Editing Mauser C96 (section)

===1897 Turkish Army Mauser===
Mauser's first military contract was with the Ottoman government in 1897. They ordered 1,000 pistols for the royal palace guards. They had their own range of serial numbers, running from 1 to 1000. They differ in that they use a [[Farsi]] number system on the tangent sight and [[serial number]], and the weapon is designated in the [[Islamic calendar|Muslim calendar]] year number system "1314" in place of the year of the [[Gregorian calendar]] "1896/1897". Markings include a six-pointed star on both sides of the chamber and the crest of [[Abdul Hamid II|Sultan Abdul Hamid II]] (a trophy of crossed Turkish flags, various polearms, and a collection of his royal awards and honours) and the Muslim year "1314" on the square left rear frame panel. Under the sultan's rule, there was great concern about potential military coups, and most weapons were locked away in armories, including many of the C96 pistols. After the [[Young Turk Revolution|Young Turk Revolution of 1908-1909]], these pistols were issued to the army and police for service use. Some were used in combat in World War I, and after the war they were considered obsolete, being put up for sale cheaply to army or police officers. All of this meant that they saw a lot of use, much of in quite harsh conditions, and as a result few specimens survive today.