In Ottoman service, M1893 rifles saw limited action during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, and World War I in 1914–1918. The converted rifles were used for training and for the Guardia Civil through the 1950s. The M1916 short rifles remained in production in Spain until 1951, and many of these later rifles were converted to shoot either 7.92×57mm Mauser or 7.62×51mm NATO, including some that were extensively modified as the FR7.

All versions of the rifle saw extensive service in the Spanish Army, beginning in the Spanish–American War in 1898, the Rif War of 1920–1927, and the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. The M1893 was developed into several variants, including a shortened carbine adopted by the Spanish as the M1895, and as the M1913 and M1916 short rifles. The M1893 introduced a short staggered-column box magazine that fit flush with the bottom of the stock the magazine held five smokeless 7×57mm Mauser rounds, which could be reloaded quickly by pushing a stripper clip from the top of the open bolt. The M1893 was based on the experimental M1892 rifle, which Paul Mauser developed for the Spanish Army as part of a program to correct deficiencies in the earlier 1889, 1890, and 1891 series of Mauser rifles. The Mauser Model 1893 is a bolt-action rifle commonly referred to as the Spanish Mauser, though the model was adopted by other countries in other calibers, most notably the Ottoman Empire. Original bolts have curved handles.Illustration of a Mauser Model 1893 rifle Lange vizier sights have been reported from 1921 to 1927. Some models have the 'lange vizier' sight.

Most have the tangent leaf 'rollercoaster' rear sight. Gas escape hole in the left side of the receiver. Thumb cutout in the left side of the receiver rail. The Oviedo-marked 1916's are very similar to the Model 1893, and have the following features: Oviedo markings (Crown, 'Fabrica de Armas Oviedo' and the year of manufacture) on the receiver. Many were also converted by La Coruna into FR7 rifles at the end of the 1950s by re-barreling them to accept the 7.62×51mm CETME and 7.62×51mm NATO rounds for military training and Guardia Civil use. Most of them were imported by Samco Global Arms Imports.

308 Winchester to make them more popular for the U.S. Approximately 60,000 of them was converted by Oviedo Arsenal to the more plentiful. It was a shortened version of the M1893 rifle with a straight stock chambered in 7×57mm Mauser which was a common round in use by the Spanish military. Arround 325.000 of them were made in that time. Production started in 1916 and lasted to 1936. The M1916 Spanish Mausers was introduced in 1916 by Fabrica Nacional de Armas in Oviedo, Spain for the Spanish Army.

M1916 spanish mauser parts