A Mauser from Thailand — The Siamese MauserSiam, now Thailand, was one of the few Asian countr

A Mauser from Thailand — The Siamese MauserSiam, now Thailand, was one of the few Asian countries that was able to stave off Western colonialism.  During World War I and World War II Thailand was an ally of Japan, and invaded French Indochina with the intention of expanding territory and forcing western powers out of Asia.  However the Japanese did not trust their Thai allies, and as a result they created a special rifle that would cement their control.The Siamese Mauser was manufactured by Japan for use with the Siamese Army as early as World War I.  The most visible aspect of the rifle that makes it different from all other Mausers is a retractible dust cover that protected the action from mud and dirt.  It only convered the ejection port rather than the entire bolt, unlike the Japanese Arisaka rifles.  Perhaps its most unusual feature was its odd caliber.  Before World War II they were chambered for an 8x50 rimmed cartridge.  However, with the Japanese alliance, it was chambered for an 8x52R cartridge that was developed by the Japanese.  There was a very sepcific reason for this, because it was such an odd caliber, Siam would be totally dependent on Japan for ammunition.  Only Japan manufactured the 8x52 rimmed cartridge and should the Thai’s rebel against Japan they could not acquire ammunition from other countries.Today these are one of the rarest Mauser rifles in the world and ammunition is expensive and hard to find.  Many ammo producers today fireform brass in order to produce the cartridge.  Though rare they typically sell for very little, around $200.  This is the case were an item is so rare that people don’t know that they exist, thus demand for them is low.  In addition, the Siamese Mauser doesn’t have the rich legacy of other World War II firearms, such as the Garand, K98k ,and Lee Enfield.  Thus there is a very weak collectors market.  I only saw one example of the rifle at a gunshow once a few years back.  Although I know a lot about Mausers I knew zilch about this one.  Fortunatly the seller was very knowledgable.  Very neat. -- source link

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