Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German Gewehr 1888 Commission Rifle manufactured at the Imperial Danzig Arsenal in 1891, later updated to Gewehr 88/05 S configuration and subsequently marked for Turkish service. Serial number 9549 d is matching on the receiver and barrel, while the remaining numbered components are mismatched, consistent with a rifle that underwent extensive arsenal service and reconditioning.

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 receiver is marked on the right side:

Gew. 88.

in German "Black Letter" typeface and bears serial number:

9549 d

matching the barrel. Over the chamber is the Imperial arsenal marking:

CROWN
DANZIG.
1891.

identifying manufacture at the Imperial Danzig Arsenal, located on the Baltic Sea Coast, in present day Gdańsk, Poland.

The rifle was originally chambered for the 7.9mm Patrone 88 cartridge and used the original Mannlicher style en bloc packet loading system. It was later altered for the newer S cartridge, indicated by the prominent:

S

stamp over the chamber. The rifle was further updated to Gewehr 88/05 configuration, with stripper clip guide plates added to the rear of the receiver, the original internal packet clip openings altered, and a magazine floor plate installed. The rear receiver also has the characteristic relief cut required for loading from the later stripper clip system.

The rifle additionally carries Turkish service markings. Crescent Moon stamps are present on the bolt components along with Eastern Arabic numerals, and the rear sight ladder has been renumbered in Eastern Arabic numerals. These markings are consistent with later Ottoman or Turkish service after the rifle left its original German inventory.

The left side of the nose cap is unit marked:

110. R. 2. 107.

The stylized italic R identifies this as an Imperial German Reserve unit marking, supporting attribution to the 110th Reserve Regiment. The remaining numbers indicate the subunit and individual weapon or rack number within that formation.

The stock appears to have been reconditioned and refinished during its long service life, although faint original cartouches remain visible on the right side and underside of the butt. The metalwork has aged to an even gray patina, with remnants of original blue still present on the barrel jacket. The receiver and bolt, originally finished bright, now show scattered oxidation staining and service wear.

The rear sight remains complete and functional, although the slider is somewhat stiff on the ladder. The bolt shows wear along its bearing surfaces, and the extractor remains present. The action presently cycles correctly, the firing pin is intact, and the safety functions. The magazine has not been tested with cartridges, so no statement is made regarding feeding reliability. The bore is in very good present condition, remaining bright with strong lands and grooves and only light visible wear. The original double slot cleaning rod is missing.

Overall this is a very good service used Gewehr 88/05 S with an unusually layered history represented by its 1891 Danzig manufacture, Imperial German unit marking, later S cartridge and stripper clip conversions, and subsequent Turkish service markings. The mismatched component numbers, refinished stock, scattered oxidation staining, stiff rear sight slider, and missing cleaning rod are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Gewehr 88, Imperial German rifle, Ottoman or Turkish service arm, German arsenal conversion, or advanced WWI military rifle collection.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1891
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.