Mauser, 1888, 8mm, Mag Cap 5, #3421

Gew 88, Shiny Bore, resonable wood, Full length steel tube jacket, matching number floor plate

AI info

The Gewehr 1888Â (Gew 88), also known as the "Commission Rifle," is a late 19th-century German bolt-action service rifle. [1, 2]

Although often mistakenly called a Mauser, it was actually designed and adopted by the German Rifle Commission (Gewehr-Prüfungskommission) in response to France's smokeless powder Lebel rifle. It borrows elements from Mauser actions and Mannlicher-style magazines. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key Specifications

• Caliber:Â 7.92×57mm Mauser (originally M/88 round-nose, later updated for Spitzer rounds)
• Action:Â Bolt-action
• Feed System: 5-round en-bloc clip (later modified to stripper clips in the 88/05 variant)
• Weight:Â 3.9 kg (8.5 lbs)
• Length:Â 1,245 mm (49 inches)
• Production Run:Â 1888–1899 (with roughly 2.8 to 3 million units built) [1, 2, 3, 4]

Important Design & Safety Features

• Barrel Jacket:Â Early models featured a full-length steel tube jacket intended to protect the barrel, though this unfortunately trapped moisture and caused hidden corrosion. [1]
• The "S" Mark: Rifles modified to accept the later 1905 Spitzer (pointed) round with a larger bore diameter (.323") feature an "S" stamp on the receiver. Users on Reddit have a consensus that verifying your specific bore diameter (.318" vs .323") is critical before firing modern commercial 8mm Mauser ammunition safely. [1, 2, 3]

Variants:Â Notable updates include the Gewehr 88/05Â which added stripper-clip guides