Winchester 88

J

jersurf101

New member
I have recently interested a Winchester 88 and after looking at the rifle I have some questions for the experts. I wish I could post pics but that isn't going to happen.

First off the rifle was built in 1960 and chambered in .308 win. My father lent it to a buddy to hunt with for about 15 years and the stock is really beat up. Maybe 70 to 75% of the finish is left, with none on the checkering.

So when I refinish the stock I would like to bed the action but haven't been able to find any picture tutorials on it. I know that I will bed the recoil lug that is bolted in the stock behind the action. Anyone with any experience or words of wisdom on this? Also does anyone know the twist rate on the barrel? I would like to load 150 gr SGK's.
 
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The downward angle of the stock just about guarantees a good smack in the cheek from recoil.
Combined with the paltry pads generally used back then, it might be less than fun to shoot very much.
Meant for the occasional hunting shot.
I had one of them way back, and that was my conclusion.
Neat design, but not exactly a range gun.
About the same accuracy as the common bolt guns of the time, though.
 
I have an 88. Shoots great, kicks harder than a lot of more powerful guns.
It is surprisingly accurate.
Odd shape for shooting off the bench.
It is one of my favorite guns for the field.

Don't loose the mag, hard to find one for under $100. Aftermarket copies are $80+

Cheers!
 
heirloom 88

I have my Grandad's 88, chambered in .308. Shipped to his home in 1956 by Montgoery Wards, I have the box! I can report that this season, about Christmas, Grandad's pride and joy took a meat buck 3 pt, shooting for blood for the first time in 23 years, after a long retirement! I found it very satisfiying.

I cannot advise on bedding the rifle, but can offer a tip regards tweaking for accuracy. Not only does the action attach to the stock at the rear as the OP describes, it is also secured at the forend by a forend screw that passes thru to a boss/recess on the barrel itself, well forward.

This is not the best arrangement for accuracy. Some 88's will respond, I suspect, to varying the amount of torque placed on that screw. Seems like I have read that somewhere, and tried it with my rifle. But, what simple trick worked best on my vintage rifle was to cut a shim from a credit card, and slip it beneath the barrel into the barrel channel of the stock, just ahead of said screw, then retighten. This effectively freefloated the bulk of the barrel, and I believe, supplied a degree of up pressure at the forend tip.
Results were noteable. One could epoxy the plastic shim in place after a test fire, if it improves accuracy in their rifle. You could also vary where the shim is place, mine is between the forend screw and the sling swivel, but there is room to move it forward.

The Win 88 is twisted 1-12" for .308. This from my Speer manual. My rifle will shoot 150 gr slugs noteably better than 180's, and I suspect that is the primary reason why. The 150's also seem to recoil a bit less as well.

To my eye, the 88 is an extremely handsome rifle. The classic stock lines point well for me. The sleek lever harkens back to a simpler day, and recalls some formative years for me. Were I have to grab one rifle from the house and run, the sentimental ties and the looks would make the 88 the one!
 
While I love the classic leverguns and own clone examples of Winchester Model 1866, 1873, 1892, and 1894, I also think that the Winchester Model 88 is a modern styled classic beauty as well. To my eye, my 1959 .308, model is better looking than my 1949 300 Savage, Savage Model 99 and just a bit better looking than Saco's Finnwolf. Yes, my 88 slaps you a bit on the bench but it's recoil is tamed by a Winchester recoil pad. In the field, you don't notice the recoil at all. It's true that it likes my handloaded 150grn Hornadys better than the 180grn bullets I've tried but mine also seems to like my handloaded 165grn Hornadys as well. I also added a shim card in front of the barrel screw as I heard the same tip as bamaranger. It helped my groups as well which are now at 1½ MOA; not bad for a 1959 classic.

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For whatever reason-probably because it was the fifties; arguably the dawn of the Age of Scopedom, Model 88s were stocked more appropriately for irons than glass in terms of drop at comb dimensions. I agree entirely with COSteve's ideas on lever rifle aesthetics-though I like the looks of Sako's Finnwolf maybe a little more than him...:)
 
I understand your liking the Finnwolf better as many do, however, it's just something about the curve of the Finnwolf's rear of the receiver that just looks wrong to me. It's got a 'hump' you can see in the picture below that I can't get past.

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While the Model 88's rear receiver has a smoother taper and looks much better to me. Yes, it's a little thing but once I noticed it I can't 'unsee' it.

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Very good information! I will definitely try to shim in front of the action screw. I will try some of my 150 and 168 gn hand loads. I have some interlock 150's that will hopefully be useful for Bambi season. Thanks to everyone for their replies and insight.
 
Interesting take on the difference in configurations between the receivers on Model 88 and the Finnwolf, COSteve. Though a small point for some, I'm sure, but once you pointed it out I can no longer "unsee" it either. :eek:

As much as I like both rifles (I once owned a Model 88 chambered in .358 Winchester for a very short period of time-long, sad story), I will argue that the Sako came with a far better trigger pull. It's not that the Finnwolf's trigger is so good as it is that the Model 88's trigger is so mediocre (and of which not much that can be done about it).
 
receivers

While we're talking receivers, the early 88's had a bit of a tang at the rear, a hangover I guess from the days of lever Winchester's with a hammer so located. The tang disappeared pretty early in production (I think) maybe first year?

My heirloom rifle described earlier, 5 digit serial number, has a tang.
 
Interesting take on the difference in configurations between the receivers on Model 88 and the Finnwolf, COSteve. Though a small point for some, I'm sure, but once you pointed it out I can no longer "unsee" it either.

As much as I like both rifles (I once owned a Model 88 chambered in .358 Winchester for a very short period of time-long, sad story), I will argue that the Sako came with a far better trigger pull. It's not that the Finnwolf's trigger is so good as it is that the Model 88's trigger is so mediocre (and of which not much that can be done about it).
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You're right about the 88's trigger as normally they are mediocre. However, my 88 has a surprisingly decent trigger, actually just slightly better than my '49 Savage 99's which is also a great rifle. I looked for a pristine example of a Model 88 for just over 20 years before I found this one. I got lucky with it as it must have been made on a good day of the week at Winchester by a happy builder because the action is smooth, trigger is nice (great for an 88), and the stock is a beauty (the picture below, even though it shows great wood, doesn't do the stock justice).

I acquired it from the widow of the original owner and she gave it to him for Christmas in 1959, he put it in the safe untouched to set it up one day, and never got around to pulling it out and shooting it. Yep, when I got it, it was unfired and virtually untouched!!! The Winchester recoil pad was an option back then when Winchester would make up rifles to your order. She ordered it with so the pad (showed me the receipt) and it came from the factory as you see it below.

I added the Redfield 3-9x scope in deference to my 68yr old eyes as well as the sling and no, it's no longer unfired. I've got about 130 rds of my handloads through it and it's a great rifle. As I said, a surprisingly smooth action and a decent trigger. All I've tweaked on it was adding the shim in front of the barrel bolt and while I produced one group at 1½ MOA, in truth I must admit that it's more a 1½-2 MOA shooter consistently with it's lighter weight barrel.

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QUOTE: "...(I once owned a Model 88 chambered in .358 Winchester for a very short period of time-long, sad story)..."

I'll try to shorten my sad story. While I was stationed at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam in 1963, I ordered a Model 88, chambered in .358 Winchester, from the Base Exchange (BX). The rifle arrived with a broken stock, right about where the trigger area is. Due to some arcane BX "rule", I could not reorder the same rifle and had to order a different one if I still wanted a new rifle. My "second choice" became the rifle I ended up with, a Winchester Model 100, chambered in .308-a rifle with which I killed my first deer with the next year, after being transferred to Wurtsmith AFB, in Oscoda Michigan.

An even sadder addendum to this story is my passing up buying a brand new Winchester Model 71 rifle, replete with yellow and red hang tag, with a price tag of under a hundred dollars. This rifle was located in, of all places, a hardware store in Agana, Guam. Why they had stocked a rifle chambered in .348 Winchester in a locale where the biggest whitetail buck would look like a Border Collie with antlers, I still have no idea.

I did sort of make up for my lapse of judgement when, in April of 1977, I paid $191.00 for a new Savage Model 99 "Brush Gun", chambered in .358, a rifle which continues to be one of my favorite deer guns. :)

And, Steve, the stock on your Model 88 looks especially nice. It's been my experience looking at stocks on Model 88s and 100s over the years that most came with nice but rather plain (in terms of "figure") walnut stocks.
 
1951??

COSteve that is a very clean looking M88 indeed, almost looks like a catalog picuture, wow!

Gotta wonder about year 1951 in your story of acquiring the rifle, as I was under the impresssion that M88's didn't start shipping 'till 1955. If you have a sales receipt (you mentioned something) could that '51, be '57?

Grand old rifles, the 88's.
 
QUOTE: "...Gotta wonder about year 1951 in your story of acquiring the rifle, as I was under the impresssion that M88's didn't start shipping 'till 1955..."

Yep, I was wondering the same thing. To my knowledge, the Model 88 was introduced by Winchester no earlier than 1955.
 
I got out to shoot the 88 yesterday. It has a cheap tasco scope on it and I was pleased with the accuracy. It held around 2 inches at 100 yards with my handloads using LC brass, Hornady ball 150's and a medium charge if IMR 4064. I'm sure the rifle is capable of more with a scope change and some ammo tweaking. I'll try the credit card shim as well.

The kick was not all that bad. My savage 11 trophy in .308 definitely recoils more although it is lighter. I like the ergos and the sleek lines of the 88. Should be a great deer rifle for the eastern NC swamps.
 
...Gotta wonder about year 1951 in your story of acquiring the rifle, as I was under the impression that M88's didn't start shipping 'till 1955..."

Yep, I was wondering the same thing. To my knowledge, the Model 88 was introduced by Winchester no earlier than 1955.
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Great catch guys. It's a 1959, not a 1951 as you can see in the first post where I listed it correctly as a 1959. I have a 1951 Winchester Model 70 so I guess my mind swapped dates in my second post.
And, Steve, the stock on your Model 88 looks especially nice. It's been my experience looking at stocks on Model 88s and 100s over the years that most came with nice but rather plain (in terms of "figure") walnut stocks.
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Yep, that's what really got me when she first showed it to me. I didn't even realize that it was unfired at that time as I was dazzled by the figure of the wood and the fact that it didn't have a scratch on it anywhere.
I got out to shoot the 88 yesterday. It has a cheap tasco scope on it and I was pleased with the accuracy. It held around 2 inches at 100 yards with my handloads using LC brass, Hornady ball 150's and a medium charge if IMR 4064. I'm sure the rifle is capable of more with a scope change and some ammo tweaking. I'll try the credit card shim as well.

The kick was not all that bad. My savage 11 trophy in .308 definitely recoils more although it is lighter. I like the ergos and the sleek lines of the 88. Should be a great deer rifle for the eastern NC swamps.
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Great to hear that you enjoyed shooting it. 2" groups with a Tasco scope, your standard reloads, in a new platform before you tune it in is fine shooting. Certainly fine for a hunter. I'm sure that like me, you'll learn to really enjoy hunting with it as it's a fine rifle with great balance for me and not too heavy to haul around all day long.

As to recoil, I shoot a lot of 30-06 through both an M1 Garand and Winchester model 70 so to me the .308 isn't that bad at all. True, my M1A has a milder recoil but the 88 is a fun gun to shoot as long as you're not just shooting off of the bench.

BTW:

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