Turkish contract 1918

[jon_norstog]

There was a time when I sneered at the 8x57. Then Dave Floyd at B&K Gun Shop in Flagstaff talked me into a G98. What the hell, it was only $100. What I got was an Oberndorff with the Turk crescent and what must have been in-the-white gone to rust. No serial number on the bolt, unfortunately. Otherwise everything matches. This has proven to be a very accurate rifle, and once I started reloading 8x57 I was hooked on the round. If it wasn't for the Krag, I'd be hunting with an 8x57 full time.

I wish it could talk. Must have been on the train, down through Bulgaria, before that country surrendered Sept. 29, 1918. But maybe not, it might have been smuggled or just slipped through....

1918 was a hell of a year for fighting in the middle east. The Turk was fighting in the Caucasus, at Baku and out past Bokhara. Enver Pasha had set up a "Muslim Legion" and barred the Germans from serving or accompanying it. The goal was to reunite the Turkish-speaking people throughout central Asia, before the war stopped. It was like musical chairs, all parties going for broke before the music stopped. Temporary alliances were the order of the day. The Russians and units of liberated German POWs were fighting against the British and the Turks around Baku. The rifles, of course took a beating, which is why I think this one probably sat out that fight.

Under the terms of the Turkish Armistice of October 30, the Turk had to turn in all his weapons to dumps guarded by the British occupation forces. In December 1918, the Brits had over 1,000,000 troops in Turkey. By late spring they had 1/3 of that. The dumps were left unguarded. Ataturk, who had been organizing resistance cells since day 1, and by May had set up a command structure and rallied what was left of the Ottoman Army, sent his troops in to take back the weapons. By summer he had several divisions in the field. By the end of the next year it was the Brits who surrendered to the Turk.

This could have been one of the weapons. It may have been dumped still in the white and never issued ... or maybe it was in the box? In any case it doesn't have the pitting around the receiver you see in badly weathered mausers. just signs of a little exposure. I'm thinking the stock is beech. When I got the rifle the grain was raised like nothing I've ever seen - the light colored squares were all popped out. The raised grain makes me think the rifle may have been exposed to the elements, perhaps while in the case. That would be consistent with the terms of the 1918 armistice. Like a fool I sanded the stock and then oiled it. It looks great and sheds water, but probably reduced the collector value.

A good book to read if you are interested in the period is David Fromkin's "A Peace to End all Peace."

Before Gallipoli there was some question among Allied military types whether the Turk would fight. "A year later a verdict was returned .... Mackenzie reported from the Dardanelles that 'French officers who have fought in the West say that as a fighting unit, one Turk is worth two Germans; in fact, with his back to the wall the Turk is magnificent.'" That's a sourced quote from Fromkin, p. 157

jn

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[Patrick Chadwick]

All the other Turk 98s I have seen looked worse and cost more. A good buy Jon!
As to the raised grain - I guess that the wood had become very, very dry. So you know next time - long, long BLO soak first, and then maybe the sanding becomes unnecessary? - The burnishing method might be enough.

Patrick

[Calif-Steve]

It looks like a Turkish-stocked rifle. I have 1-2 Turk '38's that have the same light elm(?) wood. The Turks had piles of Martini's that were destroyed in 1919. It seems most of the Mausers escaped destruction. Nice hide and an excellent keeper.

[vintage hunter]

Nice rifle Jon. I have one like it with one exception, mine has a turned down bolt handle. It's all matching and marked on the receiver ring V. CHR. SCHILLING, SUHL 1917. It has almost no finish left but no rust or pitting, excellent bore, same stock wood as your's. I rescued it in the late 80's from a gunsmith who was going to scrap it for the receiver. At the time I had a 98 receiver I had gotten for $25 and talked him into a trade . While cleaning it up I found the name Durmas Ali Rivrak on the underside of the handgard.

[jon_norstog]

Vintage,

you should contact the Turkish Embassy and see if there are any records of the guy. That was a pretty exciting time in Turkish and world history, and your man might have been an actor. The Turk contract G98s mostly had the bolts and receivers left in the white, I think, with blued barrels and stock hardware. And I think the wood is beech rather than elm. If you ever worked elm, you'd know it is probably the gunstock wood of last resort.

I got this one for $100, but that was about 17 years ago. I haven't seen a decent mauser lately for under $350 anywhere. I think I'll take it for a shoot when the wind quits blowing!

jn

[Calif-Steve]

Receivers and bolts were left in the white. Barrel and TG were blued. I got 2 very nice G98's -1917 & 1918 Oberndorf several years back. (I thought Oberndorf supplied the bulk of their production to Turkey in late 1917 and 1918.) Turk moon stamps. One in the white receiver and one blued receiver. Original barrels and nice shooters. I don't see them around anymore.