What's This Thing? G88? Please Tell Me Everything You Know... Thanks!

[Joshua M. Smith]

Hello,

I got it in my head today that I wanted a Mauser. I went to a few gunstores and they all wanted around $400 to $600 for one. Nope. All had bent bolt handles, too, and I wanted a straight one, being a lefty and all.

So I saw this thing in my favorite gunstore. Said "Amberg 88" or some danged thing on it. It had been sitting there for the better part of the year.

The gunstore owner said he wanted to see it gone, and he'd make me a deal. It had rust in the bore but looked OK overall.

I called up a friend who knows some about these things, told me some of what to check for. I told the gunstore owner that I'd have to come back for it after doing some research as I didn't know if it would be a wall hanger or a shooter, though I do like a project.

He told me that I know how he dislikes old milsurps. I know... too much research to find their value. He also knows how I like a project and to make an offer. I told him I didn't feel right doing so because I'd likely insult him.

He said he was thinking 50 bucks.

Not to pass up a deal, I came back with "How about 25?"

"40."

"30."

"35."

"Sold!" says I. $37.50 out the door.

I got it home and pulled it apart. One dent, very little surface rust -- just one spot on what appeared to be a hood on the barrel. The barrel was pristine under that hood. I had been afraid maybe it was rusted through.

Happily, it was not.

I was pushing what looked like mud out of the barrel, and after liberal amounts of Fluid Film and bore brushes wrapped in steel wool, it started to shine.

Not the best bore I've ever seen, but far from the worst. I've seen worse bores on Mosin-Nagants shoot well.

Here are some pics:

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Now, only a couple questions are of very great importance to me: What the bloody hell is a G88, and what ammo do I shoot from it? 7.92 Mauser? I wanna make noise!

Thanks,

Josh

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

It's a gewehr 88. It's chambered in 8mm mauser, but t the bore diamter is different than the current standard of .323.

do not shoot current 8mm ammo in it, unless you are sure it has been converted to shoot .323 ammo.

 

[C-grunt]

Cant help you out but thats a cool rifle for under 40 bucks!

 

[killertom]

The Gewehr 88 is also known as the "Commission rifle" because it was designed by a commission set up with the goal of creating Germany's new service rifle. It incorporates design features from various contemporary rifles, so it is not a Mauser per se. These rifles were originally chambered for 8x57I, and most were rebored for 8x57IS. Look for a large S on the receiver, that stamping indicates the rifles was rebored. If you find no stamping, I would still advise you to slug the bore, just to make sure.

If it is still in the original 8x57I you should be able to find properly sized bullets and reload for it.

P.S.: These rifles originally employed a Mannlicher style en-bloc clip to hold the ammo in the magazine, but most were modified to use a standard 5 round internal magazine without the clips. These conversions vary in quality, so don't be surprised if the magazine is less then totally reliable.

 

[elephant_man]

You got a good deal on a Gewehr 1888 Commission Rifle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gewehr_1888

I remember five years ago just the bolthead alone was worth $50+ on auction sites.

I've always been told not to shoot any surplus through these. The metal is said to be weaker than any Mauser and it only has two lugs. Edit: As for ammo, Remington 'Core-Lokt' has been significantly downloaded for older rifles such as the Gew 88.

 

[rondog]

I'da bought it too! If only for a wallhanger. A cool old gun is a cool old gun.

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

Thank you.

I just slugged it four times to be sure -- it seems that the lead comes out to 0.310" x 0.316", but it's tighter at the muzzle.

To be sure, I took a 0.310" bullet (I reload for the Mosin-Nagant) and it just barely rode the lands most of the way down, then dropped.

If I'm reading things right, the throat was opened up, but maybe not the barrel, and the 0.32x" bullet swages down safely.

Or, I could be wrong.

Do I need to find 0.318" bullets?

Thank you,

Josh

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

Mods: Seems I can't edit my original post now. Will you please replace that first picture with this one, or delete this thread? I experienced some, um, "technical difficulties" and would rather not involve this board.

Thank you Folks,

Josh

 

[Justin]

Done.

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

Justin,

Thank you so much man. I owe you one.

Regards,

Josh

 

[Uncle Grinch]

Gew 88

If you have access to or cast, you might try some "fat" 30 caliber cast bullets. Lyman 314299 might work if you bore is as tight as it seems, or you can try some of the .323 molds and size them down some.

Cast "boolits" are the way to go in many of these older rifles... cheap and fun!

 

[Gunnerboy]

$37.50 huh ? ill give you $50 but very nice find.

 

[Jim Watson]

The .320" bullets for .32-40 and .32 Winchester Special are soft enough for the .318" barrel. US "8mm Mauser" is loaded lightly and its soft 170 grain .323" should swage down.

If it does not have an "S" stamp, it was probably not rethroated for the larger bullets.
They were not rebored, just the chamber neck and throat opened up to let the case neck expand to release the larger bullet and let it swage down into the rifling without blowing up... very often. Understand that by the time they were rethroated and some converted to stripper clips, they were obsolete and were just being modernized for reservists and line of communication troops, not people who would be shooting at a lot of Frenchmen. Better they should have an old rifle that current (post 1905) ammo would beat up than no rifle at all.