Ammo for a Turkish Gew 88?

[bocephus]

I recently acquired a Turkish Gew 88. Some stuff out there doesn't recommend standard milsurp 8mm. It suggests that the milsurp stuff is too hot of a load for such an old receiver. Any thoughts on that? This was of course rearsenaled at Ankara in 1940 and I'm sure the Turkish went on to shoot their 8mm through it for many years.

[bunkysdad]

These were the first German smokeless rifles and used a round nose 8mm bullet that was sized .318", as opposed to the .323" pointed bullet that replaced it in the GEW98. Although the Turks rechambered these to the more modern 8mm, these need to be handloaded carefully to lower pressures due to the weaker receiver.

[desdem12]

I can't remember who makes it but there is some low pressure loads of commercial 8mm. I think federal is pretty low. The best thing to do is to reload for it. I have some brass I am gonna reload for mine as soon as I get the dies. I ordered the dies last month and I finaly got a shipping notice yesterday. I am going to try 380 powder first and I have a couple of different bullet weights.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The GEW88 was Germany's first smokeless powder rifle, the second military smokeless powder rifle in history, and 100% experimental. Neither the French, nor the Germans yet fully understood the power of smokeless powder, or the metallurgy of the steel they would need to build the new rifles to use this powder. Overall they did an amazingly good job, and Mauser would take the technology and run with it a few years later.
You need to consider that this is an experimental rifle, and now it's 120+ years old and has seen endless years of use and war. I don't recommend shooting these rifles at all, they should be retired to the wall of fame for a well earned retirement, but if you must then handload your own rounds to the lowest pressures only, and pay up your insurance before firing them.

[bunkysdad]

:shock::shock:Yow!:shock::shock::shock::P

[bocephus]

NOOOOOoooooooooooooo, I haven't even cleaned this one up yet. But I found another one that's nicer, I thought I might go for it and see if I can sell this one. But if I can't even shoot it, my interest level goes down a bit. Some stuff I've seen recommends going with American made 8mm because it's supposed to be a lighter load and slightly smaller. I'd assume with any American ammo we're talking $1+ per round.

[desdem12]

I have shot mine. It worked well.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Never buy a rifle that is over 50 years old with the expectation that it will make a good shooter, or a safe one. I own a Model T Ford, it's 88 years old, still runs and I could probably get it up to 55 MPH on the highway if I decided it was time to shuffle off this mortal coil, but otherwise 20 is more it's speed these days. If you must shoot a rifle of this type I would stick to cast lead bullets, and pressures even lower that US commercial rounds, gallery loads even. These are not Mauser's, even the 1891 Mauser has a stronger action, the 1898 Mauser is several times stronger, you take your life in your hands when you push these older actions, especially the smokeless powder ones.

[bocephus]

Come on, this sight is dedicated to rifles over 50 years old and I've got plenty of good shooters. I've also got some not good shooters, the topic here isn't how good it will shoot but whether or not my face will explode if I try it.

[desdem12]

That is something you have to decide for yourself. They were used for years in war and training. The germans used them in wwi and then sold them to turkey who used them at least once or twice and likely with the hot turk ammo. Be sure to check head space. check to start and then every so often to see if the receiver grows any or shows stress.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Come on, this sight is dedicated to rifles over 50 years old and I've got plenty of good shooters. I've also got some not good shooters, the topic here isn't how good it will shoot but whether or not my face will explode if I try it.

This is a site dedicated to the preservation of historic military rifles, it is not a shooters site, neither myself, nor this site encourage anybody to shoot these rifles. That is a personal decision you make for yourself, we can and will give advice, but the final decision is yours alone. I will warn anyone who asks that firing any firearms can be dangerous, firing antiques even more so. Like or not the risk is there, it's there with every round fired. I am older and have grown cautious, I don't bounce as well as I did when I was a kid, and because of that am far less willing to take risks that I don't have to. That GEW will probably shoot fine, but I can't swear to you that it will, it could let go and explode in your face killing you, or maiming you for life, or even worse, killing someone who is around you. With each round you are stressing steel that has been stressed 20,000 times before going back to your great, great grandfathers time, steel can fatigue with age, and there is no way to measure how much it's got left in it.

The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum
Military Preservation & Civilian Firearms Forums

With some antiques the risk is fairly low of having a problem, the Mosin being one of these, but the GEW88 has a significantly higher risk factor attached to it. The Turk rebuilds in particular have been fired with the hot Turk ammo who knows how many times, that's a lot of stress on that ancient and questionable steel, on a bolt that is barely stronger than a US Krag's, and not close to as strong as a Mosins.

If you want to pin me down to an honest opinion about if this rifle will expolode in your face or not then I can only give you one opinion.
YES THIS RIFLE HAS A STRONG POTENTIAL TO EXPLODE IN YOUR FACE AND KILL YOU

[bocephus]

Well I think we've got a problem, no I haven't shot it yet.





Good looking bore



And here it is, I actually didn't notice this until I took pictures of it. Is that a giant crack in the receiver? Should this be retired to wall art duties?

[redspoon]

YES THIS RIFLE HAS A STRONG POTENTIAL TO EXPLODE IN YOUR FACE AND KILL YOU

Holy crap I would get it checked PDQ, very nice looking rifle BTW.

[BuckeyeSgt]

Yikes that sure does look like a crack. This site, JYD and you asking a question might have just saved your head.

[Gsragtop]

Interesting you point that out on yours, I have this one on layaway right now and noticed something similar on mine..

So I am very interested in everyone's thoughts on this..

[desdem12]

Take it out of the stock so we can see what it looks like.

[iwuzwhatiwuz]

I'd take it out the stock ASAP and look at it under a magnifying glass. It sure looks like a crack.

[Ironnewt]

If you insist on firing it, (I wouldn't BTW) I would "remote" fire it with a minimum load. Strap the rifle in a tire, strap the tire to the bench, tie a string to the trigger and load it with one round. run the string out as far as possible and get behind something. give the string a yank and take a look.

[racerguy00]

It may be a machining line from when any German markings were removed. Once out of the wood it should be easier to tell.

[Junk Yard Dog]

It's not a crack, the receiver is reused off of a German built GEW88, these original rifles has a thin steel barrel shield that slipped over the barrel and screwed into the end of the receiver. The "crack" is a weld were they covered over the old threads that the barrel shield used, you will see this on rifles the Turks rebuilt into their pattern 1938 's. Welding to that extent can cause problems with the receivers heat treatment, rumor has it that the Turks reheat treated these receivers before using them, maybe, but I wasn't standing there to see them do it, don't know if it was done to German specifications, or done at all.
Original German GEW88 receiver threads.


Original German GEW88 barrel jacket were it screws into receiver