Winchester 88 - open sight or scope?

[redhawk41]

I have recently acquired a Winchester Model 88 in .308 caliber and am trying to decide if I want to put a scope on it.

Accuracy is good with open sights, I can put the shots in a pie plate at 100 yards.

I plan on using this gun for my woods carry gun as it is light. North American game is on the menu, mainly mule deer but possibly an elk and similar.

I figure if I put a scope on it I extend the range past 200 yards while adding increased expense and weight. I also don't have a lot of money for a scope.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[Trapp]

I have a Model 88 in .358win. It has a Burris fullfied (II?). In the 10-15 yrs it has had the scope on it, it has never lost it's zero (unless I change my load, but I always go back to a certain one)

Burris is fairly cheap, well made, and works Great on my Winchester.

At 50 yds (I know not far for a rifle, but it is all I can do right now) I can make one hole.

 

[Tom Matiska]

Consider what you can hit vs what you can identify. Here in PA the current antler requirements (6 point in most areas, 8 in some, spikes more or less than three inch in some seasons) have turned deer hunting into an eye test and limited the usefulness of peeps. I like peeps, and enjoy taking the older '94 for a walk during bear season, but in deer season I am a basic meat hunter who hates passing on shots because I wasn't sure about the brow tines.

How simple are your hunting regulations?

 

[Tom Matiska]

Weight is a consideration for scoping an 88 if you want to use it as a woods/brush gun. They are advertised as 7 1/4 lbs, but dad's 88 with sling, base, rings, and 1970 vintage Weaver 2.5-7 widewiew(a heavy steel scope) is 9+ lbs empty.

My standard for light is being able to carry hands-on, all day. His scoped 88 seems to wind up slung over the shoulder after a few hours, and at just the wrong time. It is a nice outfit, and it always starts the season as his sweet heart, but winds up getting the ex-wife treatment by the second afternoon.

If you decide you need more than peeps, go for a simple fixed 4 that adds less than a pound(with base and rings).

 

[gb_in_ga]

First of all, the rifle itself should be adequate for what you want. My first center fire rifle was a Win 88 in .308 that was handed down to me when I was a teenager from my father, it was scoped with a Leupold 3x9 (not a cheap-o), and was effective well past 200 yards on the smallish whitetails in the Tx Hill Country. I really don't have any budget scope suggestions other than to suggest saving your money and getting a lower powered high quality scope, if I had it all to do over again I really don't think I would have gotten that 3x9 but instead gotten a smaller and lighter 2x7 and saved a few ounces and dollars.

FWIW, I really regret having to sell that rifle, I'd sure like to have it back again!

 

[gak]

I'll ditto Tom's simple, fixed 4x choice. Great gun by the way.

 

[Crosshair]

I'd scope it with either a 4X or a 3x9 scope. If you can, mabee you could get see through mounts or get a quick detach mount in case your scope gets wacked. Just throwing out ideas on how I can spend your money.

 

[redhawk41]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The scope may have to wait awhile as I am currently broke, and I just got a front sight hood which was missing when I purchased the rifle.

I think I will save around $200-300 over the next year and get a nice variable from Leupold, either a 2-7 X32 or a 3-9 X40.