doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Commercial 88 Commission rifles

Can anybody tell me how to determine the date of manufacture of a commercial 88 commission rifle? The rifle in question was produced (?) by Schilling. Thank you.

prairie ghost,
The rifle should have commercial proofs, unless made before early 1893 (unlikely). The bore diameter would be expressed in gauge measurement, and the date would be shown in the next number under the bore diameter as month and year (two digits for month and two for year, example, 0410= Apr 1910. You didn't tell the caliber, but if 8mm the bore diameter would be shown as 172.28, if made later than 1911, bore diameter would be shown in mm, i.e. 7.7 or 7.8 and the date would be the next four numbers. If this is confusing, post a photo of the proof marks and we can translate them for you.
Mike

I'm trying to link an attachment from my email but do not know how. There is no date code. Proof of 2.67g GPB indicates 1901-1910 range of manufacture per my research. I was hoping to narrow it down further. It is 8mm. I will keep trying to link the pictures but may have to wait till I have it in hand.

Unless someone was still manufacturing the 88's after about 1900 I would suspect that the range of proof dates, no? SUPPOSEDLY manufacture ended in 1899. As I understand it they were only made for 11 years, 1888 - 1899. Schilling might have been the firm that converted and sold the rifle but not the maker, according to what I have found.

Just about everybody - plus his dog and cat - made, wholesold and detailed Model [18]88 hunting rifles (and a few Wehrmannsgewehre) in various permutations *after* 1899. They continued to be popular and sell well.

It was only the Great War that sounded the death knell for them.

Carcano

Welp, most folks know how poor my search skills are...lol!!

I like them, I have two. A Haenel-Rasch in 9 X 57 and and a Haenel in 8 X 57I. Truth be told I bought the 8 X 57 for the Lyman 38 that was mounted to it.

I'm guessing my request is impossible to pin down other than the years of the proof stamp usage. Thanks to all for the info. Most of what I have learned is from internet searches and the community of European posters on NE forums.