Winchester mod 88 should I buy it?

Win 88 barrel?

There is a barrel in our gun case that is supposed to be from a Win 88. Trouble is there's not a mark on it. No caliber, proof mark, Winchester,...nuthin'. Could this barrel really be a Winchester 88 take-off?
 
M88 barrels

The M88 barrels/actions were attached to the stock by a through bolt in the forearm. The 88 barrels were formed with a swelled portion about midway from the receiver to the muzzle, which was then drilled and tapped to receive the through bolt coming up from the forearm.

I would think that any M88 barrel would have have the tapped swell about midway to ID it. Except........I think the pre 64 M70 barrels were worked up the same way.
 
wrong again

I'm wrong again. The M88 barrels did not have a swell, there is a threaded lug on the bottom. The M70 bolt had the swell.
 
One of the worst triggers I have ever seen and even the gunsmiths don't want to mess with them. The ones I have shot were not very accurate even by hunting standards, though I have a friend who restocked his and now it shoots great. Most people who own them seem to love them. I'll take a Savage 99 instead.
Click to expand...
I own a 1959 Winchester 88 in .308 as well as a Savage 99 in 300 Savage and for looks and feel, the 88 has it hands down over the 99. Yes, the 88 was designed after Winchester's model 70 and as such looks truly spectacular, especially the early versions with the clover leaf shaped rear receiver and cut checkering.

The trigger on my 88 was a bit stiffer at first because I found an unfired version in 2012 and bought it from the widow of the owner (who gave it to him as a Christmas Present in 1959. My Savage 99 had some miles on it, not a lot but enough to break in the action and trigger. However, after less than 100rds, the trigger on my 88 was the same as my 99's. The 88's action was smoother new, and now is considerably smoother than the 99's as well and the 88 shoulders much better for me.

As my local gunsmith trained on 88s so his $60 trigger job is pretty amazing. No, it's not a 2lb trigger and no, he didn't get all of the play out of it (due to the long linkage it uses) but it's a pretty decent trigger and makes the package into a great shooting rifle.
 
Boddington

Gunwriter Craig Boddington hunted a M88 for a number of years, and wrote at least on article on the old rifles in the mid 1980's or so if I recall right. If you look in near current June issue of the American Rifleman, Boddington is posed with an M88 and a nice blacktail buck.

As I recall, he had found an outfit or 'smith who worked the triggers, rebarreled and restocked 88's, and did exceptional work. Likely no way I can ever find that article, but Boddington is on the "Rifleman" staff, or at least one of their regular authors. One might pursue info on working an 88 down that path.
 
My Dad had one. He loved it, and it was a darn good looking rifle. Shot acceptably, but finally had trouble. The action needed work, but he couldn't find anyone that could fix it. Finally sold it.
 
Just got my 88 308 to look at. It has cut checkering and was drilled and tapped for scope mounts however a 1-12" twist!

I like it. If I had seen it before I got my 99's I may have bought it if it was chambered for the .358.
 
.358

The .358 is the rare duck in the M88 family, along with the .284. In fact, I've never seen either in the flesh in all my prowling at shows and shops.

I've not seen an honest to gosh Win 88 carbine for that matter.

The 1-12" twist is odd by today's standard, but apparently common at the time. When I switched to 150 gr bullets (after parting from family tradition which mandated .30/180 for deer) my groups shrunk by about half, to a very tolerable 1.5 MOA with, with short strings doing better sometimes after the bedding tweaks I mentioned earlier. The longest kill I ever had (not far by present standards) was with the M88 at about 225 yds on a ROW one frosty morning.

I hunted my heirloom Win 88 this past season, after a long stand down with other rifles, and killed a meat buck for an ill pal. It was the old rifle's first blood in about 25 yrs or more, and I suspect my Dad and Grandad, who hunted it before me, were smiling. Sure made me feel pretty good!
 
I just got both my Savage 99 F out and the Winchester M88. The 99 is my old favorite deer rifle since 1966.

I favor the handling and look of the 99 but I could have done well with both. The 99 is a real CRF, the 88 is only push feed.

My 99 is in .358 Win and the 88 is a 308 so there is no comparison there!

The triggers on both are about 5 lbs and similar.

Here is the 99 F 358

The slip on pad was only for the range.

8fm3.jpg
 
Last edited:
Bamaranger you wrote:

"The 1-12" twist is odd by today's standard, but apparently common at the time.

What do you say is today's 'standard' twist for the 308?
 
1-10"

I can't speak for all .308 chambered rifles, but 3 Savage bolt rifles I have, a Scout, a Hog Rifle, and an F-T/R match rifle, are all twisted 1-10".

Remington seems to offer two twist rates, depending on model and possibly era, I'm not certain on this: 1-10 1-12

Ruger, the 77 series anyhow, I believe are 1-10"

M14, GI, was 1-12.

I could go down to the den, and dig out one of my manuals.....but I wanna get up and hunt in the AM.
 
For the same money you can purchase a guided hunt for wild hogs and come home with delicious pork.

You can love your rifles but they can't love you back.

Jack
 
true

You can spend the money on anything......heck, tires for your truck. You can take a price point poly rifle on your guided hunt,(and likely have enough money for another one) and both will likely shoot circles around the old Winchester.

Rifles/guns are appreciated for different reasons for different people. As noted, there will be no more M88's, if a guy wants one, why not.

Mines not for sale.....ever.
 
The old Speer loading manuals listed twist rates for a lot of production guns. Most 30-06's were 1-10 while 308's were 1-12. 30-06 also had 220gr bullets listed as max where the 308 commonly stopped at 200gr. 30-30 used a 1-12 also.
Today all bets are off as to what a particular gun maker might use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top