Hanyang 88

Hanyang 88
A Hanyang 88 rifle display in the National Museum of China
TypeBolt-action rifle
Place of originQing Dynasty
Service history
In service1895–1980s
Used bySee Users
WarsBoxer Rebellion[1]
Xinhai Revolution
Northern Expedition
Long March
Central Plains War
Chinese Civil War
Second Sino-Japanese War
World War II
First Indochina War
Korean War
Soviet-Afghan War[2]
Production history
ManufacturerHanyang Arsenal
Produced1895–1944
No. built1,083,480
VariantsRifle
Carbine
Specifications
Mass4.06 kg (9.0 lb)
Length1,250 mm (49 in)
Barrel length740 mm (29 in)

CartridgeM/88
ActionBolt-action
Rate of fire~15 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity620 m/s (2066 fps)
Effective firing range500 m (550 yd)
Maximum firing range2,000 m (2,200 yd)
Feed system5 round en-bloc clip, external box magazine, clip fed
Sightsrear sight with a range of 160m, front blade sight

The Type 88, sometimes known as "Hanyang 88" or Hanyang Type 88 (Chinese: 漢陽八八式步槍) and Hanyang Zao (Which means Made in Hanyang),[3] is a Chinese-made bolt-action rifle, based on the German Gewehr 88.[4] It was adopted by the Qing Dynasty towards the end of the 19th century and was used by multiple factions and formations like those in the Republic of China, until the end of the Chinese Civil War.

The name of the rifle is derived from Hanyang Arsenal, the main factory that produced this rifle.

The rifle was due to be replaced as the standard Chinese rifle by the Chiang Kai-shek rifle. However, manufacture of the new rifle never managed to match demand, and the Type 88 continued to be manufactured and to equip the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Chinese Hanyang 88 Rifle | Collectors Weekly". www.collectorsweekly.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022.
  2. ^ Jalali, Ali Ahmad; Grau Lester (1989). Afghan Guerrilla Warfare, in the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters. MBI Publishing. pp. 253. ISBN 0-7603-1322-9. We had one RPG-7 with three rounds, two Kalashnikovs, and some Marko Chinese bolt-action rifles. [Footnote:] Marko is the Chinese copy of the German M-88 Mauser.
  3. ^ "Visitor information" (PDF). www.weekinchina.com. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  4. ^ "Rifle Gew.88 ("Gewehr modell 1888") or "Komissiongewehr" (Commission rifle) (Germany)". Modern Firearms. July 27, 2012.