The M1888 was a direct and immediate descendant of the
M1886 Austrian Mannlicher. This rifle too was a straight-pull, bolt-action, box magazine repeater. As early as the beginning of production of the M1886 the need and desirability for a small-bore rifle was evident. This rifle is virtually identical to its predecessor but for chambering a newly designed 8 mm cartridge, loaded originally with black powder and denominated
8×52mmR. soldier of the
Austro-Hungarian Common Army posing with his M1888 service rifle and fixed bayonet.
M1888-90 rifle Shortly thereafter, the M88 cartridge was converted to semi-smokeless powder. The new cartridge was designated
8mm M.1890 scharfe Patrone and its dimensions were
8×50mmR. The
sights of existing
black powder 8mm Mannlicher rifles were converted to accommodate semi-smokeless ammunition by the functional arrangement of screw mounting re-graduated sideplates onto the outsides of the existing rear sight walls. The converted rifles were denominated M.88–90.
M1890 rifle When in 1890 semi-smokeless powder became available, manufacture of rifles with a longer and thus stronger chamber and modified sights began. Although the
smokeless powder filled
M.93 8×50mmR cartridge can be used in this rifle, the generated pressure at 40,000 psi (275.8 MPa) is marginal, as the wedge-lock bolt system this rifle uses was originally designed to be shot with less-potent black powder filled with
11×58mmR ammunition.
Kuaili 1888 Kiangnan rifle 7.62x55 China also used this rifle extensively during the Qing dynasty and the Republican era. China first bought Mannlicher 88 rifles before the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894–1895 and after that started production of the unlicensed Kuaili 1888 Kiangnan copy. These rifles use the proprietary 7.62x55mmR cartridge but purportedly will accept 7.62x54mmR ammunition without issue.
M1888-95 rifle During WW1, M.88-90 rifles were pulled from storage and used alongside the newer M90 and M95s, but due to their age and lack of maintenance were often worn and had corroded barrels. Many that were sent in for repair were rebarrelled and given the newer M95 rear leaf sights, as well as a wooden handguard to bring them up to a similar standard (some M.88/90s received the handguard but retained their quadrant sights). Note that the M.88-95 designation is a collector's term, as these did not appear to be separated from unmodified M.88-90 rifles. Many surplus M.88-90 and M.88-95 handguards are also missing-the new handguards were fitted over the existing barrel bands using only spring clips, and thus are prone to being damaged or lost as they were less durable (the same is true of original
M91 handguards).
Semi-auto conversion Circa 1918
Bulgaria converted about 1,200 M88/90s to be semi automatic and to feed from 20 round detachable box magazines with support of a bipod. Most were destroyed by the
Inter- allied commision of control after 1920 and are a very rare piece today.
M1888-18 carbine During the final years of WW1, Bulgaria would cut down a small number of M.88-90 rifles to carbine length. These were retained long enough that many were converted to 8x56mmR Mannlicher in the interwar period.
M1888-24 short rifle In the interwar period, a number of nations had a variety of rifles in their inventory, including a variety of Mannlicher rifles such as the M.95 and M.88-90. In the mid-1920s, both Greece and Serbia would convert most of their available Mannlicher rifles to a new short rifle pattern similar to their Mauser rifles, giving them new handguards and rear sights as well as rechambering them to 7.92x57mm Mauser. Both nations would rechamber M.95s to the M.95/24 pattern (sometimes called the M.95M) but M.88-90 rifles were also converted to a similar pattern. It's not clear which nation, if both, did the M.88s; in any case it is generally not recommended to fire these rifles with full power ammunition as the 8x57mm cartridge generates much higher pressures than 8x50mmR. == Users ==