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Gewehr 88 Help Needed Dual Serial Numbers

Rutche

Rutche

Senior Member
My buddy recently purchased a Gewehr 88, and upon closer inspection I saw some really interesting markings can you all help me decipher them a little.

are these post ww2 markings and why two serial numbers, and reblued did the Germans use it in ww2?
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Rutche said:
Have you ever seen a Gewehr 88 with commercial proofs I'm quite baffled
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Yes, I have one with circa 1911-13 commercial proofs. Yours are later, but keep in mind many of these were sold by surplus dealers in times of peace. Yours was likely sold internationally. It's hard to say where it went.

Very cool rifle though, these don't show up often.
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So is that sideways antlers for Ulm, they look very similar, was this added post World War 2, im really interested in the rifle
 
My guess would be Weimar era. The antler is historically identified with Württemberg, so the reproofing likely occurred somewhere there.

Unfortunately information is a bit sparse on these.

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Well thank you for your help, I didn't know that the Germans had commercial ones. Really a quite interesting rifle.
 
Rutche said:
So is that sideways antlers for Ulm, they look very similar, was this added post World War 2, im really interested in the rifle
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The 1072 is the date, when the rifle was reproofed.
October 1972
The antlers are for Beschussamt Ulm

PS: in fact it is not a reproof, but a regular proof.
Old military proofs are not valid in Germany and if you want to use your old military gun for sporting/hunting it needs a valid proof.

PPS: whereas the receiver is "S" marked, it seems that the rifle was proofed only with 8x57J (.318) not 8x57JS (.323).
The FWW stamp is for Frankonia Waffen Würzburg. An importer/dealer since 1908.
 

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Thank you! that makes a lot of sense, i read somewhere that they were testing with JS ammo, but some blew up so they just started using J only maybe that's why it has the S. and the 8x57 J marking
 
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