GEW 88 commission rifle

Mark G

A friend at work brought in the rifle below. I snapped a couple of pics and did a little research. The stock had no visable cracks and the action was smooth and tight. The barrel and receiver were covered in cosmoline. Based on my research it looks like the rifle was converted for the pointed 8MM. I know you shouldn't use the full power military loads with these. I was thinking it might make a nice project. Is proper ammo still available? I don't reload but might consider it if its all that's available.

rufe-snow

It appears to be in very good condition. The receiver is still in the white under the cosmoline. Check all the numbers, ( the Germans serialized everything ). The bore if it's original is .317. Ammo is still available, but extremely expensive and hard to get.

Considering condition, might be best if you sold it to a collector of German imperial firearms. Likely you would get enough money, to get a rifle firing modern easily obtainable ammo.

ammo guy

The "S" on the receiver indicates that the barrel was up dated to the .323 bore diameter. I would stick with US commercial 8mm ammo though as the guns were not designed to shot the high pressure military ammo that the later 98's were.

p3skyking

You've got an 88 with the 05 and 14 Conversion. You can shoot any US commercial 8x57 Mauser ammo with complete confidence. European ammo is probably suitable also with the exception of HV loads, but why risk a collectors gun when lots of ammo is
available?

babun

As stated above, you are good to go with any normal USA made 8mm x 57 ammo. All of that is down loaded to low pressures. I would NOT use any
of foreign made ammo or any mil surplus ammo, there is too much of that that is Hot loaded. A lot of Machine gun ammo is around and it is too hot for your gun.

TRAP55

Romanian surplus 8mm is low pressure, and safe to shoot in these. The headstamp and spam cans have "22" on them, that's the code for Romania. Turk surplus is the highest pressure, and you don't want to use it.

Edit: The Turks had just about every version Mauser made. In the 30's they standardized all of them to 8mm Mauser "S" bore, and they all had to be fed with a stripper clip. Mark's Gew88 was one of them. Note the crudely welded stripper clip guide on the rear receiver bridge.
They also had some British Enfields that got the same work done, converted to 8mm.

Edit2: This is a comprehensive list of all the models with pics.
http://www.turkmauser.com/models.aspx


Great explination. Thanks Trap

Hawk Carse

Looks like it went to Turkey (crescent moon stamp.)

mark christian

quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
Looks like it went to Turkey (crescent moon stamp.)


Interesting. That would not normally be seen on Turkish firearms until the founding of the Turkish Republic in the early 1920s. Yes, interesting.

p3skyking

It went to the Ottoman Empire of which Turks were a principle part. I have an 88 in my collection that was made in Germany, transferred to the Turks, then shipped back to Germany, all before 1919.

Fatstrat

Back in the 1970's & 80's, you could buy these mail order from ads in the gun magazines for less than $100.

Mark G

quote:Originally posted by Mark G
A friend at work brought in the rifle below. I snapped a couple of pics and did a little research. The stock had no visable cracks and the action was smooth and tight. The barrel and receiver were covered in cosmoline. Based on my research it looks like the rifle was converted for the pointed 8MM. I know you shouldn't use the full power military loads with these. I was thinking it might make a nice project. Is proper ammo still available? I don't reload but might consider it if its all that's available.

Edit: Thanks to everyone who responded. Looks like it will make a nice shooter.