Lately, I've had a desire to add a Turkish made Mauser to my collection. I guess I got the bug while looking at a Turk at the LGS. Unfortunately, the stock had been sanded and refinished, the bore was only fair to good, and they wanted $200. Turks really don't have a devoted following in the US, so $200 should get a far better example than that. I really wanted one of the Kirikkale Mausers, which are fully Turkish made Mausers in a VZ98/22 configuration (basically a Gew 98 long rifle). Kirikkale was a new arsenal established by the Turks in 1938 with machinery and knowledge of VZ98/22 manufacture provided by Československá zbrojovka (CZ). Kirikkale became MKE in 1950.
Well, I dropped in on the local gun show in the closing hours on the first Sunday in May. I walked over to say hello to my favorite seller, and he said, "I was hoping you'd show up". He quickly thrust this Kirikkale into my hands. I saw the tiger-striped circassian walnut stock and he had me! I saw the price tag and I was wondering how it had lasted until Sunday, but before I could speak he said he'd give it to me for $25 less and toss in 45 rounds of 1950s Yugoslavian surplus he picked up with the rifle (not my favorite when shooting for groups, but hey, it goes bang). I did feel a bit like the farmer "looking the gift horse in the mouth" as I lit up my bore light and peered down into a nice shiny bore with sharp rifling, but it's habit. Well, that was it, hands were shaken and it was off to the transfer table. Yes, it's a mixmaster but that's normal, and I'm not going to complain.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the pictures.
No Century, it's not German
Yeah baby!