In the 24th episode of the Silah Report Podcast, we interviewed Mustafa from Turkey, a professional in the Turkish firearm industry, and discussed in-depth the manufacturing of small arms in Turkey, covering a range of weaponry such as handguns, rifles, and shotguns.
The public SoundCloud version below includes the first forty-six minutes of the podcast, our supporters on Patreon can access the entire interview, which is over an hour long. So if you haven’t already please support us in our mission to bring you the best examination of MENA small arms culture we can!
https://soundcloud.com/silah-report/v24-turkish-46-min
Podcast Running Order:
Presentations:
The Biggest Shotgun Industry in the World
The Round of Choice for TSK
Firearm Market in Turkey VS Export Market
Patreon Q&A
The Biggest Shotgun Industry in the World
Miles and Mustafa begin by discussing the size of the handgun and shotgun manufacturing industry in Turkey and how competitive it is on an international level. In the USA alone, there are as many Turkish shotguns as there are American domestic made ones! As explained later on, Turkish shotguns are even available in large numbers in Kabul, Afghanistan. If you have a gun store nearby, there is a good chance you will find a Turkish firearm, whether it was a blank pistol, a shotgun or even a semi-auto rifle.
The Round of Choice for TSK
When it comes to the Turkish Armed Forces (the TSK), Mustafa explains that the round of choice is the 7.62×51mm due to its abundance in Turkey as well as its “punch”. While there are definitely other rounds being used, such as the 5.56×45mm and 7.62×39mm, they are not as common or as widely used as 7.62×51mm. Also, Turkey has a long history using 7.62×51mm self-loading service rifles such as the G3 and therefore views such rifles and rifles in that caliber with “more trust and more reliability.” But other paramilitary units in Turkey are seeing an increase in the usage of different calibers, including carbines in 9×19mm.
Firearm Market in Turkey VS Export Market
Miles inquired about the difference between the local gun market in Turkey and the export market, Mustafa explains that they are completely two different worlds and describes Turkey as another “North Korea” of firearms as many exports are not allowed to be used or owned locally. He explains in the most detailed way possible the bureaucratic process to receive a handgun permit and the enormous amount of taxes that are paid to be able to keep the said permit. He also explains that the most common firearm is the shotgun as it is much easier to own. Nevertheless, other firearms and especially handguns are still somewhat common, whether owned legally or in some cases illegally, in Turkish households, especially the Browning Hi-Power clones. Turks in general due to nationalism prefer Turkish-made firearms but still, do view certain foreign firearms with interest. In terms of antique firearms, Turks have a penchant for Mauser rifles partially due to various Mausers being the Ottoman Empire/Republic of Turkey’s service rifle for many years.
Patreon Q&A
Last but not least, Mustafa received a great range of various questions from our Patreon audience such as how are Turkish shotguns coming to Iraq, what is the Turkish opinion on American made shotguns, as well as questions about what firearm collecting culture in Turkey is like and much more! If you want to know the answers please do make sure to join us on Patreon!
Thank you, Mustafa, for your time, it was indeed a pleasure to have you with us.
Patreon Shoutout
If you want to support our work on researching small arms and light weapons in the MENA and Central Asian regions, please consider joining our Patreon support network that allows us to get articles, videos, and podcasts such as these to an international audience. Check us out at www.patreon.com/SilahReport.