Gewehr 88/05
Ludwig Loewe & Company / Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) · Rifle · Discontinued · 1905
Also known as: Gew 88/05, Infanterie-Gewehr 88/05, Gewehr 1888/05, Commission Rifle 88/05, Gewehr 88/05 S
Overview
The Gewehr 88/05 is a German bolt-action service rifle, a 1905 modernization of the Gewehr 88 'Commission Rifle' carried out to take full advantage of the new pointed 7.92x57mm S-Patrone spitzer cartridge. The conversion reamed the chamber to the new dimensions, re-marked the rear sights, and crucially abandoned the original Mannlicher en-bloc clip in favor of a stripper-clip (charger) guide riveted to the split-bridge receiver, with the magazine and follower altered to feed loose rounds and the en-bloc ejection hole in the magazine floor covered by a stamped sheet-metal plate. A relief cut across the receiver face cleared the pointed bullet and a thumb-clearance cut was added to the left receiver wall. Roughly 350,000 rifles were rebuilt to this pattern, and they remained in German front-line and second-line service through the First World War before later examples were further simplified into the Gewehr 88/14.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3800 g (134.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1245 mm (49.02") |
| Barrel Length | 740 mm (29.13") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Fixed Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 870 m/s (2854 fps) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 12 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.92x57mm Mauser · primary — also known as 8mm Mauser, 7.92x57mm, 8x57mm IS, S-Patrone, 7.92x57mm S
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Stripper Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Barrel Jacket, Stripper Clip Loading, S Patrone Conversion, Reamed Chamber
Base model
Service history
Operators
- German Empire · adopted 1905
- Ottoman Empire
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Estimated total produced: 350,000 · Production years: 1905-1915
About 350,000 existing Gewehr 88 rifles were rebuilt to the 88/05 charger-loading pattern by German state arsenals; from 1915 a further batch was converted to the simplified wartime 88/14 standard.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: German Rifle Test Commission (Gewehr-Pruefungskommission)
Discontinued: 1915
Notes
An 'S' stamped above the chamber marks the conversion to the higher-pressure spitzer load. The barrel jacket inherited from the Gewehr 88 still tended to trap moisture and dirt, and the more powerful S-Patrone increased stress on the older receivers. Like the base rifle, the 88/05 is frequently and incorrectly called a 'Mauser' even though Paul Mauser had no part in the committee design.
Background
When Germany adopted the pointed S-Patrone in 1903, its huge stock of 1888 Commission Rifles suddenly fed the wrong-shaped bullet through the wrong loading system. The 88/05 was the army's pragmatic fix: rather than scrap the old rifles, arsenals reamed the chambers, cut the receivers to clear the spitzer, and bolted on stripper-clip guides so the aging Reichsgewehr could soldier on alongside the Gewehr 98 into the trenches of the Great War.