German Gew 88

anfnfalfan · May 19, 2010, 08:24 PM

Ok, bought a Gew 88 a while back and just got time to start working on it. Had a few question about it. First or all, the rifle is obviously in original condition with many cartouches in the stock, some yellow paint on the butt stock though. Second, the bolt has three swastikas stamped into it.....did they do this to these rifles?

The rifle is missing the rear sight, it must have been gone a while because i cant even tell where it was soldered on. It is not marked with an "S" or if there was one, its not there now. Other than that, it appears to be complete. It has mildly visible rifling, but is very dark. The barrel shroud has a few dings, but no holes and is the original shroud. There is an "X" between the shroud and reciever where they meet. I can visibly see GEW 88 on the reciever, and a "19" with a "b". I cant tell if this gun is matching because the serial numbers are not completely visible in some areas.

So, what would ya'll recommend i do with this rifle? I was wanting this to fix up, but would that decrease the value, or is the gun already too gone for a collector? Should i try and solder a rear sight back to the shroud? Do the swastikas make it more valuable to some? What ya'll think? im working on pics...

tater134 · May 19, 2010, 08:36 PM

Im going to wait for some photos of the rifle to give you an answer.The Chinese marked their 88's with swastikas on some parts and if it is Chinese its probably not worth restoring since they generally arent worth much and are considered unsafe to shoot due to questionable metallurgy.

The barrel jacket and the swastikas on the same rifle have me confused though because all the Chinese 88's Ive seen were Hanyang models with no barrel jackets.Are there any markings on the top of the receiver ring?There should be a date and crest there.

anfnfalfan · May 19, 2010, 09:09 PM

There isnt a crest, if i take a flash light and turn it at the right angle, it looks as though it says loewe berlin, but cant see the date.

tater134 · May 19, 2010, 09:48 PM

Hmm in that case maybe you have a regular 88 that was sent to China and had the bolt replaced or maybe someone swapped bolts?Do you have any history on the rifle?

anfnfalfan · May 19, 2010, 09:59 PM

no, no history. I got the gun from a guy that was wanting to fix it up, but had some medical issues and had to sell all his stock. He bought the gun just as i bought it.

Esteban32696 · May 20, 2010, 08:33 AM

Plenty of help, here;

http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/vie...098eb6bda78bb3

Rampant_Colt · June 14, 2010, 01:02 PM

looky HERE for parts n stuff

ISC · June 14, 2010, 01:35 PM

The first thing ytou need to do is figure out if it is in the original caliber or it it was rebarrelled for standard 8 mauser.

May 19, 2010, 08:24 PM	#1
anfnfalfan Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Location: South Carolina Posts: 25	German Gew 88 Ok, bought a Gew 88 a while back and just got time to start working on it. Had a few question about it. First or all, the rifle is obviously in original condition with many cartouches in the stock, some yellow paint on the butt stock though. Second, the bolt has three swastikas stamped into it.....did they do this to these rifles? The rifle is missing the rear sight, it must have been gone a while because i cant even tell where it was soldered on. It is not marked with an "S" or if there was one, its not there now. Other than that, it appears to be complete. It has mildly visible rifling, but is very dark. The barrel shroud has a few dings, but no holes and is the original shroud. There is an "X" between the shroud and reciever where they meet. I can visibly see GEW 88 on the reciever, and a "19" with a "b". I cant tell if this gun is matching because the serial numbers are not completely visible in some areas. So, what would ya'll recommend i do with this rifle? I was wanting this to fix up, but would that decrease the value, or is the gun already too gone for a collector? Should i try and solder a rear sight back to the shroud? Do the swastikas make it more valuable to some? What ya'll think? im working on pics...

June 14, 2010, 01:02 PM	#7
Rampant_Colt Senior Member Join Date: March 17, 2006 Location: Parts Unknown Posts: 1,478	looky HERE for parts n stuff __________________ member of an elite paramilitary organization: Eagle Scouts

May 19, 2010, 08:36 PM	#2
tater134 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2009 Location: NE,PA Posts: 390	Im going to wait for some photos of the rifle to give you an answer.The Chinese marked their 88's with swastikas on some parts and if it is Chinese its probably not worth restoring since they generally arent worth much and are considered unsafe to shoot due to questionable metallurgy. The barrel jacket and the swastikas on the same rifle have me confused though because all the Chinese 88's Ive seen were Hanyang models with no barrel jackets.Are there any markings on the top of the receiver ring?There should be a date and crest there.

May 19, 2010, 09:09 PM	#3
anfnfalfan Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Location: South Carolina Posts: 25	There isnt a crest, if i take a flash light and turn it at the right angle, it looks as though it says loewe berlin, but cant see the date.

May 19, 2010, 09:48 PM	#4
tater134 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2009 Location: NE,PA Posts: 390	Hmm in that case maybe you have a regular 88 that was sent to China and had the bolt replaced or maybe someone swapped bolts?Do you have any history on the rifle?

May 19, 2010, 09:59 PM	#5
anfnfalfan Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Location: South Carolina Posts: 25	no, no history. I got the gun from a guy that was wanting to fix it up, but had some medical issues and had to sell all his stock. He bought the gun just as i bought it.

May 20, 2010, 08:33 AM	#6
Esteban32696 Member Join Date: February 10, 2010 Location: Fl. Posts: 80	Plenty of help, here; http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/vie...098eb6bda78bb3

June 14, 2010, 01:35 PM	#8
ISC Junior member Join Date: August 5, 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 1,982	The first thing ytou need to do is figure out if it is in the original caliber or it it was rebarrelled for standard 8 mauser.