Gew 88 info needed please

K

k77/22rp

New member
I have a Gew 88 that I'm cleaning up for a friend and I said I'd get some info for him but I dont know much about them.

So I'd really appreciate it if the nice people here at TFL could give me some info...
The receiver is stamped with an S at the top and under that is Spandau and the year which is 1890.

Does this gun shoot the modern 7.92x57JS???
The older rimmed 7.92x57JR???
or is it 7.92x57J???

If its the modern 8mm Mauser I know it wouldnt be a good idea to shoot hot military surplus loads like turkish surplus, but what about the very down-loaded commercial ammo loaded by Winchester and Remington, are those ok?

Below I have some pictures, it appears to be in pretty good condition. A little rust... but its 112 years old!!!
The Bore is shiny and rifling looks sharp and no dings in the crown.
 

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B

BigG

New member
That's the one with the .318 bore, IIRC. The standard 8mm ammunition uses .323 diameter. Somebody else will have to comment whether it's possible to safely shoot with current .323 ammo.
 
D

dfm

New member
The "S" on the receiver means that it's been rebored for the modern .323 diameter round. I'd say that out of deference to the guns age you should shoot a mild handload through her just to be on the safe side.

dfm
 
K

k77/22rp

New member
I dont handload nor does the owner of the gun handload. So I dont think thats a valid option at this time.
But factory 8mm Mauser is very "weak" compared to max loads by sellier and belliot and surplus ammo.

So I would think it would be alright to shoot those factory loads wouldnt it?
Anybody know for sure???
 
C

Cosmoline

New member
I would make sure to have the headspace checked and double-checked before shooting *anything* out of an old Commission Rifle. It's a fine rifle, but the bolt is more primitive than the Mauser '98. If it fails, you may end up with a bolt through the face. I would only shoot it if the bore is in good condition. And I'd limit myself to light handloads and *domestic* ammo. Foreign factory ammo from Norma or the Czechs will be a lot hotter.

With so many top-quality VZ-24's and M-48's on the market right now for next to nothing, there's really no need to use a Commission rifle for anything more than a nice wall hanger.
 
J

Jim Watson

New member
The "S" mark means the chamber neck and throat have been reamed to take the .323" Spitzer round. The barrel remains the same at .320" or less. The thinking was that if the case neck could expand to release the bullet and if the bullet could be sized down in a tapered throat, pressures might not rise TOO much.

That probably worked well enough if your objective was to get some old rifles in shape to arm a battalion of reservists and you would not get sued if a rifle or two blew up.

It seems to have worked well enough with US made 8x57 ammo. Remington knew about the different action and barrel specs and standardized on what was once known as the 8mm Remington Special. A .323" bullet, but with thin jacket and loaded to less than 40,000 CUP for about 2500 fps is what they settled on and what you still get. Nobody is going to recommend shooting even that light a load in a J-bore '88 anymore, but Henry Stebbins considered it routine and acceptable as late as his 1957 and 1960 books. In 1963 the NRA said lightly loaded American 8mm had blown up "few if any" old rifles but still recommended against its use.

I don't know of anybody selling 8x57 J.
 
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