Anybody have experience with this rifle? I just picked one up in .308. Made in '62.

I'm expecting good results.

I shot and reloaded for one owned by my grandfather for about ten years till I was old enough and financially able to buy my own guns. Unfortunately, he traded the gun before I could purchase it from him. The gun was extremely accurate and killed many deer. I shot my first and only antelope with it back in 1982. Can't remember the powder charge but I used IMR 3031 behind a Horady 130 gr. Spire Point. Worked well on deer also.

Scrollcutter,

My Dad shot an 88 in .243 Win for years; I took my second deer with it.

He had the devil's own time with shot stringing at first until he got mad enough to open up the forend to float the barrel. Once that was done, the old girl was very accurate (taking into account the less-than-wonderful trigger).

In a fit of something-less-than-intelligent, I sold that rifle after his death. Still kicking myself for that one...

Best of luck w/ yours!

Mark

I have one in .308 and I'm very pleased with it. I picked it up from a friend for $250.00 about 7 years ago. It had less than a box of shells thru it. It has an old steel tube Weaver KV-60 scope on it. I was going to toss the scope and put a Leupold on it, but after shooting it there was no reason to. It shoots MOA most all the time, even with Winchester USA and Federal American Eagle FMJ stuff. This gun is really a "Lever actuated Bolt Action". Original magazines can be very expensive and hard to find. Brownells has replacement magazines that are made on the original tooling for around $45.00, and they work well. You have a good rifle. Enjoy it. Bill T.

Roger:

I have had two of them in .308, one of which I gave to my son. As was previously stated, they are a lever action bolt action. Both of my rifles will shoot 1" or less with most loads. In my experience, the Winchester Model 88 is an excellent rifle. The one thing that helps them is to have a KNOWLEDGABLE gunsmith work on the trigger; it will never be great, but it can be made reasonable. The factory trigger tends to be heavy and draggy. All of that said, I like them enough that if I could afford to, I would buy another two, one in .284 and one in .358.

Who wouldn't love a 358 or even a 284.

When I first moved up to the Pacific NW, I brashly went to visit the local elk hunting legend Carol Burnhart. He and his brother, Conard, were known for their elk hunting magic and their auto repair shop was littered with huge and I mean huge elk racks. Moose as well, but mostly elk.

I was slobbering over one rack in particular with bases about the diameter of my calf. He related the story that he had stopped for lunch and was about half done with his sandwich when he heard limbs snapping. He turned to see this monster standing at 30 yards and hammered him at the juncture of the neck and shoulder with a 284 out of his Winchester 88.

Gawd, owned an 88 plus he's lucky. Hard combination to beat. Now, I'm half way there.

I've had several of them, including a couple of carbines, and liked them all.

My favorite was a 4-digit SN .308 rechambered with a .284 Winchester reamer, making it into a .30/284. Now that was a gun! Using 57 grs. of H-4831 & 180 gr. RN Norma bullets, it would put 5 shot groups in less than 5/8" more often than not.

BTW, bought it off a fellow at the Salem, Oregon gun show, complete with dies, scope base & rings, & one partial box of ammo, for $225. He wondered around with it for 4 hours trying to sell it and no one would bite because it had been rechambered. I bought it because I think ANY M88 is worth more than that, and felt some empathy for him. Was very pleasantly surprised to find out how well it shot. When I did find out, saved the last couple of rounds, took them home, broke them down, identifed load, and found that it indeed would continue that performance.

AC

I have one in 284 with the basketweave checkering.
Only time I've ever taken 2 does with one shot.
I didn't see the one in the back,thank goodness I had 2 tags.
Mike

I have two, one is a 5 digit SN in 308, the other was a post 64 that I had rebored from a 308 to a 338-308 and placed in a new Fajen semi-fancy walnut stock.
Excellent rifles even if the triggers suck, great for lefties as the safety can easily be fliped/flopped.

I've zeroed a number of them for customers who were too dumb to realize that no-one can zero your rifle for you!! (The customer is always right, of course!!) Aside from not-too-outstanding triggers and the fact that they are a little heavy, they are otherwise O.K. I find the Browning BLRs to be more consistently accurate, but I do prefer the hammerless actions of the M88 Wins and M99 Savages.

I also don't really like the external hammers on some lever rifles. It's a small point but the 99 has an internal hammer.

Call Mike at Mikes Gun and Tackle in CT. He had over 40 of them and has hunted with that 88 for a long time. He has sold most of them off but the reference is for your question.

Hello Scrollcutter.

Most of the 88's shoot well.

One most important item, is NEVER take the lever cams, or the trigger unit apart unless you have the correct slave pins to put it back together.

Yours uses the later magazine assembly that we make.
If you need one I have about 1500 magazines here ready to go.

Jim Wisner
President
Wisner's Inc