Winchester 88 in .308 was unpleasant to fire

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bushmaster1313

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Took my new-to-me 1950's Winchester 88 in .308 to the range for the first time. I was only wearing a shirt and there is no recoil pad-only a hard plastic butt plate. Gun was loud and unpleasant. But still fun.

Hope it will be more pleasant outdoors, with me wearing a coat and it wearing a kick-killer lace up butt pad.

Anyone elso notice the kick from a .308 Model 88?

How much better with a pad and a coat?

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My model 88 308 Win. never bothered me whether shooting it in the summer with a tee shirt on or in the winter with hunting gear. However, I've heard other people say the felt recoil of their model 88 308 seems more then most 308's.

I traded my model 88 308 a few weeks ago for a Remington model 7600 Carbine 30-06 Spr. Although my model 88 was very accurate, it'd shoot around an inch with a bunch of different factory loads, it was a really good rifle. I think the 7600 Carbine is going to work better for me then the model 88 did as my main hunting rifle/carbine. I had a 7600 carbine about 12 years ago and always regretted selling it.

Good luck with you new rifle my friend, NYH1! ;)
 
Most likely the reason the recoil "felt" uncomfortable was due to the stock configuration. Those old rifle have stocks with lots of drop in them. This so that the sight may be better used. Straight stocked rifles don't exhibit as much felt recoil.
My dad used to own a little Husqvarna featherweight chambered in 6.5x55. Being of European design and having open sights, its stock had lots of drop and that little rifle kicked to me.
OTOH my 358 Norma with a nice straight buttstock really isn't that bad. Mind you it kicks like Sister Sara's mule, but the recoil comes straight back into your shoulder.
35W
 
Recoil has different effects on different people. You should have worn .............ear muffs or some other form of ear protection!
 
It will only get worse trust me, if you are having trouble I would be happy to take care of it for you, just send it to me. It really isn't all that much trouble, plus I enjoy helping people out.
 
Were you shooting from the bench, or standing off hand or seated, prone, etc?

I find even bench shooting a .30-30 seems to amplify the felt recoil, a problem never encountered when hunting or shooting away from the bench. YMMV

Always lusted for an 88. Fine looking and shooting rifle.
 
My Marlin 1894 had a hard plastic buttplate and after enough 44 Mag rounds, I hurt. I installed a hard rubber butt pad and life is much better now.
 
While the .308 is not a magnum round it is still a high powered rifle and will kick like one. In addition to recoil you also experience muzzle blast and since the 88 isn't very long the explosion issued from the muzzle isn't very far from your face and ears. If you are inside the blast will reverberate from the walls/ceiling and you'll get a double whammy.

I have a Winchester M100 also in .308 and it kicks some, but the auto feature seems to eat up the recoil.

If the recoil bothers you and you want to shoot the gun at the range buy a "PAST" recoil pad. You can wear it underneath your shirt and no one will no you have it on. Also wear ear plugs and muffs. Taking these easy steps you can shoot your wonderful 88 all day long. It is one of the most beautiful lever guns ever made and it's old Winchester quality.

Here's to good shoot'n!
 
A couple things I think can help. One, a decent recoil pad. Second, a cheek pad riser. I've found if you scope a rifle with a stock designed for iron sights that recoil feels worse. You go from having a solid cheek weld and tight fit to a loose chin weld. There are neoprene sleeves with foam inserts that can raise the comb. Between a recoil pad and a proper fit a lot of felt recoil should be managed.
 
Never had a 308 kick hard at all, might want to get it checked out if a limbsaver won't help. I had a 7mm rem mag that left me black and blue for three weeks after shooting it! A gunsmith told me that the prime suspect was a loose action causing some kind of whiplash effect, I have owned several 7 mags and none of them kicked anything like that, and it was an old heavy model 70 not some kind of featherweight.
 
Shoot a 7mm Magnum or 12 Ga. shotgun for a few weeks and you won't notice the kick at all. I shoot mostly .308's most of the year but switch to 7mm mag and 270 about a month before hunting season starts. I shot a box each last weekend and my shoulder was a bit tender when I got up the next morning. I believe my Winchester 88 and the Remington 7400 kick the worst of my .308's. The newer ones have padding on the end of the stock where the older ones have a piece of hard plastic.
 
I suspect it is different for everybody and somewhat dependent on stock configuration/weight of rifle.
But, to answer the question at hand, I do not own a Win 88, but my Rem. 788 in .308 does have a pretty sharp recoil to me when I am at the range. However, under field conditions, on a hunt it is barely noticeable. I attribute that to the adrenaline of the moment.

That's a really fine looking rifle you have there.
 
If you put a pad on it, make it a slip on. The gun is worth 800-1200 depending on condition, and they only go up. put a chop job pad on it and it's worth half of that.
 
I shot about a million rounds through an M-60 years ago. It's a 7.62 x 51 which is also a .308. At the time I felt as if I was shooting a very dangerous, high velocity and deadly round. I was.

People tend to consider a .308 as an also ran round. It is not, the .308 is just about the best all round big game round that one can shoot. Yes, it's less powerful than the current loved one, the 300 WMag, but I'd rather shoot the .308. I have a friend who shoots everything that can walk in Africa, except for the really big guys, with a Remington 700 in .308.

IMO magnum mania is just that; a mania. The .308 kicks and especially from a light rifle, because (and make no bones about it) it is a high powered round/rifle.
 
In passing, again IMO the Winchester 88 is one of the very best rifles ever made for general big game hunting. All of us gun nuts know that some guns are beautiful/others not so. The 88 is a fold out.
 
My Dad, had one of those when I was young and that rifle kicked harder than his .300 Weatherby with maxed out loads! He installed two, yes two, recoil reducers in the stock and added the best recoil pad he could find atempting to calm the recoil. All that and everytime someone fired that rifle it would cause pain to shoot down their arms and they always said it felt like their fingertiops blew off or burned off instantly!
He owned a gunshop and NOBODY would buy that rifle. Guys would come in and refuse to look at it because it had a reputation as a kickin' son-of-a-gun! No pun intended. Finally it got to be a test of macho to one fellow who WAS a friend of the family. He wanted to prove he was man enough to shoot that rifle so he bought it, took it home and as far as we know only shot it once according to his Dad.
I see them all the time at the OGCA show and the dealers I talk to say they have a hard time selling them because everyone knows how hard they kick.
If I were you I'd get a strap on shoulder pad from PAST (get the Magnum pad) to use when not wearing a hunting coat.:eek:
 
I had never heard that the 88 had a rep for kicking until just now. My 100 in .308 that I shoot off of iron sights doesn't seem to hit me too bad, but autos are like that aren't they. I call it my "civilian M-14" since it seems to shoot about the same.

I had a friend in college who had the 88 in .243. It was a new gun then. He loved it. I understand that the primo 88 is the .284. Anyway, I've learned something new here, and now that you mention it, the only 88s I see for sale at gun shows are .308's.
 
Well, if it kicks that bad, I'll give you $250 for it and take my chances! :D

Still, and almost 8 pound with scope .308 isn't going to hurt you.

If you think it will, shoot an 1895 Winchester .405 a with a crescent steel butt-plate and get back to me!

rc
 
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