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To: coug who wrote (3601)	12/9/2009 7:40:31 PM
From: coug	Respond to of 3961

The Winchester Model 88 This sleek, thoroughly modern lever action as ahead of its time. By Steve Comus Posted: 07-25-05Categories: Classic Guns 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). function(A){return this.getElements("."+A); } 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.) 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. gunsandammomag.com