Original German Pre-WWI Commercial Karabiner 88 S Cavalry Carbine with Suhl Proof Marks – Low Serial 295 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Adopted in 1888 the new German Infantry round in 7.92 X 57mm replaced the old 10.4mm large bore cartridge adopted in 1871. The M-1888 Rifle was referred to as the “Commission Rifle” and was manufactured as a full Infantry Rifle and a Carbine starting in 1888 and an Artillery Carbine adopted in 1891.

Our example is of the Cavalry Carbine and this is a Commercially made example, which was not made for military use, but for civilian purchase as a commercial product. The 88 action was popular, and had the advantage of not needing to pay any type of licensing fee to Mauser or some other developer, which made it an attractive platform for commercial arms. There were also many who became familiar with the military version during their service, and wanted to be able to purchase the same thing. Period advertisements confirm that both civilian and military style rifles were sold commercially.

This carbine does not have a maker mark over the chamber, and there is no evidence of any removed markings, like other commercial examples we have seen. The grain of the final factory machining turn can still be seen on the receiver, confirming this. It is however marked on the right side of the front receiver with two CROWN / S markings, which we believe is the marking for government contractor V.C. SCHILLING, located in Suhl, Germany. They were also part of the “Suhl Consortium” along with C.G. Haenel, Spangenberg & Sauer, and others.

Between the two Schilling markings is a Six Pointed Star over H, which is also seen on the bottom of the stock just behind the trigger guard. There are also CROWN / C markings on the bottom of the butt stock, the bolt release mechanism, and on the top of the firing pin holder. The bolt itself shows a CROWN next to CROWN / N. There are additional proofs stamped into the metal and wood of this commercial carbine, which would make an excellent research project.

Additionally, there are also late 19th century German Civilian Commercial markings on the left side of the receiver near the woodline:

2,67 g G.B.P.
————
St. m. G.

This gives the ammunition loading specifications for the rifles, which are 2,67 gram Gewehr Blättchen Pulver (Rifle Flaked Powder), and that it uses a Stahl-mantel Geschoss (Steel Jacketed Bullet).

The receiver and barrel jacket are both marked with matching serial number 295, which is very low, probably the first or second year of production (1888-1889). The bolt, magazine housing and barrel band are marked with shortened serial number 95, while the nose cap is non-matching, marked with 80. That makes this a very nice “mostly matching” example, with only a few parts swapped out, probably by a private gun shop.

The stock is in very good condition, with a lovely dark honey brown color, most likely made from Beechwood. It does not look to have been arsenal reconditioned, so many of the the commercial proof marks on the stock are still clear, something we do not often see! There are no repairs we can see, and it just has the usual wear from service and age. The metalwork is still in very good shape, with the receiver still bright steel with very little staining. As noted before the machining marks on the surface can still be seen! The barrel jacket and other hardware still retains much of the original blued finish.

The carbine has an 18″ barrel, which has a very good condition bore, showing a bright finish and clear lands and grooves. It does however show wear to the lands, so this is definitely a carbine that saw use in service. The rifle cycles and dry fire well, and the firing pin is fully intact, as is the often lost cartridge ejector on the bolt face. There is NOT an “S” marked over the chamber to indicate modification for the S-PATRONE cartridge introduced in 1903 (we do not recommend firing the S-cartridge in this carbine). This short carbine was intended for use by cavalry units.

In 1889 this was cutting edge technology as the Gewehr 1888 Mauser rifles and carbines were the first to use the 7.92mm cartridge that replaced the 10.4mm used in the Mauser 1871/84 tubular magazine rifles.

This little carbine used an integral 5 shot box magazine and was extremely popular. It was superseded in 1898 with the introduction of the Gew 98 rifle also in an updated version of the same caliber and many 88s were updated and then marked with a small “S” on the receiver ring to indicate it could be used with the upgraded ammunition.

Both the Kar 88 and 91 were already being slowly taken out of service before World War One, as the new Mauser 98 pattern carbines introduced in 1909 or 1910 were taking their place. This would change with the outbreak of war, of course, and every one of the 88 / 91 pattern carbines in German inventory would be re-issued during the Great War. Their size and weight made them ideal for the troops who needed a personal weapon but were unlikely to actually have to fight with it (artillery crews, cyclists, supply drivers, balloon crews, etc).

Both the Mauser Model 88 and 98 rifles and carbines saw extensive use in WWI. During the Great War cavalry was quickly becoming a thing of the past once trench warfare was introduced.

By WW2 the Germans had adopted the Mauser 98K Rifle, again in the improved 7.92mm caliber, this rifle was shorter than the Gew 98, longer than the carbine, and became the standard.

A rare Commercial Kar 88 Carbine, only 37 1/2″ in overall length, federally classified as an antique due to its pre-1899 manufacture. In lovely condition and ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: Estimated 1888-1889
Caliber: 7.92×57mm Mauser S Patrone
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 18 Inches
Overall Length: 37 1/2 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 Wurttemberger 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