How to identify rifle, help please.

[Marpa]

Helo and nice greetings to users and forum's owner.

My cousin has an old rifle which we can't identify. Policeman, which give him permission wrote it is Mauser, but we can find any similar Mauser's model on the web. Do you have any idea ?

https://picasaweb.google.com/racunov...45680732847682

[Alpo]

It's not a Mauser. Looks to be a Mannlicher of some sort. That butterknife bolt handle is pure Mannlicher, although many custom makers use it because it is just so dang pretty.


The stripper clip feeding through the top and dropping out the bottom when empty is a Steyr Mannlicher/Mannlicher Carcano feature.

[deadin]

It appears to be a sporter carbine built on or based on the Mannlicher type Commission Kar 88. I believe the markings point to Steyr being the maker.

[roundball]

The marks on the side are older German proof marks for rifles.

[Jim K]

It is a sporterized M1888 Commission Carbine. Those were made in both Germany and Austria and without seeing the top of the receiver ring, the original maker cannot be determined. The proof marks are a mixture, both commercial. One is part of the German proof showing the proof load to be 2.6 grams (40 grains) of "G.B.P" (Rifle Flake Powder), the powder used in the proof load, with a Steel jacket bullet (Stahlmantel Geschoss). The other two markings are Austrian, the NPV and eagle of the Vienna proof house.

So, what we appear to have is a rifle that probably was in German service, sold on the market, taken to or sold in Austria, modified there and the scope added, reproved in Vienna after the sporterizing, and finally coming, somehow, to where it is now.

The scope and scope mount are certainly European, probably German; the stock is not original and appears to be American, or American style.

So, no it is not a Mauser, but it likely was German.

Jim

[Bindernut]

Yup, that's sporterized Kar88. As Jim stated, the maker should be stamped on the front receiver ring...if the scope mount system hasn't obliterated the marking.

Originally Posted by Jim K

The scope and scope mount are certainly European, probably German; the stock is not original and appears to be American, or American style.

I'm betting that the guy who sporterized it slimmed down the original stock (carving the cheekpiece in the process), and notching in a different piece of wood (poorly matched for grain though) for the pistol grip.

If you look at the overall side profile of the wood, minus the pistol grip, the lines pretty much follow the standard Gew88 profile. After adding the pistol grip, it does wind up looking like a "classic American" sporter style stock but I'm sure it was done on the European continent.

[Jim K]

Boy, my eyes are not what they used to be; I missed that pistol grip work. Yes, the stock is the military stock worked over.

As to the US style, many "sporterizing" jobs were done in Europe for American troops after both world wars, so such work is quite common.

Jim

[Marpa]

Dear friends,

thank you for your informations. I appologize for missed informations in my first post here. This rifle is located in north part of Croatia, former part of Yugoslavia, which was before WWI a part of Austro-Hungarian Empire.