The end of a decades-long partnership between German arms manufacturers and China was a small lot of Kar98k Mauser rifles sent to Chiang Kai-Shek’s armies in the late 1930s.

The Mauser C96 had been one of the first successful autoloading handguns introduced, and had served around the world before, during and after the Great War. In the interwar period Spanish copies proliferated, including a popular select fire model, prompting a German response.

The most modern rifle in Ottoman inventory during the Great War was an example of the excellent Mauser 98, with some special features. These rifles would serve as a pattern during the interwar Turkish upgrade program, in addition to receiving minor modifications themselves.