Anybody here shooting a Winchester Model 88?

[ATCDoktor]

I rarely hear it spoken too or written about on the forum and was wondering if anyone here abouts shoots one on a regular basis.

The one I have I traded into a year or two ago (traded a Taurus 44 magnum revolver and $100.00 cash for it) and it has become one of my favorite leverguns to take to the range/hunt with:

Winchester Model 88 chambered in 308 winchester (circa 1957).


I’ve run about 800 rounds through it here in the last year or two (mostly M80 Ball but some handloads as well) and find it to be a fine shooter albeit the trigger is a little heavy/mushy.

The action is smooth and the rifle is fast handling although at some point in its life someone had a rubber recoil pad added and that added length has the length of pull just a skosh long for me.

It is quite accurate with both surplus ammo and my handloads and it’s fairly easy crowd 1 MOA with it if I do my part (the marginal trigger pull notwithstanding).

From what I understand there were quite a few made (more than 300,000) in several calibers (the 284 and 358 winchester calibers being the hardest to find/most rare) and figured there’d be at least a few of us here abouts that would have one or two.

[725]

I have hunted with one years ago. Fine rifle and very accurate. The rotary bolt head made it basically a fast bolt gun. It's not a hard job to remove that pad and recut to a shorter LOP. You should have that rifle fitted to you. Makes all the difference, although it sure seems to be working for you as is.

[sghart3578]

That's a very nice rifle. I am a lever gun fan. I have always wanted a model 88. I have never come across one locally.

Congratulations.


Steve in N CA

[Loudenboomer]

I had a 88 .243 many years ago. It amazed me how accurate a lever gun could shoot as it would nearly cloverleaf a 95 gr nossler partition. The rotary lock up and the 1 piece stock seem to attribute to the accuracy of the 88. I got in a fever for the next latest greatest rifle and sold it. I bought a .308 88 a couple years ago. This one is staying!

[ATCDoktor]

I’d love to find a Model 88 in 243 (in decent shape) at a price I can afford.

But, with only about 75,000 Model 88’s made in 243 it’ll be a bit of a trick to find one in that caliber that falls into my price/condition range.

[FergusonTO35]

They were way ahead of the curve, that's for sure. Browning gave it an exposed hammer and called it the BLR, going strong for almost 50 years now.

[ReloaderFred]

I've got one in the safe that I haven't shot in years. Mine's also in .308 Winchester, but I just haven't shot it much. Too many other guns and projects........

[Texas by God]

That was the gun trade of the century. I've never owned or fired one, but shouldering one and working the action- I'm grinning big. My brother has the companion .22 lever (Win 250) and the trigger on his makes my Nylon 66 feel like a Timney, so I believe the mushy trigger part. The only modern lever I'd want other than the 88 is the Sako Finnwolf. Caliber? .358 Win of course.

[Char-Gar]

I owned two of them (308) until a year ago, when I gave them to my kids. They were accurate and fast handling rifles. Probably the high water mark of Winchester leverguns. The trigger was mushy as you mentioned and not much could be done about it. The drop of the butt stock made it kick more than you would expect from a 308 off the bench. But are not bench rest rifles, but hunting rifles and as such handled fast in the field.

[Plumb Center]

I've owned one in .358 since the late 60's. They are a nice gun, but break stocks at the magazine cutout with heavy (250g) loads. A stockmaker fixed mine years ago by routing out the inletting and reinforcing with layers of fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin. Hasn't broke since. Have shot a number of mule deer and an elk with mine. They recoil some on the bench, but are fine in the field. They are a good lead bullet gun.

[TNsailorman]

As far as I am concerned, the Win. 88 and the 100's were great woods rifles. My Dad had a 100 in .308 and I loved it but he sold it because it doubled on each pull of the trigger. He didn't like it "wasting ammo". Come to find out, the problem was an easy fix. Winchester had a re-call on them and the firing pin was the trouble. Seems it was cracking or breaking and causing the firing pin to stick, sometimes emptying the magazine with one pull of the trigger. If I can find a really good one, I just might trade or buy one yet. I have owned several Savage 99's and never had any trouble but the last one. I bought it from a guy on GB who assured me that it was in perfect working condition. It wasn't. He had torn it down and tried to work on it and didn't know what he was doing, The spool was heavily damage from plier marks(yes channel lock marks). He tried to lie about it but then admitted what he had done but refused to take the rifle back. The 99's are as good as it gets but I would not recommend anyway trying to work on one without a good understanding of what makes them tick. Especially the spool spring tension. I have owned 94's, 336's(own one now) but in my opinion the Savage 99 and Winchester 88 are better than the Marlin 336 or the Winchester 94. my experience anyway, james

[Drm50]

I've had 100s & 88s most in 308. I never hunted a 88 but did with 100s. I don't think 88Win & 99 Sav are better than Marlin 336 or Win 94, just different. I have a Win 95 in 30/06 that is smooth as
glass and it's near 100yrs old. I have 336s, Win 94s and one 99 Sav, all older guns and they work
slick.

[Brad Phillips]

I have my great uncles 88. A .308 with a Weaver K 2.5 60-B on it. Made in 1958.

I have not shot it in a few years, need to get it out and shoot it. He moved from Iowa to Texas after WWII. I have his Marbles hunting knife also. I would assume by the wear marks on the knife he shot a few deer.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I almost had an 88 in .308 when my half Brothers estate was being settled. My other Brother grabbed it saying it was for his kid to hunt with. Naturally, about 1 year later the kid sold it cheap for `beer money`, just no sense about owning nice guns.Robert

[salvadore]

I ran into a hunter with an 88 north of copper basin in Idaho about 30 or so years ago. He mentioned he was from the other side of the mountain around sun valley. I didn't have any filson wear and was hunting with a model 66 so we didn't have much to talk about, but his shooter was primo.