The Mauser 1903 was a modified version Gewehr 98 The Lange Visier sight was replaced by a tangent leaf sight, the nose cap was simplified, the rifle could be fitted with older Ottoman M1890 bayonets.

The weapon had curved arm on its bolt stop to block the cartridge clip when the cartridges are stripped into the magazine.

It also had a larger receiver and a longer cocking cam and firing pin than the German variant.

[3] 1,100 more, modified to fire spitzer bullets[5] and sometimes known as M1910,[4] were ordered in 1910.

[6] After World War I, most of these weapons were modified to fire the 7.92×57mm Mauser round.