Item Description
Original Item: Only one Available. This is a interesting example of the iconic German Gewehr 1888 "Commission Rifle", also known as the Gewehr 88, or GEW 88. It was originally manufactured at Danzig Arsenal, located on the Baltic Sea in what is today Gdańsk Poland, in 1889. It then saw long service, most likely reissued for use during WWI, and was later necessary sold off as surplus due to the Treaty of Versailles, as it was definitely obsolete by then. In the 1930s, the Belgian arms industry, who had acquired many surplus rifles, looked to "modernize" the former German arms for use as export weapons, with intended use in China, Turkey, Ethiopia, or elsewhere. They would use whatever parts were available, which is how this rifle came into existence.
These rifles were originally chambered for 7.92mm Patrone 88 ammunition and had a fixed magazine loaded by En-bloc clip. Virtually all Gewehr 88 rifles in service, were then converted to take the 7.92×57mm Mauser S Patrone, and has an S stamped above the chamber, indicating the conversion. The Spitzer-shaped S Cartridge was ballistically superior to the M/88, however the chamber required modification to accept the thicker walled shell casing.
We assume that this example had this modification, however in Belgium it was then updated to a close approximation of the 88/05 S standard. It has had notched plates pinned or welded to the rear of the receiver on either side to accept the 1905 pattern stripper clips. The slots on the inner sides of the receiver where the en-bloc clip used to be were also filled in, and a new magazine lip installed. It also has the tell tale "notch" cut into the rear of the front receiver, as the loaded clip would run into this area. The stock was either adapted to something approximating modern Mauser short rifle, or maybe replaced completely. It also had the original sight replaced with a Mauser Gewehr 98 sight.
The right side of the receiver is still marked Gew. 88 in German blackface type, however the original serial numbers are completely gone due to all of the metalwork being cleaned and refinished. Over the chamber is still a faint DANZIG. / 1889., for manufacture at the Imperial arsenal in Danzig on the Baltic Sea Coast. There are also a lot of 20th century proofs on the receiver from Liège, Belgium, and the left side of the barrel is marked with 8X57MR and B RLINDEE next to additional proofs. We assume this confirms the caliber, and maybe indicates that the barrel was relined in Belgium. There is unfortunately not much concrete information on the markings for these rifles.
The rifle is in overall very good condition, and looks to have seen little to no use after it was converted to a short rifle in Belgium. The original bluing is still strong, and the stock shows very little wear, though there is a repair on the left side by the receiver, probably from when it was originally constructed in the 1930s using surplus parts.
There is some wear on the bolt bearing surfaces, however the bore is in very good condition, showing only light wear, with a bright finish and strong lands and grooves. The ejector on the bolt head, which is easily lost during cleaning, is still present, as is the extractor. The rifle cycles correctly, and has an intact firing pin and functional safety, though we cannot guarantee that the magazine will feed.
A very interesting German Gewehr 1888 commission rifle that has had a long and interesting life. This is the first example like this that we have ever handled. A Pre-1899 Antique Rifle, ready to research and display!
Specifications-
Year of Manufacture: 1889
Caliber: 7.92×57mm Mauser
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 23 inches
Overall Length: 42 3/4 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action
Feed System: 5 round internal magazine
History of the Gewehr 88
In 1886, the French Army unveiled the Modelle 1886 "Lebel" rifle. There was an immediate reaction in German military circles bordering on hysteria. Why? Because the Lebel was the world's first small bore military rifle using an efficient smokeless powder cartridge. Now, the Lebel, which used a tubular magazine located under the barrel was not a particularly noteworthy design, but the power and flat trajectory of the new French 8mm round far outclassed the 11mm Reichspatrone black powder round used in the contemporary German infantry rifle, the Mauser 71/84.
In this rather charged atmosphere, the German Gewehr Prfungs Kommission (GPK - Rifle Testing Commission) went to work. Initially, the idea was to revise the Mauser Gewehr 71/84 to use a small caliber smokeless powder round based on the old 11mm black powder Reichspatrone. To this extent, production machinery was ordered from the Ludwig Loewe Company of Berlin-Charlottenburg in December, 1887. As things progressed, the GPK became disillusioned with this technical approach, and so a rather strange hybrid of ideas took shape.
The bolt design was highly revised by a Spandau Arsenal technician named Louis Schlegelmilch and features a separate bolt head. The ensuing rifle had a Schlegelmilch/Mauser action, a five shot clip loaded Mannlicher style magazine (note: while the clip falls out as with the Mannlicher clips, this one was markedly improved in that it could be loaded with either end down as opposed to only one end on the true Mannlicher), and a full length barrel jacket designed by Armand Mieg. The pitch and profile of the rifling were copied directly from that of the Lebel. The cartridge chosen was a modified Swiss style rimless design based on the ideas of Eduard Rubin. By March 23, 1888, the Bavarian military observer in Berlin, General von Xylander reported that the development was virtually complete.
Field trials for the new rifle were completed in November, 1888, and the GPK recommended that it be adopted immediately. The adoption orders were signed by Kaiser Wilhelm II on November 12, 1888. Issue of the Gewehr 88 as the new rife was designated, were first made in the spring of 1889 to the XV and XVI Armeekorps stationed in Elsass-Lothringen. Issue to the Bavarian military units began in October 1889, and by August 1890, all Prussian, Saxon, and Wrttemberger line units had been re-equipped.
The Gewehr 88 was made by the three primary Prussian arsenals at Danzig, Erfurt, and Spandau, a smaller Bavarian establishment at Amberg, as well as several private contractors, including the Ludwig Loewe Company, Osterreichische Waffenfabrik Gesellschaft (Steyr), and Haenel. Production figures up to the time production ceased in 1897 are as follows:
Prussian Government Arsenals: 750,000
Amberg: 425,000
Loewe: 425,000
Steyr: 300,000
Haenel: 100,000
Total: 1,675,000
- This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New Jersey
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IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to most US States and most U.S. territories.
These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.
Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to most addresses within the United States.
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