Hold on.....I'll get a pic.
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Hold on.....I'll get a pic.
Here it is....it's not even drilled all the way through.
The hole drilled in the barrel was a attempt to put in a gas vent in case of the casing rupturing. This was done when they were converted to 8mm Mauser (by installing a brand new barrel) as there was no gas vent in the original design. It is also a quick way to determine if it was converted to 8mm Mauser or not (besides other things like barrel length and the addition of the sight protectors).
Ah, ok....I was worried it couldnt be fired!
Sorry I thought you were referring to the hole around the receiver (where they have the information on the rifle). Looking closer at your pictures I have no idea what that hole on the barrel itself is for.