Gew 88

[Battis]

I was looking at a GEW 88 last night. It had lots of markings - 1890, S, unit markings, and several different serial numbers, none of which matched. Is it unusual or typical for the serial numbers not to match?
The store is asking around $380 for the rifle.

[bruce drake]

A quick peek onto Gunbroker.com shows that about the going price for a mismatched 88. Its up to you to determine if that's what you are willing to pay.

Bruce

[jugulater]

if its clean with a shiney barrel i would snatch it and run. i would guess that the majority of 1888s are mismatched due to WW1 extending their service life.

i would want to check is to see if it was converted to use mauser style clips, i would also look for any Turkish/Ottoman markings, both of those could damage the guns "collector" value

[Battis]

I checked the store's online listing and they're calling it a "parts gun." I'm not sure if they mean it's only to be used for parts, or that it was made from parts (which would explain the mismatched numbers). I'll give them a call.

Model 1888
8x57 Mauser
Condition: 75%
GOOD BORE, SOME UNIT MARKINGS
30"; PARTS GUN

[bruce drake]

Parts gun usually means it fails headspace or major component items such as a bolt or in the case of 88's, the separate bolt head which is often lost or used to provide a headspaced bolt on a different 88 rifle.

The price they are asking is what I would expect to pay for a complete 88/05 or 88/14 model that has been converted from the older Mannlicher clip system to the newer Model 98-style stripper clips.

A 75% Parts gun is worth maybe $200 for the intact stock and other parts for resale of potential later rebuild with the missing parts.

The 88 Rifle is an antique and I wouldn't recommend modern european loads for the rifle. Shooting Cast is no problem and what I do regularly with my 88/05 Steyr-made Commission Rifle.

I would recommend looking elsewhere for a complete rifle unless the gunshop agree to drop the price appropriately.

Bruce

[Der Gebirgsjager]

If you physically examine the rifle again, look for tiny crescent moon markings which indicate that the rifle was given to the Turks. These can appear anywhere, but are often found on the knob of the bolt handle and on the receiver ring. That doesn't ruin the deal, but their presence explains a lot about the rifle's history and why it is the way it is. Expanding just a bit on Mr. Drake's advice, be certain that the rifle even has a bolt head, and that there is an ejector in the bolt head. Both parts are easily lost and in short supply, but if you are unfamiliar with the rifle it is easy to miss that fact. There is a fellow in L.A. CA who has made a run of new CNC-made bolt heads that he guarantees to work. I bought one as a spare, and they are very nicely made. The ejector is very difficult to replace as currently there are no new ones. Like so many antique rifles, replacement of most of the parts is now by cannibalization of existing specimens. There is one website that advertises brand new replacement stocks, but original stocks in good condition are also hard to find. If the rifle you are looking at has everything present and is functional the asking price is right at the top of what they're currently worth, but not completely out of line. It's very difficult to find one that is completely matching, so don't let the mixture of parts necessarily be a deal killer.
DG

[Battis]

Thanks for the info. I'm heading back to the store to check it out again.