Here's a write up from Guns and Ammo
http://www.gunsandammomag.com/classics/ct0504/index.html
The Winchester Model 88
This sleek, thoroughly modern lever action as ahead of its time.
By Steve Comus
Seriously sleek and stylish, the Model 88 featured a 22-inch featherweight barrel without the traditional barrelband.
Ever want a bolt-action rifle that handles like a slick lever gun? Just get a Winchester Model 88. The Model 88 features a three-lug, rotating bolt action that is cycled with an underlever that looks like that of a Model 99 Savage. And the Model 88 does all of this with the configuration and feel of a Model 70 Winchester, widely touted as "the rifleman's rifle."
During its production run from 1955 through 1973, there were roughly 284,000 (some list the number as 283,913) Model 88s made in .308, .243, .358 and .284. When introduced, the Model 88 was available only in .308. The next year--1956--two more chamberings were added: the .243 and the .358. And then in 1963 the .284 was introduced.
There was an interesting phenomenon afoot in the shooting industry in those early days of the Model 88 that, interestingly, parallels some of the things going on in the industry today. The Model 88 handled relatively short and fat cartridges compared to the "standard" cartridges of the day like the .30-06 and .270.
Some might opine that a rifle has achieved some degree of lasting relevance if it has had a cartridge specifically designed for it. Perhaps. But in the case of the Model 88, exactly half of the cartridges originally chambered to it are no longer in common use. And the .308 and .243 do not continue to enjoy popularity due to the Model 88; their popularity was unaffected when the rifle was dropped. In the end, the Model 88 never really set the sales world afire. (But it does pose a question: Why, when Winchester changed the Model 70 bolt-action rifle in 1964, didn't the company opt to have the new bolt action feature three-lug lockup? After all, the Model 88 proved that the company knew how to make three lugs work. So why didn't Winchester add a shorter bolt lift to the features of the post-'64 Model 70?)
When the Model 88 was introduced, I was in awe. It seemed to embody everything I thought I ever wanted in a rifle. And it was chambered for that "new" .308 round. Wow! Deer in Michigan would never be safe again, I thought to myself.
Action evolution: The Model 88's lever (far left) cycled a three-lug rotating bolt that provided much greater potential than that of the Model 94 (left).
Since then I've shot a number of Model 88s. Yet I own just one, a late-'50s .243. That's probably because of the difference between the dream and the reality of the Model 88. For me it's an "almost" rifle--a "coulda-been, shoulda-been" kind of a thing. I must admit that I have shot some Model 88s that have been custom redone, and they are awesome. But the as-issued rifles always seemed to need some kind of qualifier injected into the conversation when they were discussed.
For example, the featherweight-barrel contour is a little whippy. Typically, it's not difficult to get a Model 88 to shoot somewhere in the 1.25- to 1.5-inch category at 100 yards. Mine will deliver 1.5- to 1.6-inch groups with most good ammo, but nothing much better--ever. But rarely is an as-issued Model 88 able to deliver an-inch-or-better groups. Some folks blame the trigger, but it has always seemed that the barrel itself does well to do much better than 1 1/4 inches. Bear in mind, however, that the standard Model 70 of the same period typically delivered about the same-size groups, so there is no effort here to be unnecessarily harsh on the Model 88.
Speaking of the trigger, the kindest thing one can say about it is that when sufficient force is applied to it, it will allow the rifle to fire. That can, however, be remedied, so the issue need not be a deciding one for anyone who wants to shoot a Model 88 a lot.
The real joy of the Model 88 is that it handles quickly and points and swings superbly. In a hunting rifle, these are important things. And that's what the Model 88 is--a hunting rifle.
The author's Model 88 in .243 features diamond cut-checkering on the fore-end and a detachable four-round magazine (inset).
The lever mechanism/linkage on the Model 88 is unique. For one thing, the trigger and everything remains with the lever as it is cycled. When the action is cycled, the bolt is pulled rearward and then pushed forward, rotating the three-lug, front locking bolt at the end of the forward cycle. It works well and locks up great.
The Winchester Model 88
Although definitely "scope-friendly," the Model 88 featured a folding leaf rear sight.
The magazine is a removable box design that holds four cartridges, which means that it's possible to carry five rounds (with one in the chamber). The beefy magazine release allows it to be removed with cold and/or wet hands.
Pre-'64 Model 88s feature diamond cut-checkering on the pistol grip and fore-end and a steel lever. For the most part, those made after 1964 featured non-ferrous levers and impressed basketweave checkering (as is often the case with old Winchesters, non-cataloged variations are encountered, so it's risky to make blanket statements about features). Barrels are 22 inches long, and there's no barrelband. In 1968 Winchester added the Model 88 carbine that featured no checkering, a barrelband and 19-inch barrel. The carbine was chambered in .308, .243 and .284.
Unlike traditional Winchester lever actions, the Model 88 has a sleek, modern look with its contoured receiver and one-piece stock. It came drilled and tapped for scope mounting or for a rear aperture sight.
Perhaps one of its accuracy challenges is the way the barreled action is connected to the stock. Somehow the term "bedding" as it is used for bolt-action rifles doesn't quite seem to apply to the Model 88. There is one screw (bolt) holding the barrel to the fore-end about an inch forward of the rear sight. The rear of the barreled action is held in place by a steel fixture into which the rear of the action is keyed. Although this system is substantial, it can result in uneven torque on the barrel and action during firing if everything is not totally perfect--which it rarely is for out-of-the-box rifles.
One does not have to be a serious Winchester collector to want a Model 88. The rifle was the product of a transitional era in the firearms industry. It could be argued that the late 1950s and early 1960s heralded the beginning of the modern era of sporting rifles. And the Model 88 was the industry's last, best shot at reviving the lever action. In the same way that the Model 71 was the last of the Winchester lever rifles of the Browning design that fell to the Model 70 in the marketplace, the Model 88 lost the final round in the "high-intensity lever gun" contest.
By the time the Model 88 left the market, Savage's Model 99 lever action was also in steep decline. Sako's Finnwolf spanned the same general period, having been introduced in 1962 and discontinued in 1974. Yet both Winchester and Marlin have continued to market traditional lever actions in less intense chamberings. This has ensured that--within certain parameters--the lever action lives on. But as a mainline rifle in competition with the bolt action, it's history. (In 1961 Winchester introduced the Model 100, which, for general discussion, was the semiauto version of the Model 88. It, too, was dropped in 1973.)
The author still shoots his Model 88. This three-shot, 100-yard group (below)--using Federal 100-grain factory loads--measures 1 5/8 inches, which is about par for the Model 88.
Still, the Model 88 has a cultlike following of fans who simply adore it. They'll get no argument from me. It's still one heck of a fun gun to shoot and hunt with.
Sadly, many Model 88s spend most of their time these days in closets and gun vaults. They deserve better than that. They deserve to be hunted with, shot and enjoyed. Mine finds its way into the open spaces of the Southwest routinely, where it serves primarily as a predator-popper. It may not deliver hair-splitting accuracy, but it shoots minute-of-coyote on a daily basis.
The Model 88 is a true Winchester and one of the more interesting designs of its time. In its own way, it truly is a classic.
