|
I have done some research and can't find that the Turks ever made a Mauser rifle action. Before and after WWI, they bought thousands of rifles, mostly from Germany, which had always had military influence in Turkey. What the Turks did, c. 1938, was to take the conglomeration of rifles they had on hand and rebarrel/restock/rework them to as close to a uniform appearance as they could get (basically the look of the German K.98k) and make them a uniform caliber, 8x57JS (German 7.9). The reworked rifles were all designated Model 1938, confusing gunsmiths and collectors ever since.
Those rifles were then re-marked to indicate the Turkish military arsenal at Ankara/Kirikkale where the work was done. Many were WWI Kar 98a carbines, which were 98 actions with a small receiver ring to reduce weight. The Turks had gotten hundreds of thousands of those, so many that the rifles became known as the "small ring Turkish", even though they were really German, made at Erfurt.
Most are good enough rifles, though many are in horrible shape. Because of the wide variety, age, and condition of the base rifles, generalization ("Turks are great" or "Turks are no good") is just not possible. Every "Turkish" Mauser should be evaluated on its own if one plans to sporterize or otherwise alter it for shooting.
Altering an 8mm Mauser action to accept a cartridge of .30-06 length involves some work on the magazine and often the feed rails, not just barrel work.
Jim
|