Imperial German Gewehr 88 "Commission" Rifle

Imperial German Gewehr 88 "Commission" Rifle

Gewehr 88/05 S (7.92×57mm S round) serial numbered "2655S".  Blued finish has thinned and blends with a dark patina.  Receiver ring is stamped "S / (crown) / Erfurt / 1890". Sheet metal covering on the clip ejection point stamped with an "E" logo over "1914." Buttstock stamped on the right side with Imperial inspection proofs.  Barrel band has crossed out German unit marking to the 24th Infantry Regiment Ersatz Battalion, 3rd Company, "24. R.E. 3. 100". Distinctive "double jag" cleaning rod is present.  Bolt is heavily greased.  Bore is just a bit dirty, with deep, sharp-twist rifling.

The Gewehr 88 marked a turning point in military firearms as Germany's first smokeless powder bolt-action repeating rifle. Adopted in 1888 in response to France’s revolutionary Lebel rifle, the Gew.88 combined a Mauser-influenced bolt action and Mannlicher-style en-bloc clip system.  Originally chambered for the round-nosed Patrone 88 cartridge, the German rifle testing commission adopted a dimensionally redesigned 7.92×57mm Mauser 'S Patrone' cartridge in 1903.  This cartridge was loaded with a pointed (spitzer) bullet and more powerful double-base smokeless powder, marking a significant improvement over the earlier round.  Gew.88 rifles in service were converted by an enlarged chamber in the barrel, thus ensuring the continued usefulness of this rifle long after it was superseded by the Gew.98.  The vast stocks of Gew.88 rifles armed second-line, colonial, and allied troops throughout World War I, supporting Germany’s rapid wartime mobilization and providing essential firepower across multiple fronts.

$200 - $300