Argentine purchase of the 1888 Commission Rifle

C

corifleman

Member
I have been slowly working towards building my Argentine collection and have recently realized I need to add an un-modified Ludwig Loewe 1888 to the collection.

According to the book on Argentines by Webster, the government purchased a total of 5,000 Gewehr 1888 rifles manufactured by Loewe in 1891-2. These were fulfilled in 1892 and put in storage, and were then sold to the Peruvian govt in Buenos Aires.

The book says there are no markings that would indicate these rifles ever went to Argentina. The only potentially identifying characteristic would be that they should have none of the marks associated with modifications made to the European pieces between 1891 and 1905, and that they were all Loewe production.

Imperial Mausers (prior to the 1891 Arg) are absolutely not in my wheelhouse, but I would really appreciate if anyone has additional information to shed on this that could aid me in hinting one of these down. Bonus points if anyone has a line on one such rifle...!
 
Never heard of them . Also it does not make much sense . Lowe built all of their Gew-88 rifles in 11 months . They were done by early 1891 , there are no 92 + dated Lowe rifles . Also why would Argentina buy a rifle in a caliber they did not use ? Lowe did not own the right to the Gew-88 design , they just built for the German military contract .
 
Ernie, thanks - there are plenty of records around the purchase, and the reasons for the purchase are also written about. It's fascinating. The Argentines were worried about their neighbors upgrading their arms and were concerned that the 1891s wouldn't be delivered soon enough. Their liaison was ordered to buy rifles, any rifles, as soon as possible. The different caliber was a large part of the debate. They were aware of the logistical nightmares with two different cartridges. When the Loewe rifles were delivered, they were immediately placed in storage. Within a year the 1891s started to arrive, so the Argentines contacted Loewe regarding returning the 1888 rifles as a credit towards the 1891s. Before the transfer back to Loewe was complete, the Peruvians agreed to buy them at a higher value than the trade value Loewe had offered.

Regarding upgrades, etc, these rifles would've missed the rounds of upgrades that were done to the rifles that remained in Germany - although I don't know if any changes were made while in South America, or if they stayed in South America for their entire life.
 
By the way , I do have a Gew-88 chambered in 7.65x53 . I could be talked into selling it if you think it would fit in you collection . It is a real good shooter .
 
Most of the commercial manufacturers that produced the Gewehr 88 sold them commercially. VC Schilling, CG Haenel, OEWG, and Loewe all come to mind. Loewe is well documented as selling Gewehr 88 rifles commercially outside of the contract for the German government. What exactly that agreement was or how/why they were allowed to, I do not know.

Ernie, a 7.65x53 Gewehr 88 is certainly a unique sample, especially if original. What sort of markings does the barrel have? Does it appear to be original?

corifleman, I doubt if you would be able to uniquely identify one of the Argentine rifles, short of some form of documentation coming to light showing that they were uniquely marked, serialized, or otherwise identifiable by some feature. As bone stock Gewehr 88 rifles, short of the fact they are missing the updates, and a Loewe rifle, it would be hard to conclusively prove any were Argentine rifles. Based on the condition of most Peruvian rifles that came in the country, I would look for a trashed worn out Loewe rifle that is heavily rusted and a badly shot out bore!
 
Fal Grunt said:
corifleman, I doubt if you would be able to uniquely identify one of the Argentine rifles, short of some form of documentation coming to light showing that they were uniquely marked, serialized, or otherwise identifiable by some feature. As bone stock Gewehr 88 rifles, short of the fact they are missing the updates, and a Loewe rifle, it would be hard to conclusively prove any were Argentine rifles. Based on the condition of most Peruvian rifles that came in the country, I would look for a trashed worn out Loewe rifle that is heavily rusted and a badly shot out bore!
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This is the truth! I know it'd be in poor condition and without upgrades, and that's as close as you'd get unfortunately. Can't believe they didn't stamp them in any way, but an interesting thought to look out for.
 
Fal Grunt said:
Based on the condition of most Peruvian rifles that came in the country, I would look for a trashed worn out Loewe rifle that is heavily rusted and a badly shot out bore!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a potential origin for my unconverted commercial Loewe 88. I've always wondered what the deal with that rifle was.
 
corifleman said:
I have been slowly working towards building my Argentine collection and have recently realized I need to add an un-modified Ludwig Loewe 1888 to the collection.

According to the book on Argentines by Webster, the government purchased a total of 5,000 Gewehr 1888 rifles manufactured by Loewe in 1891-2. These were fulfilled in 1892 and put in storage, and were then sold to the Peruvian govt in Buenos Aires.

The book says there are no markings that would indicate these rifles ever went to Argentina. The only potentially identifying characteristic would be that they should have none of the marks associated with modifications made to the European pieces between 1891 and 1905, and that they were all Loewe production.

Imperial Mausers (prior to the 1891 Arg) are absolutely not in my wheelhouse, but I would really appreciate if anyone has additional information to shed on this that could aid me in hinting one of these down. Bonus points if anyone has a line on one such rifle...!
Click to expand...

If you're still looking for an un-modified LL&Co Gew88, there's one on Gunbroker right now: https://www.gunbroker.com/item/934091450

Poorly written listing, doesn't seem to be getting any traction. The condition is rough, and it's military proofed and with a unit marking for a Guard Fusilier Regiment so not one of those Argentine orders, but any un-converted Loewe Gew88 is hard to come by. It would probably clean up better than it looks there, but it would be a little bit of a project.
 
Cyrano4747 said:
If you're still looking for an un-modified LL&Co Gew88, there's one on Gunbroker right now: https://www.gunbroker.com/item/934091450

Poorly written listing, doesn't seem to be getting any traction. The condition is rough, and it's military proofed and with a unit marking for a Guard Fusilier Regiment so not one of those Argentine orders, but any un-converted Loewe Gew88 is hard to come by. It would probably clean up better than it looks there, but it would be a little bit of a project.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!!!
 
I have a question . That rifle looks to be a SA import in poor condition . Lowes are a very common rifle with little variations as they were all made in a 11 month period . The rifle does have some of the common updates . Gew-88 rifles are more common than 88/05's . To me it is a very common rifle , how is it rare ?
 
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