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These photos show the large opening in the stock as required by the design as well as a close-up of the grooved magazine catch conveniently located to the front of the magazine well. The large rectangular opening required by the design was also a weakness of this rifle, which was partially compensated for by the recoil block discussed in the article.

At this point, it’s worth noting the presence of a pivot between the finger loop and the trigger guard portion of the lever. This does not function as a grip safety as in, say, the model 336 Marlin but as a catch to keep the lever closed. There is a small hook along the top hidden surface of the finger lever that locks into a catch within the receiver. Another novel feature of the 88 was the location of the trigger pivot within the lever itself. The trigger thus remained in close contact with the shooter’s finger throughout the course of operation. With other lever actions, the trigger remains attached to the receiver and is thus prone to stabbing the shooter’s trigger finger when chambering a round. After the first time you get pinched, you soon learn to reposition your finger when using those systems. It’s one of those mistakes you make just once! Now, with the hammer remaining in the receiver and the trigger mounted on the lever, some sort of additional sear or interrupter mechanism was required between the hammer and trigger. To prevent accidental firing while reloading, the 88 was fitted with an interrupter mechanism that required the trigger to be fully released forward before re-firing. All of this complexity does have its cost, both in terms of manufacturer’s cost and quality of trigger pull. It’s one of those things that you might notice initially but quickly adapt to, particularly on a rifle designed to hunt big game and not varmints.