Gun Digest 2011. Dan Shideler

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      Differences in the magazines. The pre-’64 model magazine was a little shorter than later ones with both being marked with the words Winchester, Trade Mark.

      To remove the barrel and action, one needs to remove the forend screw and then lift the barrel and action out of the stock while pivoting the rear of the receiver against the recoil block. On 88s manufactured before 1957, the rear of this recoil block was fitted with a three-bumped figure or “cloverleaf” configuration with a very short tang. This was later Modified into an entirely rounded shape to mitigate against splitting of the stock. According to master gunsmith Ted Neal of Altoona, Pennsylvania, this is why “it is important when restocking these rifles to pay close attention to the grain pattern of the stock in this area as well as the bedding of the recoil block.”

      Despite the complexity of the 88, it remained competitively priced with its competition, the new Remington 760 pump action and Winchester Model 70 bolt action rifle. To achieve this feat, the Winchester engineers relied on numerous clever cost-saving measures, most obvious being the commonality of parts between the 88 and the later-introduced Winchester 100 autoloading rifle. In an era when parts were machined with jigs and fixtures and subsequently inventoried, this commonality greatly reduced production cost. Furthermore, the majority of these parts were components which could be easily manufactured from sheet metal or with simple lathe technology. With the exception of the magazine’s spring, for example, all were simple wire springs that were not only cheaper to manufacture but significantly less prone to breakage than a flat spring.

      With its front locking, rotating bolt and one-piece stock, the 88 should have been as accurate as a conventional bolt action rifle and it generally was – but isn’t. To understand that statement you need to remember that today’s accurate out-of-the-box bolt action rifles are the combination of many independent technologies that more or less coalesced after the end of production of the 88. As with other rifles with one-piece stocks, the 88 often responded to tinkering and tuning of the bedding. Overall, the 88 is inherently as accurate as a bolt action rifle. Perhaps the biggest thing that contributed to the accuracy of the Model 88 by 1950s and ‘60s standards was its adaptability to the use of telescopic sights. In addition to the side ejection, the solid top receiver was actually pre-tapped for scope mounting.

      As with any mass-produced rifle, there are conflicting opinions as to the rifle’s performance and reliability. Some maintain that the complexity made it susceptible to malfunctions and feeding problems. This may be, but the older 88 pictured in this article was bought by our friend Steve Hamilton second-hand and was literally rusted shut. After being cleaned up by a gunsmith, it has given decades of trouble-free service despite being treated little better by its present owner, who is a hunter who hunts in all-weather conditions no matter how severe. He feels that if he can take it, his equipment should also, since both are around the same age. While we don’t recommend using such a rare rifle under these conditions, that this Rifle has performed flawlessly under severe winter/sleet conditions is perhaps the best indicator of its reliability.

      CALIBERS

      The 88 was literally designed around the compact dimensions of the .308 Winchester cartridge and was offered only in this caliber during its first year of production, 1955. By 1956, it as well as its sister, the Model 70 bolt action rifle, introduced two new cartridges based on the .308 case, the .243 and .358 Winchester. While the .358 chambering was discontinued in 1962 due to a lack of sales, the .243 chambering remained available until termination of the 88’s production in 1973.

      In 1963, the Model 88 and Model 70 bolt action rifle were again used to introduced a new Winchester cartridge, the .284 Winchester. This was perhaps the first American cartridge to offer a rebated rim. Since this concept had already been introduced decades earlier in Europe, it was rather novel to American shooters. While this cartridge had a full half-inch diameter magnum case, it was fitted with a reduced rim diameter, the same as that of a .308 cartridge. This allowed for the increased performance of a short magnum case while utilizing the same bolt machining as for the .308 family of cartridges. It did, however, result in some reduction in magazine capacity: from four shots to three, plus, of course, one in the chamber (3+1). With a total of 42,340 guns in .284 Winchester being manufactured, these are the rarest calibers in the 88 line and hence the most desirable from the collector’s point of view.