Grinch]

Turk Mausers

Turk Mausers, especially the '98 versions, tend to vary from one extreme to the other. Some are near junk, others are very nice. I've had quite a few and still own several. There are a couple of web sites that may shed some light on these relics....

http://www.turkmauser.com/

http://www272.pair.com/stevewag/

http://www.mausercentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=11338

http://www.mausercentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8895

Hope these help.

 

[NCsmitty]

Check out the http://www.turkmauser.com/ site for a bunch of info on the Turks.

The K.Kale model was forged and produced by the Turks themselves, and many were completed with a mixture of trigger guards and bolts and such fitted to the rifles. Few Turk rifles are all true matching #'s.
I have a few K.Kale rifles that I converted to custom calibers, and I prefer them to the versions with the notched receivers.
The 1903 rifles were originally produced in Germany, but are intermediate length actions like the later yugo 48's and 24/47 models. Early Turks were originally 7.65x53 Mauser caliber but most were converted to the 8mm Mauser, and these will have the notched receiver for clearance of the pointed 8mm ammo on stripper clips.



NCsmitty

 

[DCoke]

Your "VV" pictured upside down may possibly be arabic numerals "88" but that is not a given.

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Here are some pictures. My reciever doesn't look notched.

 

[NCsmitty]

K.Kale rifles are a full length 98 action and were not notched in the receiver ring. Your rifle appears to be in decent shape.


NCsmitty

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

I take meticulous care of my rifles... Least I can do if they one day have to take care of me

I cleaned and refinished the stock on it, taking all the cosmo out of it and staining it a similar color as it was before, but I left the dents in it, keeping as much of it's character as possible.

Reading the last link Uncle Grinch posted, all Ankara K.Kales post 1939 were entirely made in Turkey, not thrown together from various parts. That was from another poster on that link from Mausercentral. Can anybody verify this?