Type 46 rifle
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The first Siamese Mauser used the Gewehr 98 bolt with the cock-on-open action, but removed the recoil lug with the narrower lines of the Mauser model of 1896. Some features and characteristics of the Japanese Type 35 rifle (under development in the same arsenal at that time) were also incorporated, such as the sliding dust cover and long wrist tangs. Some Siamese Type 46 rifles also have a split buttstock common on Arisaka rifles. Although the design was licensed from Mauser, none of the components of the Siamese rifles are interchangeable with other Mauser rifles.[1]
The Type 46 was chambered for the Type 45 8×50mm rimmed cartridge.[1][2][3] The cartridge designation is the source of a misnomer for the rifle and led to the confusion of some referring to a “Type 45” rifle.[1][4] The cartridge was formally adopted before the rifles as cartridge dimensions needed to be settled before rifle production could begin.[1][2]
Just below the Chakram symbol on the forward receiver bridge, the rifles were marked “ร,ศ,๑๒๑” (R.S. 121) representing Rattanakosin Sok (รัตนโกสินทรศก, abbreviated as ร.ศ. and R.S.) for the 121st year of Chakri Dynasty (royal family).[1][4] Since the Thai year started in April on the Gregorian calendar, there is some overlap, but the adoption year is equated as 1903.[4] In 1913, the new king, King Rama VI (Vajiravudh), changed the calendar to use the Buddhist Era for official documents and the rifle was redesignated as the Type 46 for the year 2446 BE (1903).[1][4] The Koishikawa Arsenal stamp of four stacked cannonballs is stamped on the left side of the receiver under the dust cover next to an inspection mark.[1]
The serial number on the Type 46 is stamped in Thai numerals on the rear receiver bridge. The numbers can be read left to right just as in Western writing systems. Many imported Siamese Mausers may be inscribed with a second serial number using Arabic numerals added by the importer.[citation needed] Due to a lack of familiarity with Thai numerals, the serial numbers issued by importers rarely match the original Thai serial number.[citation needed]
The rear sight was a folding leaf or Buffington style with a graduated and arched ramp where a slider between the post and ramp raises the sight post. The wings of the sight ramp was inscribed with Thai numerals, possibly representing meters, with the highest number being ๒๐ (20, for 2000m).[1]
Major components were forged, fabricated, and machined in Japan. The components were then sent to an arsenal in Bangkok where the rifles were assembled with technical assistance from the Japanese.[3]
Type 47 carbine
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The Type 47 is a carbine length version of the Type 46 rifle equipped with a shorter barrel and marked “ร,ศ,๑๒๓” (R.S. 123, BE 2447) under the Chakram symbol.[1][3] Many Type 46 rifles were converted to carbine length in the 1960s.[3] The converted rifles can be identified because the receiver bridge markings were not changed from “ร,ศ,๑๒๑” (R.S. 121).[3]
Type 46/66 rifle and Type 47/66 carbine
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In 1923 (2466 BE), the Siamese military decided to upgrade their ammunition with a spitzer bullet to improve range. The new cartridge was adopted as the Type 66. Existing Type 46 and Type 47 rifles were rechambered for the 8×52mm rimmed Type 66 round. The rear sight ramps were also ground down to reflect the flatter trajectory of the new ammunition. As a result, many of the Thai numbers inscribed on rear sight ramps are partially cut-off. No other changes were made to the rifles or carbines during the rechambering process. Following the rechambering, the rifles were redesignated as the Type 46/66 rifle and Type 47/66 carbine.[1][2][3]
After World War II, some Siamese Mausers were shortened and chambered for 30-06 Springfield.[3] The Thai military and police found the recoil from the 30-06 in the shorter rifles excessive.[3]
Type 66 rifle
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The Siamese Type 66 rifle is an export model of the Japanese Type 38 rifle ordered in 1923 and built in the Koishikawa Arsenal. Delivery was delayed until 1928-29 due to catastrophic damage to Tokyo from the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.[3][4] Although a Type 38 in appearance and function, very few of the Type 66 parts are interchangeable with the Japanese rifle.[4] Although not strictly a Mauser rifle, the Arisaka receiver is a modified Gewehr 98 action that borrows heavily from the Mauser design.[5][6][7]
The Type 66 rifles were chambered for the Type 66, 8×52mmR Siamese, cartridge.[3][4]
In the late 1950s some were converted to fire .30 Carbine ammunition.[8]
The Type 88 , sometimes known as "Hanyang 88 " or Hanyang Type 88 (Chinese: 漢陽八八式步槍) and Hanyang Zao (Which means Made in Hanyang ),[3] is a Chinese-made bolt-action rifle, based on the German Gewehr 88.[4] It was adopted by the Qing Dynasty towards the end of the 19th century and was used by multiple factions and formations like those in the Republic of China, until the end of the Chinese Civil War.
The Type Chiang Kai-shek rifle (Chinese: 中正式), also known as the Generalissimo rifle,[3] and Type 24 (二四式), named after the Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, was a Chinese-made version of the German Standardmodell rifle, the forerunner of the Karabiner 98k. Preproduction of the Chiang Kai-shek rifle started in 1935 (year 24 of the Republican calendar, hence Type 24). It was designated the Type 79 by the Chinese Communists.
The Mukden Arsenal Mauser , also known as the Model 13 Mauser and Liao Type 13 , was a rifle that implemented characteristics of both the Mauser Type 4 and Arisaka rifles.[3][4][5] They were mostly built in the Mukden arsenal in Manchukuo.[4][6]
The Springfield Model 1892–99 Krag–Jørgensen rifle is a Norwegian-designed bolt-action rifle that was adopted in 1892 as the standard United States Army military longarm, chambered for U.S. caliber .30-40 Krag cartridges. All versions and variants were manufactured under license by the Springfield Armory between 1892 and 1903 and famously served as the longarm during the Spanish–American War.
The Fusil Automatique Modèle 1917 (“Model 1917 Automatic Rifle”), also called the RSC M1917, was a gas-operated, semi-automatic rifle placed into service by the French Army during the latter part of World War I in May 1916.[1] It was chambered in 8mm Lebel, the rimmed cartridge used in other French Army infantry weapons of the time.[1] In total, the French national armories, primarily Manufacture d’armes de Saint-Étienne (MAS) and Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Tulle (MAT), manufactured 86,000 RSC M1917 rifles until production ended in late November 1918.[2] However, very few examples have survived in fully functional, semi-automatic condition and those have become highly sought-after collectibles.
Berthier Mle 1907/15 M16 rifle. Many late world war I era French rifles such as this Berthier rifle and other late World War I variant of Berthier and Lebel rifles were still in heavy use by French forces in World War II due to newer French rifles the MAS-36 and MAS-40(not in production) not being available in sufficient quantities for the French military. French forces used some Berthiers and Lebels rechambered for the new 7.5 French round.
The MAS-40 was an early French semi-auto battle rifle. This was the second prototype in the line of MAS semi-automatic rifles, following the MAS-38/39 prototype (which had a lot of parts in common with MAS-36). While the most of MAS-38/39 and MAS-40 rifles were fed from a standard 5-round fixed magazine (similar to the MAS-36), several were modified to loaded from 25-round Chatellerault M1924/29 magazines.
It was produced only in very small quantities (no more than 50 were made), and was never officially issued by the French army. The stocks of rifles were eventually captured by the German army, but were left without interest; in 1944, they were recaptured and ended up in the hands of the French Resistance.
MAS 38
MAS-44
MAS-44 - 7.5x54mm French
The MAS-44 was an early French service semi-auto battle rifle, derived from the earlier MAS-40. It did not enter mass production due to an excess of weapons received from the Allies (such as the M1 Garand and M1 Carbine). The produced rifles afterwards were was used in Indochina, and, in addition, continued to be in the arsenals of French warships back in the 80s.
6,300 MAS-44 rifles were produced in total.