This is a Steyr M88/90 that served in the Austrian army in WWI as a second-line rifle, though it could have seen combat in that role. Afterwards, it somehow went to a side in the Spanish Civil War.
On this page, a rifle sent directly to and imported directly from Spain bears the same sun burst mark at the wrist. The rifle in question is a Russian Mosin-Nagant M91/30, made in 1936 and given to the Spanish Republicans. After service in the Spanish Civil War, the M91/30 stayed in Spain, and was imported to the USA through Interarms in the 1950's. The number of identical M91/30's basically proves the sun burst is Spanish in origin, and thus this Steyr M90 also. Possible origins of the mark include a specific unit or regional marking, capture marking, rework marking, arms dealer marking, or perhaps an imprint left from a vise.
A prominent Carcano collector has told me a similar (but not identical) mark in the same area can be found on some recently imported Albanian Carcanos, while he has also seen it on other arms imported from the Balkans. These rifles may be entirely unrelated, however.
The condition of this M90 is good, though with some handling marks. The bore is very good for a rifle from the Balkans or SCW. The rear sling swivel is missing. This rifle has a gunky bolt, and some cosmoline from storage. It has no current import marks, and thus it was imported before 1968, and probably came from Spain in the 1950's (though it lacks the usually seen marks from Interarms imports).
On this page, a rifle sent directly to and imported directly from Spain bears the same sun burst mark at the wrist. The rifle in question is a Russian Mosin-Nagant M91/30, made in 1936 and given to the Spanish Republicans. After service in the Spanish Civil War, the M91/30 stayed in Spain, and was imported to the USA through Interarms in the 1950's. The number of identical M91/30's basically proves the sun burst is Spanish in origin, and thus this Steyr M90 also. Possible origins of the mark include a specific unit or regional marking, capture marking, rework marking, arms dealer marking, or perhaps an imprint left from a vise.
A prominent Carcano collector has told me a similar (but not identical) mark in the same area can be found on some recently imported Albanian Carcanos, while he has also seen it on other arms imported from the Balkans. These rifles may be entirely unrelated, however.
The condition of this M90 is good, though with some handling marks. The bore is very good for a rifle from the Balkans or SCW. The rear sling swivel is missing. This rifle has a gunky bolt, and some cosmoline from storage. It has no current import marks, and thus it was imported before 1968, and probably came from Spain in the 1950's (though it lacks the usually seen marks from Interarms imports).