| Model 1888 commission rifle / Gewehr 88 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Service rifle |
| Place of origin | German Empire |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1888–1953 |
| Used by | 25+ countries See Users |
| Wars | 25+ wars See Conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designer | German Rifle Commission |
| Manufacturer | Ludwig Loewe, C.G. Haenel, ŒWG, Imperial Arsenals of Amberg, Danzig, Erfurt, and Spandau, Hanyang Arsenal |
| Produced | 1888–1899 |
| No. built | 2,800,000 |
| Variants | Gewehr 88/05, Gewehr 88/14, Karabiner 88, Hanyang 88 (unlicensed copy) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) 3.1 kg (6 lb 13 oz) (Karabiner 88) |
| Length | 1,245 mm (49.0 in) 950 mm (37 in) (Karabiner 88) |
| Barrel length | 740 mm (29.1 in) 490 mm (19 in) (Karabiner 88) |
| Cartridge | M/88 7.92×57mm Mauser from Gewehr 88/05 onwards 7×57mm Mauser(Karabiner 88;A small amount is exported to Brazil)[1] |
| Action | Bolt action |
| Muzzle velocity | With m/88 620 m/s (2066 fps), 8mm Mauser 868 m/s (2847 fps) |
| Feed system | 5 round clip in a fixed external magazine |
The Gewehr 88 (commonly called the Model 1888 commission rifle) was a late 19th-century German bolt-action rifle, adopted in 1888.
The invention of smokeless powder in the late 19th century immediately rendered all of the large-bore black powder rifles then in use obsolete. To keep pace with the French (who had adopted smokeless powder "small bore" ammunition for their Lebel Model 1886 rifle) the Germans adopted the Gewehr 88 using its own new Patrone 88 cartridge, which was also designed by the German Rifle Commission.[2] The rifle was one of many weapons in the arms race between the Germanic states and France, and with Europe in general. There were also two carbine versions, the Karabiner 88 for mounted troops and the Gewehr 91 for artillery. Later models provided for loading with stripper clips (Gewehr 88/05s and Gewehr 88/14s) and went on to serve in World War I to a limited degree. Unlike many German service rifles before and after, it was not developed by Mauser but the arms commission, and Mauser was one of the few major arms manufacturers in Germany that did not produce Gewehr 88s.[3]
- ^ John from Texas (Webmaster). "German M.1888 7MM Commission Carbine". collectiblefirearms.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
- ^ 8×57mm IS cartridge portrait – Totgesagte leben länger, Wild und Hund 11/2006 (in German) Archived 2011-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hardin, John. "The Model 1888 Commission Rifle". Archived from the original on 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2009-10-19.