Gew 88's anyone?
- Thread starter Claven2
- Start date
Eaglelord17
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sault Ste. Marie
Honestly I question a lot of information in his books, he doesn’t present as a expert on the subject matter (I have both his books on Gewehrs and Mannlichers). He seems like someone tasked to write a basic book on the topics as opposed to a dedicated collector who has deep knowledge on them. I have found some inaccuracies in there, my favourite being the improperly loaded M95 mannlicher clip, which is pretty difficult to do.
That has to be the deepest finger cut out I have ever seen on a 88/05. Wonder if it was a Monday/Friday done job or maybe the apprentice.
Assuming they weren't drunk or high.
Pretty sure that thumb cut irks Turkish, not German. You see them on the 88/05/35 guns. Maybe they reused one of those receivers to repair an older 88/05?
And made good money doing it
That is most certainly a modification during refurbishment in Turkey. I have owned a couple of Gew 88s like that and its almost a half way conversion to the 88.05.35 (perhaps it was a budget issue at the time ?). The 88s I can remember were complete mixmasters and usually had a Turkish replacement barrel that resembled the later thicker German barrels for the Gew 88s. They will be reblued and sometimes have a Turkish crescent moon on the receiver but not always. You may also see a new serial number applied on the side of the receiver or on the top of the receiver. You can sometimes tell the barrel type by the weight of the rifle compared to one that has the lighter German or Czech barrel, without taking apart the rifle.
Picked up another Gew 88/05, in this case it's an 1896 Erfurt. Been through a Turk refurb with most parts mix/matched and receiver blued. Interestingly, the rear sight was re-ground and re-numbered in modern numeral script, and the rear sight slide and latch are turkinsh-made replacement parts. It's in nice shape though with a great bore.
Wish I could stumble across a nice unmodified 88.
I also got my missing cleaning rod for the first 88/05 I posted and a nice czech-made replica sling (not a cheap chinese mare Gew 98 sling, this is an actual Gew88 copy).
Wish I could stumble across a nice unmodified 88.
I also got my missing cleaning rod for the first 88/05 I posted and a nice czech-made replica sling (not a cheap chinese mare Gew 98 sling, this is an actual Gew88 copy).
Picked up a nice 88/05 recently, decided to take some pics of it and of my 88 as well.
This a Gew88 only thread? Got a Kar88 & Gew91 I could dig out as well.
My 88, no Turkish signs with this one, refinished & mixmaster for parts, only the receiver, barrel jacket & trigger guard are original matching.
Anyone recognize the numbers stamped on the butt?
The 88/05 I recently picked up, is a bolt mismatch (off by one digit & letter suffix), but otherwise is matching down to the action screws. It's a bit rougher shape, not much bluing left above the stock line and was covered in thick cosmolene and remnants of paper wrapping. No signs of Turkey with this one either.
This a Gew88 only thread? Got a Kar88 & Gew91 I could dig out as well.
My 88, no Turkish signs with this one, refinished & mixmaster for parts, only the receiver, barrel jacket & trigger guard are original matching.
Anyone recognize the numbers stamped on the butt?
The 88/05 I recently picked up, is a bolt mismatch (off by one digit & letter suffix), but otherwise is matching down to the action screws. It's a bit rougher shape, not much bluing left above the stock line and was covered in thick cosmolene and remnants of paper wrapping. No signs of Turkey with this one either.
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Eaglelord17
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sault Ste. Marie
Yes, initially they were used by reserve units in Germany which did see front line service. Then as time progressed they were eventually fully replaced with Gewehr 98s. The rifles were then shipped in most cases to the Ottoman Empire or in smaller numbers Austria-Hungary for further service.
Technically Gew 91
.Finally got nice nice weather so took a few more pics
Kar88, this ones all matching, although at some point someone put a cover over the sling slot in the stock with a piece of a nameplate from a WWI era Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co tractor.
Gew91, this one is a bolt mismatch, and the stacking hook was cut off. But on the plus side it's got a pristine bore.
I kinda forgot I had this one, buried in the back of the safe. Turk Gew88/05/35, has a turned down bolt for some reason, nice bore too.
And here is a box of ammo in clips from 1894.
Kar88, this ones all matching, although at some point someone put a cover over the sling slot in the stock with a piece of a nameplate from a WWI era Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co tractor.
Gew91, this one is a bolt mismatch, and the stacking hook was cut off. But on the plus side it's got a pristine bore.
I kinda forgot I had this one, buried in the back of the safe. Turk Gew88/05/35, has a turned down bolt for some reason, nice bore too.
And here is a box of ammo in clips from 1894.
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