New subscriber with a possibly tired set of questions.
The more I try to learn about this weapon the more confused I get. Some of what I'll state may seem educated while some will likely be ignorant. I've been scouring the interwebs for a couple weeks now to no avail. I'm not a gunsmith or a pro by any stretch, just an enthusiast who's trying to become educated about what he's got in his hands. I'll start with it's markings. At the barrel's end on the left it's marked "CAL 7MM" and on the right it's marked "MADE IN TURKEY" below that is "CAL ST. ALB. VT". At the front of the receiver it has TC, the crescent moon with a star in it, AS FA, ANK ARA, 1936-this I've learned is pretty common. On the left it has some worn down sandscript. At the back is "22611", I assume a serial number.(?) The 22611 is also on the rear sight on it's 3 parts. On the bolt handle near the center is "220". The button that lets you load singles while retaining a full mag has been ground flush. From what I've learned these were originally made as 7mm rifles and were later converted to 8mm. From all I can find they were refitted with 8mm. barrels but it makes no sense to me that the barrel is marked as a 7mm so I assume it was just bored out to an 8. It does measure out to 8ish mm. and 7.9X57 rounds will chamber, so I assume it's been converted. I believe it to be an 1888 or GEW88 with a later stock, I think I determined it to be a 1893(?), but there have been way too many long nights searching to remember exactly. I read that the receiver or barrel should be stamped with 8mm., but don't see that. I've also read that there should be an "S" or "Z" denoting the bore diameter but don't see those either. The rifling looks quite worn but no obvious damage. I did an at home bore check and come up with .315, .325, and .329 around the circumference of my slug. I bought some milsurp. 7.9x57 ammo (I think it's Turk, headstamped 11 52 with stars on the left & right) after reading that modern 'hunting' ammo is too hot for these rifles. Then I read that milsup. is too hot and that modern ammo is the safe bet. DAMN! The rounds I bought measure .323 which seems safe for my bore measurements. I hope I'm not the only one that gets this confused about these guns. Even if the barrel is too worn to be an accurate rifle, I'd love to shoot it if it's relatively safe. I don't mind it being a wall hanger, but would love to put some life back through it occasionally. I guess my main questions would be; do I have something significantly special or just another common piece of history? Is it potentially safe to shoot with this milsurp ammo? Was it common to rebore the barrels to 8mm and retain the 7mm marking and does this make it more dangerous to shoot than one that had the barrel replaced with an actual 8mm piece? If it does burst is it going to be the bolt blowing back into my face or a receiver or barrel rupture?
GREAT thanks to anyone who help me out!