Original German Pre-WWI Gewehr 88 S Commission Rifle by Erfurt Arsenal Matching Serial 2770 p – Dated 1889 – No Turkish Markings Original Items

Original Item: Only one Available. This is a very nice example of the iconic German Gewehr 1888 “Commission Rifle”, also known as the Gewehr 88, or GEW 88. It was manufactured at the Erfurt Imperial Arsenal, located in Erfurt, Thuringia, and then and then saw long service, as indicated by the large number of different markings on the gun. It still retains the original German Regimental Markings on the middle barrel band: 78. R. 5. 221., which should be for the 75th (1st Hanseatic)(Bremen) Infantry Regiment. The gun has definitely been arsenal re-worked, which has made some of the markings faint. It also does not have any export markings from Turkey or other countries, so this was never shipped off as WWI aid. We very rarely see these rifles in this configuration!

These rifles were originally chambered for 7.92mm Patrone 88 ammunition and had a fixed magazine. As with virtually all Gewehr 88 rifles in service, this example was 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. This rifle has the “S”, but not the notch at the front of the receiver, and it has no stripper clip guides, so it was not converted after 1905 for the clips. The design of the clips necessitated making a notch in the front receiver, so the cartridge tips would clear it.

The right side of the receiver is marked faintly with [I.]G. Mod. 88. in German blackface type and also has serial numbers 2770 / p on the barrel and receiver. The rest of the rifle’s components bear the number 70, indicating that at least the majority of this rifle is matching. Many of the screws and other pieces are marked, and we haven’t found any piece that appears to have been replaced. Over the chamber it is marked faintly with a Crown over ERFURT, indicating production at the Erfurt Arsenal in Thuringia. Under this is the date of manufacture, 1889. There are some inspection markings on the receiver as well.

The rifle is in very good service-worn condition, with many nicks and scuffs in the stock, with some chunks of wood missing, primarily under the buttplate. There is also a chunk missing on the left side of the barrel forestock nose, and a small chunk missing opposite the receiver. The bolt and magazine well appear to have been refinished at some point. This example does not have a cleaning rod. The rear sight is present and functional, as is the bolt extractor, which is easily lost during cleaning. The firing pin is present and in good shape. Both sling swivels are present and in good shape.

The bore of the rifle is in good shape, still showing clear lands and grooves, and is still mostly bright, with just normal fouling and oxidation. The firing pin is still present, and the action cycles nicely, though we cannot guarantee that the magazine will feed. The metal of the rifle appears to have been reconditioned at one point as well.

An absolutely genuine GERMAN M-1888 Service Rifle, issued to a German Infantry Regiment. Almost all of these were later updated to the 88/05 S standard, so finding one that was not updated or shipped to Turkey as aid is very rare. Ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1889
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