Frozen North
Member
See if there is a fitted Limbsaver pad available for it. No gunsmithing or hacking involved if you can get one. I just installed one on a 30-06 that was beating the tar out of me. The difference was dramatic.
Winchester 88 in .308 was unpleasant to fire
- Thread starter bushmaster1313
- Start date
- Status
BrocLuno
Member
35 Whelan is right on the money. It's the drop that is amplifying the "kick". Nice recoil pad will help some. To bad nobody makes a modern straight stock for that action (that I know of?).
I have said it before, and I feel compelled to say it again you have excellent taste in firearms, and do a marvelous job with the photos. I have some Winchester 94s that I would never think of altering, but my girlfriend doesn't like the steel butt plate against her shoulder / collarbone area so I put one of those leather velcro recoil pads on it when she wants to shoot it. They cost about $30 give or take, take the edge off so she is comforatable shooting the .30-30, and .32WS with their original buttplates, and I have to admitt the times that I left it on the did feel more comforatable. They are made by Pachmyer, brown leather that doesn't absolutley kill the looks of the gun when you put it on, and you can switch from gun to gun with no damage to the firearms. For $30 its worth a shot.
Last edited:
bgr2014
Member
Winnchester 88
Hey i'm right there with Stan and RC be glad to take it off your hands. Don't modify anything on it, put a slip-on pad on it to shoot with and remove it when not using. That rifle is a collector item as long as it's in original condition. Al
Hey i'm right there with Stan and RC be glad to take it off your hands. Don't modify anything on it, put a slip-on pad on it to shoot with and remove it when not using. That rifle is a collector item as long as it's in original condition. Al
T.R.
Member
I've hunted with my Savage model 99 for 40 years. This .308 rifle has same "drop stock design" as your 88. Here is how I dealt with the muzzle-jump and recoil concerns:
- sent rifle to MagnaPort in Michigan for muzzle-porting
- installed LimbSaver recoil pad
Results:
- no more muzzle jump
- soft recoil
Photos: mule deer in South Dakota & coastal blacktails in California
.308 is a keeper!
Good shooting to you.
TR
If a lever-action hurts the fingers of your trigger hand, it's likely got excess headspace. It's probably more noticeable with a Win 94; that really kicks your lever fingers when there's excess headspace.
Any rifle that seems to have excess headspace should be thoroughly examined by a competent gunsmith or the factory. It's especially hard on the receiver when the bolt accelerates a bit before slamming against the bolt stop. It's like the difference between holding a shotgun buttplate quarter of an inch away from the shoulder when pulling the trigger.
Any rifle that seems to have excess headspace should be thoroughly examined by a competent gunsmith or the factory. It's especially hard on the receiver when the bolt accelerates a bit before slamming against the bolt stop. It's like the difference between holding a shotgun buttplate quarter of an inch away from the shoulder when pulling the trigger.
35 Whelen
Member
Please, please, please don't have that Model 88 "muzzle ported" or whatever it is. You think it's loud now? Besides, that'd be like putting custom wheels and a sound system on a '58 Corvette. There are other options.
What????? If a lever-action hurts the fingers of your trigger hand, it's likely you're holding the rifle improperly, as in not tight enough.
I didn't know any lever action rifle had a "bolt stop".....
35W
What????? If a lever-action hurts the fingers of your trigger hand, it's likely you're holding the rifle improperly, as in not tight enough.
I didn't know any lever action rifle had a "bolt stop".....
35W
Last edited:
I call shooting hard kickers "The Zen of Shooting Hard Kicking Rifles". It is a challenge to do it and not flinch your arms off or jerk your jaw off of the stock. I shoot a hot loaded Ruger No 1 in 45/70. (I load it light too sometimes.)
Some rules.
1. Don't shoot the rifle off of a bench rest.
2. Wear a shooting pad. I usually forget mine. I just accept the bruise. Makes my wife cringe when she sees it the next morning. It'll be colorful.
3. Wear good hear protection (plugs and muffs)
4. Adjust your spot weld so that you don't crawl up too close to the end of the receiver.
5. Hold your non-shooting hand pretty far out front on the forearm.
6. Hold on tight, but not so tight that the gun wiggles. You do want to hit what you are shooting at.
7. Concentrate! Set up to allow the gun to kick and rock you back. If you want to shoot from the bench BEWARE. I usually shoot hard kickers off hand, sometimes leaning against a post.
8. Allow the gun to rock you back. YOU are the recoil system. NEVER shoot prone. Sitting is okay. Kinda
9. Lastly; don't take too many shots. After you shoot your boomer shoot something else that has a lighter recoil so that your subconsious can forget the punishment of the heavy rifle.
Those are my personal rules for shooting guns that punish. You may have others. Oh, I never scope a heavy rifle, but lots of guys do. NEVER crawl up close to the scope of a hard kicking rifle. It is hard to see through the blood, and you'll likely have to tighten up the mounting screws. Use locktight and don't strip the threads when you re-tighten that scope.
Just dab that half moon cut between your eye brows with your shirt sleeve. It'll be pretty deep. Leave it be, it'll heal just fine and you'll probably not have a very noticeable scar. If, however; you do get one, well; be proud. You won't be the first.
Remember you won't feel the recoil when you are hunting. What you want to do is to get somewhat used to your rifle and not develope a bad flinch. I find that 375's don't bother me much, but a 300 Win Mag does. Maybe it's the stock difference between the two rifles that I shot. A 460 Weatherby Mag is a killer! I enjoy the recoil of a 30-06 and .270. Just enough to make one aware that one is shooting a powerful rifle, but not punishing. A .257 Roberts is one of the most pleasant hunting rifles that I have ever shot. I love mine and frankly it's enough for most of my kind of hunting.
Some rules.
1. Don't shoot the rifle off of a bench rest.
2. Wear a shooting pad. I usually forget mine. I just accept the bruise. Makes my wife cringe when she sees it the next morning. It'll be colorful.
3. Wear good hear protection (plugs and muffs)
4. Adjust your spot weld so that you don't crawl up too close to the end of the receiver.
5. Hold your non-shooting hand pretty far out front on the forearm.
6. Hold on tight, but not so tight that the gun wiggles. You do want to hit what you are shooting at.
7. Concentrate! Set up to allow the gun to kick and rock you back. If you want to shoot from the bench BEWARE. I usually shoot hard kickers off hand, sometimes leaning against a post.
8. Allow the gun to rock you back. YOU are the recoil system. NEVER shoot prone. Sitting is okay. Kinda
9. Lastly; don't take too many shots. After you shoot your boomer shoot something else that has a lighter recoil so that your subconsious can forget the punishment of the heavy rifle.
Those are my personal rules for shooting guns that punish. You may have others. Oh, I never scope a heavy rifle, but lots of guys do. NEVER crawl up close to the scope of a hard kicking rifle. It is hard to see through the blood, and you'll likely have to tighten up the mounting screws. Use locktight and don't strip the threads when you re-tighten that scope.
Just dab that half moon cut between your eye brows with your shirt sleeve. It'll be pretty deep. Leave it be, it'll heal just fine and you'll probably not have a very noticeable scar. If, however; you do get one, well; be proud. You won't be the first.
Remember you won't feel the recoil when you are hunting. What you want to do is to get somewhat used to your rifle and not develope a bad flinch. I find that 375's don't bother me much, but a 300 Win Mag does. Maybe it's the stock difference between the two rifles that I shot. A 460 Weatherby Mag is a killer! I enjoy the recoil of a 30-06 and .270. Just enough to make one aware that one is shooting a powerful rifle, but not punishing. A .257 Roberts is one of the most pleasant hunting rifles that I have ever shot. I love mine and frankly it's enough for most of my kind of hunting.
35 Whelen
Member
Ahhh, yes. And rightly so! It's difference in recoil energy, as in ft. lbs. (the 375 H&H has LOTS of this), and recoil velocity, (the 300 Weatherby has LOTS of this). The high velocity cartridges such as the Weatherby's recoil with a fast "snap", while those that fire heavy bullets at relatively low velocities have more of a "push" to their recoil.
Case in point:
A couple of years ago, my wife and some of her girlfriends decided they wanted to get CHL's so her girlfriends and their husbands all came out to the house to shoot. Of crouse their well-meaning husbands had bought them 9mm's, fairly small framed 9mm's at that. So that shot and struggled to handle the sharp, snappy recoil of the 9's with little success in hitting with them. Finally I let them try out my Colt Gov't Model 45 loaded with 200 gr. SWC's at around 900 or so fps as well as ball ammo. They loved that pistol as when it recoiled, it just kind of rolled in their hand, and they were immediately able to hit with it.
They eventually went back to their 9mm's, but this example demonstrates the difference the sensation of recoil velocity and recoil energy.
35W
- Status
