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In 1963, the Model 88 and Model 70 bolt action rifle were again used to introduced a new Winchester cartridge, the .284 Winchester. This was perhaps the first American cartridge to offer a rebated rim. Since this concept had already been introduced decades earlier in Europe, it was rather novel to American shooters. While this cartridge had a full half-inch diameter magnum case, it was fitted with a reduced rim diameter, the same as that of a .308 cartridge. This allowed for the increased performance of a short magnum case while utilizing the same bolt machining as for the .308 family of cartridges. It did, however, result in some reduction in magazine capacity: from four shots to three, plus, of course, one in the chamber (3+1). With a total of 42,340 guns in .284 Winchester being manufactured, these are the rarest calibers in the 88 line and hence the most desirable from the collector’s point of view.

As with any long runs in firearms, there were numerous versions of butt plates. The bottom of the butt plate on the earlier version has the word WINCHESTER, with TRADE MARK in smaller letters underneath. An example from a newer version we examined lacked any wording.