Remington 788 Any Advice

[roc1]

How are the 788 compared to the 700 or model 7. Have seen three different one in three calibers and was curious about them. They look a lot cheaper built but I know nothing other than some hear say about this guns. Calibers are 222,6mm,7-08 and prices range from $350 to $450.
Thanks
roc1

 

[mikejonestkd]

The 700 and model 7 are currently in production. The 7 is a short action only model and is fairly light and handy, while the 700 is offered in many configurations - from their budget models to high end. The www.remington.com website should help you clarify the various model configurations.

The 788 hasn't been made in almost 30 years, here's a link describing it:

http://www.remington.com/products/archived/centerfire/bolt-action/model-788.aspx

Any 788 out there will be used, unless it is NOS

Hope this helps

 

[Smaug]

I have a 788 in 6mm Rem. They were Remington's the budget rifle back in the day.

Mine's a good shooter. I've been able to manage only 1-3/4" @ 100 yards with it with handloads, and double that with Remington yellow/green box deer ammo. Removeable magazine, and I like the tubular receiver.

My great uncle bought it in the 70s or 80s as a 200 yard varmint rifle. I don't think it saw a lot of wear, but the varnish on the stock was flaking anyway. I refinished it.

In short, it is a good working rifle, but don't expect MoA accuracy.

 

[Scorch]

As stated, 788s were Remington's budget rifle back in the day, but they quickly acquired a reputation as tack drivers. The first 1/2", 5-shot, 100 yds group I ever saw fired with a factory rifle and factory ammo was a 788/Weaver Sportsman combo rifle in 223 a friend of mine bought for $150-ish back in 1978. Many benchrest rifles and varmint rigs were built on the 788 due to it being very rigid and very fast lock time.

Although they were accurate, they were heavy, a friend of mine had one in 243 that weighed in at 8+ lbs without a scope. There were issues with the magazines and the safety levers due to the use of lots of plastic parts. They are a rear-locking action and prone to stretching, there were also quite a few blow-ups due to people hot-rodding 788s (my friend really hotrodded his 223 to almost 22-250 velocities). Remington took them off the market in 1983. There were reports of bolt braze joint failures, and safety lever issues similar to what was reported with the 700.

Keep in mind that few parts are available, magazines are hard to find, and any 30-year-old gun will likely have issues that need to be addressed. All in all, they were a fun gun and cheap, but you can usually buy a used 700 for what people want for a 788.

 

[roc1]

Thanks guys. Scorch I guess for the same money the 700 is a lot better deal?
roc1

 

[emcon5]

Not sure if it is still the case, but at they time the 788 had the fastest lock time of any centerfire rifle on the market.

I have one in .308, it is a very handy extremely accurate little rifle.

It ain't all that pretty, but that isn't important to me.

 

[yournodaisy]

The 788 was one of most accurate rifles Iv'e owned....it's lock up is extremly tight with all the lugs. Mine was a .243.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I owned a 308 and a 3030 rem 788s and they were both tack drivers. I bit heavy and clunky and the action was none to smooth but they put holes in tiny groups on a target as well as any gun ive ever owned.

 

[crowbeaner]

My springoff is shooting a 243 carbine equipped with a Weaver 3x9 Marksman. It is and probably will be for some time a 1 hole gun. I've owned several 788s over the years, and never had issues with any of them. My first one was a 22-250 that I paid $118.00 for at Carter's Country. It helped me make one of my more memorable shots-440 yards on a whistlepig with a witness. CRACK, whup, tipover. The rear locking lugs aren't as bad as one would think; the best feature of the 788 is the incredibly fast lock time when the rifle fires. IIRC, only a Kleingunther was faster. I wish Remington would bring them back; they are FAR better than the 710 and 770 junkers made today.

 

[Doodlebugger45]

When I was in high school in 1974 I bought a 788 chambered in .243 because it was what I could afford. My richer hunting partner bought a real nice 700 BDL chambered in 25-06 that cost a fortune in my eyes. My 788 consistently shot way better groups than his 700. Naturally, I attributed this to my superiror skill and eyesight. Back then, it was indeed an accomplishment to shoot a 1" group in a factory rifle with factory ammo.

About 10 years l ater as my income improved, I traded that rifle in on a much classier Winchester Model 70. It never came close to shooting as good as the old 788. Little did I know that back in the 70's the serious bench rest shooters had discovered that the el cheapo 788 action was more inherently accurate than most anything else around.

Of course, nowdays, it's pretty easy to buy a fairly cheap Savage or Howa or Tikka or even Marlin and shoot sub-MOA groups all day long. No real reason to go for a 788 now other than nostalgia.

 

[GeauxTide]

I have a couple, a 308 LH and a 223. Tack driving muthas. The 22 is interesting because it has a 24" Med-Hvy barrel. 3260fps with 55gr NBT. Yeeousah!

 

[smoakingun]

i have one in .308. consistent 1/2 moa shooter, despite being one of the ugliest, clunkiest rifles I own.Aanother plus, the bheek of the rifle is narrow and tall, just right for my great round mellon to get a proper cheek weld.

 

[DnPRK]

They're great shooters. Most of the production cost of the 788 went into the barreled action. The action is extremely stiff and lock time is fast, which enhances accuracy. To offset the expense of the action and barrel, Remington cheaped-out on the stock. I've got five 788s in various calibers and wouldn't part with any of them.

The 788 has a loyal following, so much so that Timney developed an aftermarket trigger for it a couple years ago Link to Timney trigger
EGW guns also has an excellent scope mount for the 788 Link to 788 scope mount

 

[GURU1911]

Remington model 788

I "hot-rodded" one of these chambered in .308 winchester in the early 1990's. Did the following:

1. Stripped the iron sights & plugged the holes.
2. Pillar & epoxy bedded the action & barrel channel. Free-floated the barrel .005"
3. Recrowned the muzzle @ 45 degrees, lapped, & polished the new crown.
4. Mounted a 3x9 burris compact fullfield scope in a set of leupold dual dovetail bases & a set of low rings.
5. Detail stripped & polished factory trigger. Adjusted to 2 pounds.

Needless to say, the performance on the range was awesome to say the least. First 3 rounds cut a single ragged hole off the bench @ 100 yards.

Guru1911

 

[Rifleman1776]

I used to sell the 788 when I had my gun shop in the '70s. It was popular as a varmint rifle because of accuracy and fast lock time. The many lugs made it a very stout action. No problems that I recall.