Winchester 88?

Canuck Bob

Canuck Bob

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Just looking to learn about the 88 lever action.

I tried a search but 88 is a no go.

I am wondering if they are gear driven like the BLR?

There seems only one constant quirck and that is the trigger. Are we talking dismally and stupidly crappy or a run of the mill deer rifle trigger?

I kinda like the pre-64 stock checkering too. One thing did they go through the post-64 changes like the 94?

The Finnwolf sure is tasty but so rare.
 
I have only tried the trigger on one 88 so I don't know if it's the norm, but that one had a " dismally and stupidly crappy" trigger. It made a Lee Enfield seem like an Anschutz in comparison.
 
A good gunsmith can polish it up a bit to ease the pull.
Lots of better rifles out there than this one.
Ooops, did I type that out LOUD............:)
 
They are not gear driven.

I forget if it was the 88 or the 100 that originally came with 6 pieces in the trigger group that were not required. This was only in the early models.

The rifle is long discontinued, parts very hard to find, a fairly difficult rifle to work on, not an easy trigger to make better... if you screw it - try and find parts, etc, etc.
 
I would think if you googled "Winchester 88," you would get it. It has worked with every rifle I have tried.
If it were me that was giving the information, I would start out with, "I hate a Winchester 88." Whether it matters, it was a pre 64 I was involved with.
My reason for not being endeared to them, stems from the shape of the stock, making them recoil up and hit your (my) cheek. Your mileage may vary, but mine gave me a sore cheek after only a few shots.
 
My Win 88

I love mine. It was my fathers new. In .308. A later model, maybe 72?
The trigger is bad. I tried polishing it and screwed it up. I found a new trigger and hammer easy enough on the net, but I left the new one alone. Don't take it apart unless you know what you're doing. The lever is really fast for follow up shots if you need one.

This is a hard kicking rifle, no doubt. I had a pachmeyer decelerator installed. Helped a lot, and yes I know, that will hurt the resale, but I'm never going to sell it.

Mounted low is an old Bushnell 32mm 2.5 - 8x and it suits the rifle perfectly.

With my handloads it shoots 3/4 inch groups EVEN with the creepy trigger.

It serves me very well. Anything I fire it at falls with one shot. It's handy and well balanced, although certainly not light. The lack of a bolt handle lets it sling on my right or left side easily.

Besides the creepy trigger, I can't say enough about it. I'm very excited about using it again this season.
 
I to have one. Mine was made in 1957 or 58. The trigger, of course, as previous people have posted, is not the best. The recoil i found not to be too bad, but I weigh 210 lbs. I really like mine. I've got in excess of 10 lever guns. It's my favorite. I wouldn't even dream about taking it apart. It appears to have more moving parts than the space shuttle. Mine is in .308 but I wish it were .358. They have gone up considerably in the last 4-5 yrs. ranging about $600-750 depending on shape. There have been some very minty ones on EE in the last year or so. A carbine in .358 would be a very good score.
 
H4831 said:
I would think if you googled "Winchester 88," you would get it. It has worked with every rifle I have tried.
If it were me that was giving the information, I would start out with, "I hate a Winchester 88." Whether it matters, it was a pre 64 I was involved with.
My reason for not being endeared to them, stems from the shape of the stock, making them recoil up and hit your (my) cheek. Your mileage may vary, but mine gave me a sore cheek after only a few shots.
Click to expand...

I googled but find in the end experiences like yours are best revealed on forums. I trust what guys say here more than the general internet traffic. Beside every enquirey can be addressed with Google but then I wouldn't get to chat with the forum members.:)

Your report of stock shape has been noted by Chuck Hawk as well. He reports heavy felt recoil from the 308 which I wouldn't consider a hard kicker normally.
 
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H4831 said:
I would think if you googled "Winchester 88," you would get it. It has worked with every rifle I have tried.
If it were me that was giving the information, I would start out with, "I hate a Winchester 88." Whether it matters, it was a pre 64 I was involved with.
My reason for not being endeared to them, stems from the shape of the stock, making them recoil up and hit your (my) cheek. Your mileage may vary, but mine gave me a sore cheek after only a few shots.
Click to expand...



I concur on the cheek slap, espicially if using the irons which require a hard cheek weld to align sights. I have the carbine in 100, and have fired my friends 88 Rifle, seems stocks are very similar or identical. Medium height scope mounts I find, tame this phenomena to not noticeable. In fact my carbine is nicer to shoot with a scope than my BLR81 in .308Win.

The BLR is lightning fast to cycle and I think a little more reliable, but you can't beat the look and feel of a little 88 carbine for stalking blocks of timber to small fields/chopping's for Whitetail. I think it and the BLR have the same duties in mind.
.284s are rare, and only come in one factory load, Winchester 150PPSP @ 3 dollars a pop, which can ruin the fun.
For a practical hunting Rifle go with the .308Win or even the little .243, if deer is your mainstay.:canadaFlag:
 
I am a lever fan, big time. Had a large number of 88's in my time, including two carbine's. Bought a Sako Finnwolf, finally found one after 4 yrs of hard looking :D! all my 88's went to new homes thereafter, although I wish I had kept one 88 carbine! :(
 
two-dogs said:
I am a lever fan, big time. Had a large number of 88's in my time, including two carbine's. Bought a Sako Finnwolf, finally found one after 4 yrs of hard looking :D! all my 88's went to new homes thereafter, although I wish I had kept one 88 carbine! :(
Click to expand...

So the Finnwolf is that much better of a Rifle, or is it just better looking /ergonomics etc? I saw one in a rack once thats as far as I got to one.:eek:
 
RememberTheSomme said:
So the Finnwolf is that much better of a Rifle, or is it just better looking /ergonomics etc? I saw one in a rack once thats as far as I got to one.:eek:
Click to expand...

gonna cost ya a bundle to find out for sure, or just take my word for it, I got no reason to pull your P'er!, or open your wallet and see for yourself! :) :D where is that rack, I wouldn't mind a second one!
 
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IIRC, the one I saw in a rack was at a Department of Natural resources auction I believe in the mid 1980s. These would have been firearms confiscated for game violations and sold at auction. Or it may have been at Cambodian Tire, Dartmouth N.S. in the 1980s. I believe the owner at that time was a Gun nut and hunter so the Firearms section in the sporting goods department was like a small gun store. Used firearms gallore. I bought and traded a few there. The good old days of Cambodian Tire.:canadaFlag:
 
I did study up on the Finnwolf. It is a very respected rifle by owners. But the rarity and price make it a non-option. I was informed of an interesting link for the 88.

http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional_info/winchesterl_88_100.htm

This rifle might be a little past due date for my needs.
 
I did have an 88 in 308 and yes it had a really bad trigger. I do like the way they look but after a few shots my cheek was bruised and I created a flinch so bad that I could not hit anything. Needless to say it was traded away and now I have a BLR 81 in 308 among other calibers as well. I have also had the opportunity to fire a Sako Finnwolf very nice as well but I would rather have my Brownings.
257Roberts
 
There's a book called The 88 by Douglas Murray. I think it's primarily for collectors and I have not seen the contents of the book but the info you're looking for may be in there.
 
I liked mine. One of the few rifles that comes up to my shoulder at point of aim. Never had a problem with the recoil in 308. A very practical hunting rifle. I had the trigger tuned and it was good once you pcked up the creep, but not great.
Accuracy was very good!

My only little complaint was the little hinge-gap between the lever and trigger guard would pinch once in a while.

On the other hand, I found the BLR in 358 a little sharp in recoil, and certainly no better a trigger.
 
I have an 88, rifle version, scoped in 308. I have no idea what all the BS about recoil is about. It's never been an issue for me. The trigger, compared to a bolt gun, yes, it's bad, but, you can easily get used to it.
accuracy, not stellar, just average.
The action itself is quite strong, pretty much a lever operated bolt gun in that regard.

You should be a bit mechanically inclined if you desire to take it apart.
But that should not detract from keeping it clean. The trigger is much better if it's good and clean.

Moose_hunt_2008_040.jpg
 
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