BY CHARLIE BURCHFIELD THE WINCHESTER MODEL 88 T HE YEARS following World War II were a new era for sporting rifles. Returning soldiers had been introduced to cartridges and calibers that proved themselves in war, and many of them no longer were satisfied hunting with the lighter-caliber rifles they used before the war, when lever-actions dominated the market. The .30-06 became a hit and surplus fighting rifles, in a variety of calibers, were converted to hunting guns. Change was in the air and sportingarms manufacturers recognized it. Winchester, which made some of the best lever-actions available, stayed in the game by designing a new one that appealed to changing demands. The Model 88 was brought out in 1955 for the .308 cartridge, which was developed for military use and introduced to the consumer market in 1952. In keeping with the times, the Model 88's design deviated from what hunters AN APPEALING NEW DESIGN FOR THE CHANGING TIMES AUGUST 2018 57