Winchester Model 88 magazine

[filmjunkie4ever]

I have a technical question.

A childhood friend recently inherited a Model 88 Winchester in .308 caliber. He says its got feeding issues and has brought it to me to remedy that problem.

First thing I noticed was the magazine was marked “M100” on the follower. Were the M100 and M88 magazines interchangeable? Would getting the proper M88 magazine likely alleviate the feeding issues?

 

[Blkram]

Some info from the article at the following link may help.

Winchester model 88 & 100 Infor

Model 88 Erratic Feeding : Sometimes the Model 88 will not always feed the nose of the cartridge properly. If nothing else can be found that can contribute to this failure, look at the speed of the lever when cycling. This gun needs to be operated rather abruptly, as close to the Model 100 gas operation as possible to allow the ammo to feed right. Also, at this same time the gun has to be held either at right angles (12 O'Clock) to the ground or tipped to the right (1 or 2 O' Clock) if anything. If you are right handed, DO NOT TIP IT TO THE LEFT (10 O'Clock) so you can see what is happening. If it is tipped left and and at the same time fed slowly, the ammo feeding can be erratic depending on which side of the magazine the cartridge is fed off from.

When trying to track down feeding problems, look first for magazine cleanliness, remove all the grit, rust etc. from the inside of the magazine. The box may have over time become spread outward in the middle (front of the feed lips), place the box upside down in a vise and slightly squeeze it inward so that the middle sides are equal to the end dimensions. Also as a last resort, you might want to bend the front of the lips up SLIGHTLY, being CAREFUL to correlate this with the bullet feeding into the chamber.

Magazines In General : First off, Model 88 magazines can be used in Model 100 guns, with the only difference being the magazine follower, which on the Model 100 holds the action open on the last shot. This is actually cumbersome in having to hold the operating handle rearward at the same time pressing the magazine release and many model 100 owners opt for using the model 88 magazine, (which does not have this "Hold Open provision" on the rear of the follower). The only real need for the Model 100 hold open provision is access to hold the bolt back during cleaning the firearm.

The model 88s were made in 243, 308, 284 and 358 Winchester calibers, over the lifespan of the rifles. The 308 and 243 use the same magazine. The 284 magazine was different in that the shoulder indent was farther forward along with the feed lips than the 308. The 358 used the same basic 308 magazine box, BUT modified internally to accept the larger cartridge neck.

Second, these 308 based caliber magazines are only designed to hold 4 cartridges, YES, you may be able to cram 5 in, but the top one will usually not feed as it is under so much pressure. If you have to have five cartridges in the gun, load it with four in the magazine, chamber around, then remove the magazine and add another, topping off the magazine.

The article goes into deeper depth for the 243/308 magazines, but is too much to cut and past here.