Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors 88 Winchester 308

Nice rifle 79S. Always wanted one of those 88’s. You done good!

This was my father in-law's 88 in 308 Win. Back in the early 80s I owed him money and this rifle had a broken stock in the wrist area so to pay him back, I restocked it for him. After he past away my wife inherited it. She took her first elk with it. They are nice little hunting rifles.

It's been on a few hunts since I restocked it but that's what it was designed for. So it's a little beat up.

Mine shot 3/4 moa after a trigger job. They do recoil pretty stoutly. But that is because the stock is designed for off hand shooting. I sold mine years ago

I have a 308 that's in 98% original condition that my dad bought used for me in 1968. Serial# 3950 which makes it a 1955 model. I have the checkered stock but what's odd is that there is no cloverleaf. Is it possible that the previous owner sent it back to the factory for stock replacement due to damage or breakage and the cloverleaf insert was replaced with the newer style when the stock was replaced?

Mine started life as a 308 in 1966. Read a good article about making an 88 into a 338/308. Sounded fun so I sent it in for the rebore. Came back just about perfect, bought a new stock for it because I really need a much long LOP. Found it loved my reload, took both mule deer and whitetail.
Then Federal came out with their 338 Federal, gun shot them fine but not with the accuracy my reloads game me.
Love the looks of an 88, here it is next to my 358 Savage 99.

Got a really good load worked up for my model 88.

Varget, and 155 Scenars.

Nice .6" cloverleafs, at 2880mv.

My clover

Just posted this picture in another thread, might as well add it here too. This is my most frequently hunted deer rifle, a 1963 M88 that I bought used from Shuler’s in PA in 1995. Shoots MOA with a 165 grain Interlock using IMR4064, it has taken plenty of deer for me. The scope is a Leopold Century Limited 3-9x40 they sold in the MCX during their anniversary year (came with a knife in a tin box).

Great thread I picked up a pre 64 m88 in 308 serial 39xxx. Can't see that it's ever wore a scope. Think I'll pick up bases for it if I get the urge or find a correct rec sight for it. 79s and Odessa thanks for the load hints. I was thinking of a post soliciting what 150 gr loads work well in 88's. ?...mb

As Dr Frankenstein proclaiming of his Monster... "It's alive!" So too, proclaiming, this Thread!

Couple of comments. First some several months later, but I'd like to address the question above of "nimblehunter" from 04 April last. The low four digit serial number is neat! Quite early. The fact of the lack of the cloverleaf receiver configuration, suggests almost surely a major modification of some sort, factory or otherwise. Experienced members here & other forums can probably assist in terms of "repair markings" IF factory work. Considering your gun is in its sixties years of age, a lot of 'stuff' could have been done; factory and much more otherwise! AS presumed "not original", the value become condition, appearance & how it shoots!

More widely, addressing the Model 88 demise. These were nice rifles and they gave Winchester an 'era' break as the Model 70 was pricing itself out of the contemporary arms market in terms of production costs. My belief that the Model 88, as nifty as it was, also competed with the Winchester image in its classic lines. The popularity in terms of "a Winchester as competing with its traditional self! The fact of a really nice rifle in modern "bolt rifle" chambering territory, yet not to overcome the classic perspective. As can be seen from JMBI member's thread above, the Savage was already occupying that arena. In the classic arena, Winchester ruled the waves. Marlin's great rifles, were the honourable competition. Savage with its own chamberings; together a steady state universe. The Models 88 and 100, were disrupters! All the signs of the latter half of the twentieth century, increasingly that bolt rifles 'ruled'. Levers, other than the Win classics, increasingly marginalized. Their following, definitely. Just not in the buyer/market numbers.
We still have those Winchester/Browning spin off classics. Most of the others increasingly marfinalized to finally, quietly slipping away.
Just my take!
Best!
JOhn

I never had any luck in my rifle with the 150 grain bullets (2" - 3" MOA). My just happened to really like that 165 grain Hornady Interlock bullet. I picked the IMR4064 powder because I had some and couldn't find any Re15 at the time - ended up the combination just really worked in the rifle, and I was lucky to have fallen into that load. I've never experimented with any other loads for my rifle since finding this one.

My load for my .308 M/88 was 41.5gr. IMR 4895 with a Hornady 180 RN bullet. If I were loading for it today I'd use a 165gr. Sierra Game King bullet with IMR 4064 or IMR 4350.

The accuracy will surprise you

Ive got the same gun, same year. 12 twist gun. I had better luck with 150s. Killed a few deer and a couple bears with it.

I used 49.5 gr of IMR 4350 and a 165 grain NP for many, many years in a BLR. It never let me down.

If I didn't have a good supply of 4350, I'd have been using 4064

I shot the 88 with barrel sights awhile back 2 3 shot groups of 150 gr horn sp loaded with TAC both groups were under a inch at 50 yards. Today I mounted a weaver #53 and medium height weaver rings on it. Put a 3x9 Sightron in the rings I had laying around. I am betting on it to be a good shooter....mb

After reading more I'm sticking with 165's in my 88. That 165 plenty for everything up here in Alaska. Caribou season kicks off next month might just take the ol 88 with me.