"When the Ottoman Empire first joined the Great War in 1915, they realized they had a severe lack of rifles for their troops. They turned to their ally, the German Empire, for aid. The German Empire couldn't give them Gewehr 98s though, as those were all committed to German troops. They did however have a stockpile of Gewehr 88/05s, modernized for the 7.92x57mm, so they sent anywhere from 25,000 to 50,000 of them to the Ottoman Empire, who used them until their fall in 1921. In the late 1930s, the young Turkish military saw the impending conflict in Europe, and once again needed rifles. In 1938, To supplement Gewehr 98 and VZ.24 production, they began to modernize the Gewehr 88/05s, calling them the Pattern 38. Bluing is in decent shape. Has a fair bit of wear on the receiver and some discolored bluing. Stock has a fair amount of dings and scratches typical of a surplus rifle. The top wood appears to be a reproduction that is lacking any sanding or finish. Bore is about 85% or better. This particular rifle is stamped ""1938"" for the year of modernization. Interested in purchasing this firearm? Give the Thornton, CO Cabela's a call! 303.625.6054"