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I would have expected a 1903 Mannlicher to have "Made in Austria" and "M.1903" on the Receiver ring, rather than "Made in Germany" and "Kal;6.5NORM".

When did they change it?

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Technically it is still a M1903 with a high 03 serial number 25680. Merely the inscriptions were changed due to the political and legal changes. After the “Anschluss” in 1938 Austria was regarded as a part of Germany until 1945. So the origin was changed to “Made in Germany” in 1938 at serial number about 253xx. Then, from 1940 on, the then new German proof law prescribed any gun had to be marked with the designation of the cartridge it used. So the former “Model 1903” for any 6.5x54 M-Sch cartridge was insufficient. The Steyr factory now marked their 6.5x54 M03 rifles with “Kal:6,5NORM(normal)” to distinguish them from other 6.5 mm cartridges. M03 production ended during WW2 at serial number about 257xx. This rifle is a bona fide Model 1903 Stutzen, made near the end of production between 1940 – 1945.

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