Tokyo Arsenal Siamese Mauser Model 1903 M1903, Heavy Barreled, Grey 18” Bolt Action Sporting Rifle MFD 1903-1908 .45-70 Govt.

After WWII, a lot of these Siamese Mausers were brought back and sporterized into 45-70 Caliber. I had one but the recoil got to be too much for me.












I guess it is missing the magazine plate!








This Siamese Model 1903 Mauser was made by the Japanese for Thailand. It has since been customized and converted to fire .45-70.
These are tough rifles with an interesting history. Siam, now known as Thailand, was one of the few independent south Asian nations around the turn of the 20th century.
Looking to modernize its military to protect against colonial imposition it decided in 1903 to adopt a copy of the Mauser Gewehr 98 rifle.
Siam (which changed its name to Thailand in 1938) didn’t have the manufacturing base to produce the necessary quantity of rifles.
So it contracted the job out to the Japanese arsenal at Tokyo. Between 1903 and 1908, about 400,000 of these rifles were manufactured, chambered for an old-style 8x50R cartridge using a round-nosed projectil.
As with all rifles made by the Japanese before WWII, the Siamese Mausers are of excellent quality. They have also long been used as the basis for conversion to .45-70 conversions.