Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good service used example of the German Gewehr 88 Commission Rifle, manufactured under German contract by Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft at Steyr in 1890, serial number 4575v. Originally produced in the standard Gewehr 88 configuration, it was subsequently updated for the German Patrone S cartridge and converted to the Gewehr 88/05 charger loading system. The rifle also carries an Imperial German regimental marking for the 126th Infantry Regiment and later Ottoman Turkish crescent and numeral markings, giving it an especially interesting sequence of German and Turkish military service.

This is an antique black powder firearm manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, it may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and does not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. This firearm is sold solely as a historical collector’s item and has not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only its present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

The Gewehr 88 was adopted by Germany during the rapid revolution in military rifle technology that followed the appearance of the French Mle 1886 Lebel and its small bore smokeless powder cartridge. The new German rifle was developed by the Prussian Rifle Testing Commission rather than by Mauser and combined features from several contemporary systems, including a Mannlicher influenced five round en bloc magazine. Because of the Mannlicher magazine patents, Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft at Steyr became one of the major contractors producing Gewehr 88 rifles for the German Army.

The top of the receiver is clearly marked:

Œ
WG
STEYR
1890

identifying manufacture by Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft at Steyr in Austria during 1890. The right side of the receiver is marked in German Gothic lettering:

Gew. 88.

Serial number:

4575 / v

is present on the receiver and barrel jacket, with 4575 also stamped on the front of the magazine housing. The other numbered components are mismatched, consistent with the extensive arsenal rebuilding, repair, and parts interchange these rifles frequently experienced during their long military careers.

The large:

S

stamped over the chamber indicates that the rifle was inspected and modified for use with the later German Patrone S ammunition. The original Gewehr 88 had been designed around the earlier round nose Patrone 88 cartridge. The newer S cartridge used a pointed bullet of larger nominal diameter and required appropriate chamber and throat clearance. The S marking therefore records a period German military modification, but it should not be regarded as a modern ammunition safety certification.

This rifle also received the more extensive Gewehr 88/05 conversion for charger loading. Charger guides were added at the rear of the receiver so that cartridges could be loaded from the same general type of five round charger used with later German service rifles. The original Mannlicher style en bloc feed system was altered internally, and the open bottom of the magazine was closed with a sheet metal cover because an empty clip no longer needed to fall through the bottom. A loading relief was also cut into the left side of the receiver, while the characteristic clearance notch at the front of the receiver was part of the revised charger loading geometry. The magazine floor plate on this example is marked:

G.B.N.
1915

showing that at least this component dates from the First World War period.

A particularly desirable Imperial German unit marking appears on the right side of the nose band:

126. R. 10. 28.

This is consistent with issue to Infanterie-Regiment Großherzog Friedrich von Baden (8. Württembergisches) Nr. 126, 10th Company, weapon number 28. The regiment had a long history, tracing its origins to 1706, and during the Imperial period was garrisoned in Straßburg. Although a Württemberg regiment, No. 126 was assigned to the XV Army Corps rather than the Württemberg XIII Corps. This surviving unit mark gives the rifle a particularly strong and identifiable connection to Imperial German service.

The rifle later entered Ottoman Turkish service. Crescent markings are stamped on the bolt components along with Eastern Arabic numerals, while the rear sight graduations have also been altered to Eastern Arabic numerals. Large numbers of obsolete or second line Gewehr 88 rifles were transferred to the Ottoman Empire as German military support, particularly around the beginning of the First World War. The Turkish markings on this rifle clearly establish later Ottoman military ownership or arsenal use, although they do not by themselves prove the exact date or circumstances of transfer.

The stock is in very good service used condition and has clearly undergone arsenal reconditioning at some point in its history, which has unfortunately weakened or removed most of the original stock proofs. It has an attractive dark military color and shows the expected dents, scratches, gouges, and staining around the barrel and fittings from long use and old oxidation. A repaired crack runs through the underside of the wrist but does not appear to have split completely through the stock. The forward sling swivel remains present, while a sling clip has been fitted to the rear attachment to allow use of a conventional sling.

The metalwork has been cleaned and polished during its service life, leaving traces of original blue on the barrel jacket and magazine while the receiver remains in the traditional bright steel finish with scattered old peppering and oxidation staining. There is visible wear on the bolt bearing surfaces from use, but no major destructive corrosion is evident. The uncommon double slot cleaning rod remains present, as does the bolt extractor, a component often lost during disassembly.

The bolt cycles smoothly during careful manual inspection, and the firing pin was visually confirmed to be present. The rear wing safety remains functional, and the rear sight is complete and operates correctly. The magazine appears mechanically complete, although we have not tested the rifle with ammunition or chargers and therefore cannot confirm feeding or extraction under live conditions.

The bore is in very good service used condition, retaining clear lands and grooves with a substantially bright interior. The edges of the lands show some rounding from use, but there is no heavy fouling or major visible bore damage.

With its 1890 ŒWG Steyr manufacture, Gewehr 88/05 S conversion, identifiable 126th Württemberg Infantry Regiment unit marking, later Ottoman Turkish crescent and numeral markings, First World War dated magazine component, surviving double slot cleaning rod, complete bolt components, and very good bore, this rifle displays an unusually rich sequence of military use and modification. It represents the long service life of the Gewehr 88 from Imperial Germany through the First World War era and into Ottoman service, making it an especially appealing addition to a collection of German Imperial arms, Württemberg military firearms, Gewehr 88 rifles, Ottoman Turkish weapons, or First World War infantry arms.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1890
Caliber: 7.92×57mm Mauser
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 29 inches
Overall Length: 49 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

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.