winchester model 88

[george tarleton]

i have a winchester model 88 (post 64) in .243. i really like the gun even though it is no tack driver or every will be. it does shoot minute of deer, however, i would like to make some improvements on it, just because.
1. can anyone recommend a gunsmith that can smooth out the trigger?
2. can the barrel be "floated' or does the front stock bolt prevent that?
thanks for any help or suggestions.
george tarleton

lever guns:
winchester 1876- 45-60
winchester 88
ruger no. 1, 7mm mag (ouch!)

[gamekeeper]

Welcome to the forum George,
I guess someone with the Knowledge will be a long shortly.

[Lastmohecken]

Well, I don't have much experience with the 88 either, but I do know that the trigger can probably be improved by a good smith, but they're not know for great triggers.

My brother in law had an 88 in 243 that did not shoot very good, and he finally traded it off. However, I have heard of more people then not reporting fine accuracy out of the 88s. My grandfather swore by a close cousin of the 88, the Winchester 100 semi-auto for many years, his was in .308 and it was very accurate. These guns are practically identical, except one is a leveraction and one a semi-auto. Action and barrel bedding should be very simular.

At anyrate, I don't think free floating the barrel would be the way to go on an 88. IMHO I would glass bed the action and barrel, but then again I have never been a fan of free floating, and never seemed to get that good a accuracy, with free floating, anyway.

[george tarleton]

thank you for the replies. everything i have read about the triggers says that they need work by a good smith. you just apply pressure until the gun goes off. but i need to find one. i live in the mountains of northern california, in the middle of no where.
the accuracy is acceptable with handloads which was fun to work up, but i like to putz around and see how good i can get it. the glass bedding looks like a good idea. i look forward to hearing more from others.
george t.

[Old Savage]

George, I have an 88 in 308 that is very accurate with Federal 150s. A friend of mine has a 243 and it is very accurate with Remington Corelokt 100s. Both guns will shoot less than inch groups at 100 with the best ammo. I find the trigger has creep but is not really a problem. His is about the same. I would try a couple of types of factory to see what it does.

[george tarleton]

old savage- i have experimented with different factory stuff. the coreloks were good in 80gr but bad in 100 gr.
i have found a decent load with the winchester silvertips both in factory and in handloading. i am going to try barnes triple shock next. i just like to experiment but try not to reinvent the wheel, which is why i look to folks like you with more experience.
i am basically a handgunner. but like lever guns. just something neat about them, like a side by side shotgun.
george t.

[1886]

Bernie Morrison of Hereford, AZ. is well known for his work with the 88. I had a custom .35-284 he did for me. Bernie did a lot of .338-08 and .358 conversions that he called "canoe guns" at one time. One word of caution regarding the 88 trigger, it is complicated and not every smith, even good ones, knows his way around that trigger. Some 88s have even been known to go bang all by them selves! Literally discharging while slung over the shoulder with the safety engaged. Winchester was aware of this disturbing tendency. A very unsettling situation to be sure! If you doubt what I am saying drop Mic a line and will tell you personal stories of this happening. Best Wishes. 1886.

[adirondakjack]

dad had an 88 in .284 back in the 60s. he did his own homespun trigger job, and relieved the forearm until a dollar bill would clear all around. Then he obsessively worked on handloads and benched the rifle all summer, ending up with a .250 or so group at 100 yards. Never let it be said an 88 can't be MADE to shoot, but ya do have to work at it.

[george tarleton]

well that is a scary story about the trigger! i will contact the smith you recommended.
i may just try the float job before the glass bedding. deer season, (no joy so far) is over on sunday and i will look in to the mods recommended.
i will mess with the handloads, but only so much. got other guns to shoot!
thanks to all so far.
george t.

[Old Shatterhand]

These guns can be very accurate. The .308W in my safe is able to put five bullets in 1 inch at 100 yds. Sierra 180 grs RN with moderate velocity did that well, and my new load of Hornady Interbond with nearly max loads seems to be really accurate too.

Old Sh.

[Nath]

I'm no expert, but the only good rifles that have not been floated were the one's that had alot of pressure on the barrel.
The ones with light pressure on the barrel shot poor.

How about trapping some thin leather under the barrel to see if things get better?

Nath.

[Sixgun]

As 1886 says, those triggers are touchy. My 'smith, who is one of the country's premier trigger 'smiths will not touch an 88. Way too complicated and well, its not worth the trouble on a levergun that decently accurate anyway.

I suggest cleaning out the barrel real good of any copper fouling, check out the crown, and then take your time working up a load. You should have no problem getting it to shoot 1 and 1/2"-----------------------Sixgun

[george tarleton]

to the most recent posters- thanks for your input. it is always interesting to hear what other folks have to say about their experiences. i have contacted a recommended smith to bed and float the barrel after the first of the year. recrowning the barrel seems like a good idea also. probably going to leave the trigger alone as it is ok. guess it can be really bad ju-ju to work on it.
i am a pastor of a small rural church in the mountains of northern sierras of california and this time of year is really busy for us, so fun stuff like guns goes on the back burner for a couple of months.
thanks again to all who have responded so far. even if the accuracy never gets better, it will have been fun to try different things.
God bless- george t.

[AndyM]

As 1886 says, those triggers are touchy. My 'smith, who is one of the country's premier trigger 'smiths will not touch an 88. Way too complicated and well, its not worth the trouble on a levergun that decently accurate anyway.

I suggest cleaning out the barrel real good of any copper fouling, check out the crown, and then take your time working up a load. You should have no problem getting it to shoot 1 and 1/2"-----------------------Sixgun

+1 on that one - most of the smith's I've known or contacted will not touch an 88 - my pre-64 .308 shoots about 1.5" at 100 - plenty good for whitetails in the woods...

[Old Shatterhand]

As 1886 says, those triggers are touchy. My 'smith, who is one of the country's premier trigger 'smiths will not touch an 88. Way too complicated and well, its not worth the trouble on a levergun that decently accurate anyway.
---

Just cleaning the trigger from grit and dirt, and than applying some Teflon gun oil on it will improve it a lot. The trigger of my #88 was quite awful when I bought it, but I took the entire mechanism apart - don't forget slave pins! - , cleaned it, regreased and reoiled it. After that the trigger and the lever worked smoothly.

Pete

[george tarleton]

cleaning trigger assembly- that sounds good. as long as i do not lose any parts.
seems the .308 in the 88 was a darn good shooter.

thanks- george t.

[Bloodhound]

My 88 in .308 and the one in .243 both shoot minute of coyote...and deer...and elk...and ....I used a spray gun cleaner and cleaned the trigger...It cleaned up the trigger and made it much better on both guns...I bedded my .284...but it caused the stock to split...so use caution.

The 88 is a great gun...work with it...it will get better.

[george tarleton]

bloodhound- mine shoots minute of bambi but making it more accurate sounds like a fun project, particularly with all the great input i am getting.
question- why would bedding a stock cause it to split. i know little to nothing about bedding.
george t.

[jcloer1]

Hi all,

Sorry to revive such an old thread but I have a project model 88 and am in desperate need of an experienced smith!

Does anyone have contact info for Bernie Morrison?

Thank you!!

Jim

[gamekeeper]

Bump to top.

[CowboyTutt]

This is part 1 of a Win '88 disassembly. You can find pt. 2 from there on how to assemble it. Its way too complicated for me. The guy in the video is no longer a gunsmith.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1ceRdhLG0c&t=591s

Jason at Aria Ballistic Engineering is doing a Win '88 conversion for me, but the project has been in limbo for a while, they are swamped.

https://www.ariaballisticengineering.com/contact

-Tutt

[308magtip]

I found period correct Redfield peep sights for mine and 3 shot grops went to dime size at 50yds.You can only hit what you can see.Been using magtips,silvertips and staying away from max loads.All 150 gr bullets.Always make sure of your first shot from a cold clean barrel,all others after that i feel are just luck.Not a target rifle but a meat getter.

[COSteve]

Done

[Old Savage]

Beautiful rifle! The scope would be over doing it for me. I got one made in 73 NIB. It has a Leupold 4X mounted. It has 441 rounds through it. Fed Hi Shok 150 was the most accurate @ 1/2" for 3 @ 100 yds. Win PPSP 180s opened way up. I think it has a 1 in 12" twist. It will shoot at 1" to 1 1/2" with other 150s including the nonlead we have to use here in Cali. They are indeed a bit tricky ringer back together right.

[COSteve]

Done

[Old Savage]

165s shot well in mine.

If I were to put a variable on mine it would be the Leupold 1.5X-5. I have one on a Mod 7 Rem, very impressed.

I used a friends older model in .243 to take a deer at 275 yds with the 85 gr. Non lead ammo. Due to retained weight they appear to behave like one weight higher. The 85s clocked about 3200 fps in a target shaped bullet. 150s in a 308 should suffice for anything you might use a 308 for.

[COSteve]

Done