Zebulon said
Rob,  I can’t give you a resale price range but I can tell you how I would try to determine it. Survey the closed Gunbroker auctions. 

From the photos you’ve posted, I think I can see three things affecting value:

1.  It appears to be in original condition.  That is, no recoil pad, original sight hood in place, no cosmetic modifications. A factory magazine.  These are important to collectors.

2. The rifle has seen some use although it’s difficult to see the blue wear from the photos. I assume the blue steel finish is original. Collectors want 95% or better ORIGINAL blue finish. 

3. Yours is the pre-64 version of the Model 88, a strong positive. 

In the pre-64 version, the available calibers were 243, 308, 358, and, later, 284.  I could not tell you which chambering was the lower produced, as between the 358 and the 284. But a clean 358 pre-64 Model 88 is far more desirable than either of the 308 and 243.

The Model 88 was first offered in 308 only and that chambering is by far the most commonly seen for sale. I had one built in 1955 and killed Whitetails with it. The 308 was then the new military cartridge and so popular it replaced the 300 Savage in the marketplace. Today’s hunters don’t understand just how popular the Savage cartridge had been among deer hunters, until the 7.62 NATO round was offered by Winchester as the 308 WCF.  That’s why most of the Model 88s you see are in that caliber. 

As soon as Winchester saw skyrocketing sales of  the 243 Model 70, it added that chambering to the Model 88 and threw in the 358 to boot. 

As I’m sure you know, there’s nothing wrong with the 358 at all but those were the days when high velocity and low recoil were in great demand. As you also surely know, in a 7 pound rifle the 358 kicks significantly harder than a 243. 

I have a BLR in 358, one of the early steel receiver versions, on which Browning wisely furnished  a thick recoil pad. It will do things to a big hog the 243 can’t even dream of. But most 1955 hunters of Whitetail deer — most rifle hunters — thought the 308 kicked hard enough and that the 243 was more fun than that. 

The other thing that adversely impacted the 358 was the gunwriting press dismissed it or relegated it to “short range brush hunting, ”  which ignored the impressive ballistics of which the round is capable at 250 yards. A distance the average American hunter regards as very long, likely unethical, range when he actually confronts a paper target at that measured distance. 

Fact,  not opinion: the 358 WCF is one of the most versatile and useful game cartridges offered to the American shooting public. It still serves in that role very well for those knowledgeable enough to appreciate it. 

For me, your Model 88/358 is one of Winchester Repeating Arms’ better ideas that happened to be out of synch with the marketplace.  That is certainly not true today, if only for the sole reason of rarity. 

  

I strongly agree with Bill’s assertion.  I’ve never owned a M88 in .358, but like Bill, I have owned a BLR in .358.  I also had a Mauser action custom rifle in .358.  The .358 really comes into its own if you’re a handloader.  From .38 special and .357 magnum pistol bullets to many of the fine 200, 225 and 250 grain bullets available, you can do about anything with this rifle.  When I had my Mauser-actioned custom rifle, I wasn’t limited by OAL as is the situation with the BLR or M88.  This allowed me to use any bullets I wanted.  

One way to get the best price is to get it squeaky clean, wax the wood, photograph it until it glows in the dark, then auction it on Gunbroker with a penny start, no reserve, with a very full description and all the photos. Run the auction for the longest time available, which used to be 14 days.  

Don’t look at the auction until.the last day so you won’t have a coronary event from anxiety.  When it closes, you will know what it’s real market value was.  Important Safety Tip:  If you set a non-nominal opening bid, you’ll kill the bidding. You need the “Something for Nothing” fever con men rely on. It won’t make a racehorse out of a pig but it can make a pretty fast pig. 

Zebulon said
One way to get the best price is to get it squeaky clean, wax the wood, photograph it until it glows in the dark, then auction it on Gunbroker with a penny start, no reserve, with a very full description and all the photos. Run the auction for the longest time available, which used to be 14 days.  

Don’t look at the auction until.the last day so you won’t have a coronary event from anxiety.  When it closes, you will know what it’s real market value was.  Important Safety Tip:  If you set a non-nominal opening bid, you’ll kill the bidding. You need the “Something for Nothing” fever con men rely on. It won’t make a racehorse out of a pig but it can make a pretty fast pig. 

  

I agree with Bill’s suggestion.  The only caveat I will suggest is if you have never sold anything on GB and open an account, you will not have any history or be established.  Many bidders are wary to bid on a brand new seller’s auctions given the prevalence of scammers.