GEW 88 Safety Issue

[Eaglelord17]

When I saw the thread title I was curious as to which safety issue you were referring to (as the Gew 88 has so many to choose from). Sounds like worn parts in this particular case though.

[Aragorn243]

I have four so if I really need to take that one to the range, I can swap out a bolt head. I keep looking for a reasonably priced one. Saw one that just sold for what an entire rifle can be had for in some areas.

[bob q]

When I saw the thread title I was curious as to which safety issue you were referring to (as the Gew 88 has so many to choose from). Sounds like worn parts in this particular case though.

Please explain the many safety issues .

[Eaglelord17]

Please explain the many safety issues .

Here is a basic list which I am sure doesn't even cover all the potential issues to deal with shooting one of these:

1- Poor gas venting necessitating a re-design in the cocking piece to try and re-direct the gasses away from the shooters eyes in the event of a case failure, some but not all Gew 88s will have this cocking piece (I have had examples of both styles in my collection). This is a similar modification as to what was done to the 1886 Lebel rifle. Still doesn't 100% resolve the issue, but it can help. Always wear shooting/safety glasses when shooting one of these.

2- Weak chamber designs which were strengthened early on, still doesn't mean the original barrels aren't kicking around on some considering how many were made. Even with the stronger chambers it still isn't a rifle you want to testing the pressure on, the receiver design (like many early smokeless designs such as the Swiss 1889 rifles and Krag rifles) is marginal in it's overall strength.

3- Varying bore diameters on the barrels which can range from .318" (Czech made barrels) to .323" (Turkish 88/05/35 barrels) with the majority being around .321". Using .32 Special bullets (.321") has worked quite well for me, however it is important to slug your bore yourself to know.

4- Issues with people double feeding the rifle causing out of battery detonations (more a user error, but is still a issue for a shooter to be aware of).

5- Extremely pitted external barrels due to condensation in the barrel jacket. Most won't be this way, but it is important to check it before you shoot a unfamiliar rifle to make sure it is fine.

So in conclusion it isn't nearly as safe or easy to shoot as most other modern firearms. If you aren't careful you could easily have a very bad day with one of these. Still fun little rifles to shoot, my 88/05 is one of my favourite rifles to actually fire.