I had one in 243, and it was a very slick, smooth shooting rifle. Accuracy wasn't outstanding... somewhere between 1.5 and 2 inches at 100 yds for most of my loads, but I didn't really work at it. If it had been a 308, I'd still have it..... If it was a 358, I'd have a really LARGE insurance policy on it, and guard it closely..... I think your elk-hunting buddy is probably right.....

After accuracy I usually rate a rifle on how slick is the action how does it feel when I'm shooting it and how handy is it to carry. I've had two 88's and I sold them both. Accuracy was decent enough and carrying them wasn't too bad. Both of them I didn't like the way they cycled or how they felt shooting. I'll tell you right now though that I know people that swear by them but for me I wasn't a fan. One that I will never get rid of is my Savage 99 Featherweight in 308. Accuracy is decent if I do my part, it is the best handling rifle I've owned for carrying and coming to my shoulder and the action is very slick. In short I trust it. Another thing I like about it is the rotary magazine feature.

I like them almost as much as my Sako Finwulf in 308!