Winchester Model 88 .308 - Applications and range questions

Bezzy

Bezzy

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I recently came into possession of my great grandpas old hunting rifles. One of them is a winchester model 88 in .308 with an old weaver fixed 3x scope on it. If I had to guess I would say the rifle is 40 years old. After getting the action apart and giving the rifle a good cleaning (something ill never do again), I decided to go to cabelas to look at some new glass for it. Basically, long story short, the guy at cabelas told me the rifle sucked and out passed 300 yards it was extremely inaccurate due to the lever action, so spending money on a decent scope would be a total waste of money and to buy a bolt action if I wanted to shoot passed 300 yards.

I wanted to use this gun as an intro into target shooting at 300+ yards so I was quite disappointed to hear this news about the model 88. I have trouble believing this news about the rifle due to the fact that this rifle has been passed through my family and my grandpa claims he could accurately take down deer at over 300 yards with it.

I guess my question is is this gun truly a POS like the guy at cabelas said? All I wanted out of the gun is to hunt with it in the fall and possibly hit some targets at 300+ yards. It doesnt need to be a tuned tack driver, just looking for something that will get me out to 300-500 yards with some decent accuracy. Im a full time student so money is hard to come by, so I thought this gun would give me an affordable intro into larger caliber target shooting without having to go buy a new rifle.

Any info or opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
So, the salesman at a gun store told you that the gun you have now is no good, and that you should buy another one?

The 88 will be fine for deer at 300 yards. The real question is, can YOU hit a deer at 300 yards?

And forget about this 500 yard nonsense. Most deer at taken at 100 yards or less.
 
Basically told me buying good glass for that rifle would be pointless as it is an inaccurate lever action. As far as can I hit a deer at 300 yards? I have no idea because I have never owned anything bigger than a 22lr. I'm not going to be hunting at 500 yards, its intended application at that range would be targets only. Basically what I was asking was is this gun accurate enough to practice shooting targets between 300-500 yards away.
 
Use what you have for now and see if that optic on it will let you group comfortably at a 100 yards.
Move on from there.
If the rifle or you can't do this, yer wasting yer moohlah.

* I just noted that you/we are in the shotgun forum too.............. :wave:
 
In short, the salesman is an idiot. He can't tell you how accurately that gun will shoot any better then he can tell you how the brand new gun on the rack will shoot. You need to buy a box of shells or 10 and find out for yourself. Find out far you are comfortable shooting (at this point 300 yards is likely further then you can shoot reliably).

And as an aside, the Win 88 is more like a bolt action operated by a lever then a true lever action. Accuracy for big game shouldnt be an issue provided the gun was well looked after.
 
A target rifle it ain't, but it is an excellent deer rifle. Older than 40 though. Winchester stopped making 'em in 1973. That means exactly nothing though. They only quit making 'em because of the amount of labour involved. Good rifles. It will let you target shoot, just fine. It's primary function is as a hunting rifle.
You must keep it clean, but you don't need to completely disassemble it every time.
Bunch of good info here. http://www.chuckhawks.com/winchester_88.htm
You'll want this one too. http://www.gunreports.com/special_r...hester-Model-88-lever-action-rifle2480-1.html
If the twit doesn't want your money, go some place else. I'd suggest a 2.5X to 8X or a 3X to 9X, although I wouldn't be in a hurry to dump a 3X Weaver, if it still works. Think Rule Number One. If it works, don't fix it. 3X will be fine for hunting.
As mentioned, hitting a deer at 300 isn't impossible, but you need the right ammo and you have to practice. If you're not reloading, you really should try a box of as many brands and bullet weights as you can to find the ammo your rifle shoots best.
Think 165 grain bullets first. The .308 loves 165's and they will kill ant game you care to hunt. Just don't look for one hole groups. A consistent 2 to 3 inches at 100 is good enough for deer(bear, elk and moose too).
Once you've found the ammo, practice shooting, off hand(standing) at a 9" pie plate at 100 yards until you can hit it every time. Then sight in with the ammo you'll hunt with about 3.5" high, at 100, and you'll be on target out to about 300 yards.
No hunting shots at 500 yards. Nothing says you can't on a range though.
 
I think the o.p just wants to shoot targets! I suggest you take it to the range and see what you can do at a 100 yards, my buddy gets 1.5 inch groups with his using federal blue box. once you know what it can do then i suggest a 3x9 powered scope and try it out to 300, the fun is in the learning, are you going to shoot sub moa no but i believe the rifle is good enough for now. once you get bored you can get around $500 for it and then you can upgrade to better rifle.
 
As has been said I would shoot it as is for now and start at around 100 yards. As you get consistent in the various field shooting positions, ie kneeling, prone, offhand, sitting and from improvised rests. I routinely shoot out to 400 yards with peep sights at sporting clays, and shoot 6x6" plates at 300-400 yards with my scopes set on 2.5 or 3x and as far as I am concerned the limits on distance shooting is what your cross hair covers and your abilities, before the magnification of your scope.
 
not to argue apples and oranges, but how many savage 99s are there out there that have taken almost everything- they got a real leg up when chambered for 308 Winchester, but anybody that describes a lever action as "inaccurate" is FULL OF ** it
- maybe once you get past 600 yards, which is asking a bit much of any 308 , but under she does just fine- I would put your Winchester as a 250 yard gun, and just leave that 3x as is- it's more than adequate for that job- and moose and elk are not beyond your capabilities if you use a 250 yard stalk and 165 or better bullets- these " salesmen" have probably never expended a round in their lives, and all their knowledge probably comes from somebody's article they read on the net or saw on a magazine cover- the fellows here including myself have expended thousands of rounds over the years- i'm coming up on 50- and if your granddad got a deer with it, that should be good enuff for you
btw- I consider anybody that works for cabelas the same as those that work for wholesale sports- fos and out to sell you something you don't need- and that's 50 YEARS speaking
anybody you find working at wsl, cabelas, or basspro should be viewed in the same vein as a USED CAR SALESMAN- or Canadian tire for that matter-
 
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cosmic said:
Save up your pennies, buy a box of ammo, and shoot it with the existing scope. Report back to us.
Click to expand...

The guy at Cabelas is definitely an idiot.

I have one of these rifles and it shoots moment of deer, moment of moose, and shortly, moment of bear.

I sight it in at 200 yds with my scope, which has a tilt off base, and shoot 2-3 inch groups at 100yds with the iron sight. All with Remington Core-Lokt 150 gr.
 
The 88 is a great rifle. It carries well and is more than accurate enough for any hunting scenario out to 300+ yards. The chances of you actually taking a shot at that distance are slim and like other posters have said, chances are 100ish yard shots will be what you'll be doing with the rifle. No it's not a benchrest rifle. And the trigger is kind of heavy. But once you get used to it it's a great hunting rifle that will last you the next 40 years. My father has been using one for that long and has taken numerous moose and caribou with it.
 
Great rifles, I have always wanted one in .243!

As others have said, shoot yours as is at 100, using existing scope, etc.

Have fun with it. If you want to upgrade to a higher power scope, fine. But wring it out as is.

Your grandpa has it set up just fine for now. There is something to be said for straight power 3X and 4x scopes....
 
Thanks everyone for the input. I do want to use it for hunting in the fall as I have never gone before. The scope on it is clear so I guess I'll keep it for now. Like I said before, the only thing I have ever shot is a .22lr so I wanted to use this as an intro rifle into some longer range stuff compared to the range of a 22. And according to the info on here, it looks like it will suit my purposes perfectly.
 
I have my fathers model 88 which used to belong to my grandpa. I've been hunting with my dad and watched him take a moose at around 240 yards with this gun. He hunted for years with this gun and took quite a few moose and some deer with it. Shoot it and enjoy it.

Cheers
 
cosmic said:
Save up your pennies, buy a box of ammo, and shoot it with the existing scope. Report back to us.
Click to expand...

Exactly!! and well said. when in doubt, just shut down thqt thing that formulates opinions (mind) and go try it out
And the gunstore sales rep was not that dumb, just devious; he wanted the gun for himself!! lovely classics that will be great for basically anything depending on bullet selection.

Enjoy!
 
A little update on my learning about the rifle. I recently went back to cabelas (when will I learn) and asked an older salesman about the model 88. He was very knowledgeable about the rifle and basically said the same things as the other posters in this thread. After bouncing a few questions off him, he basically said my family must be well off to have such a rifle passed on to me and how he always wanted one but could never afford it. He then walked away. The salesmen at cabelas are making it very difficult to want to spend any money there.

Slightly off topic but I learned that a smaller gun store, North Pro Sports, is literally a few blocks from my house here in Saskatoon. The staff was very helpful, and even the customers in there helped me more than the salesmen at cabelas ever did. I will definitely be spending a significant amount of time and money there in the future.
 
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