Remington 788 Opinions

[azsixshooter]

I have an opportunity to buy a 788 in .222 Remington and I was wondering if I could get some opinions on this rifle from anyone who has experience with this model. The asking price is $450, I have been told that is plenty IF the bolt is tight and the bore is shiny and clean and the crown looks good.

Just wondering if anyone here would offer any reason not to buy this model or any reason why I might want to run in and stick my money in his hand immediately. I have read that the 788 is an "economy" rifle, but I have no idea if it is junk, middle of the road or a great buy if you can find one.

Thanks for any thoughts about this one. I handload and I'm really excited to get my first .222 Rem, if the rifle happens to not shoot I don't mind putting some work into it or having work done on it. I just don't want to buy anything that has any fundamental flaws that can't be overcome.

 

[Blindstitch]

I don't have any information for you thumbs up for living near Hell. Screams Ice cream sounds good about now.

 

[azsixshooter]

Oh yeah, I love that place! The owner is a great guy too, he loves kids and I always take my daughter there to play the miniture golf course.

He was actually in the airborne in Viet Nam and got wounded something like 7 times during tet I think. One of the shots injured his throat, he couldn't yell or anything. When he was unconscious he was thought dead and put in a body bag and thrown on a pile of other corpses. All he could do was roll off. Twice he was thrown back on the pile, third time someone opened the bag and realized he was alive.

He has treated my daughter and I very kindly and I am very grateful for his service and am blessed to know him. If anyone is interested his story is in a movie called "Our Vietnam Generation" along with others.

If you get back to Hell, MI by chance the old Screams is now a restaurant and small craft beer bar and he moved the ice cream over to the Halloween store. He sold the Dam Site Inn, but it is still open for business. Fun little town to visit, especially for bikers wanting a nice ride in the country.

 

[winchester1917]

I actually had a 788 in .222. I sold it for $480 with a cheap scope and bipod. I think the 788's are great rifles. I only sold it because I needed the money.

 

[Art Eatman]

Mild gripes about the triggers on some, but most everything I've read has generally been positive.

 

[emcon5]

I have on in .308. Isn't particularly pretty but shoots great.

Lots of people think they were discontinued because they outshot the higher priced 700. No idea of it is true, but mine is a really nice shooting, rifle. Trigger isn't great, but serviceable.

Supposedly one of the fastest lock times in a factory rifle.

 

[bamaranger]

788

The 788 was the price point rifle of its day, the story goes it was developed to put the Mossberg 810 out of business, which it did. The 788 didn't last much longer, and the REm 700 ADL took up Remington's "affordable" centerfire role.

They had a reputation for accuracy, supposedly due to the multi lugged rear locking bolt. I don't think I ever heard of a lemon. A pal of mine has a fondness for the 788 in .243, and will buy one when he can, fool with it, then move it along. The 788's he's fooled with, even rough ones, all shot well. Never owned a 788 myself.

Your biggest stumbling block will be caliber. The .222 is not near as common as it once was, and finding loaded ammo could be a chore. If you reload (and you should) a supply of cases will keep you shooting for a long time. If you buy over the counter....you won't find .222 near as easily as its competitor, the .223.

 

[bamaranger]

lock time

Oh yeah, the triggers supposedly had fast lock time for accuracy as well.

 

[Doyle]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that in the .308 version, the rear locking bolts made it possible for the recoil to push the bolt face further back after lots of shots thus increasing headspace.

 

[peggysue]

Love my 788 in 22-250. A sweet coyote rifle.

 

[azsixshooter]

Now I am really hoping that the one I'm looking at in the morning is in nice shape! Sounds like it could be exactly what I want. And if the trigger is bad I can drop a Timney in it for $140 someday.

Thanks guys!

 

[upstate81]

Buy it simply because of the caliber. I have a bdl in the triple duece and its my favorite rifle. Its a hand loaders delight and one of the most pleasantly accurate cartridges out there. Look online to see what rifles chambered in the .222 go for. Id say add 100 to the value simply because of that. A nice .243 is worth that so the .222 is well worth it.

 

[jmr40]

Good guns for the money in their day. I'd not buy one today unless I just wanted to scratch a nostalgic itch. For the same 450 there are better options today

 

[Dufus]

I got one made in 1974. It is a really neat rifle.

I looked for some slug other than varmint and had a hell of a time finding something that the rifle would shoot.

I settled on the Cutting Edge 40 gr. ESP flatbase Raptor.

With a load of IMR4198 it will shoot 10 shots into 3/8" @ 100 yds.

Average velocity is 3508 fps with a ES of 17 fps. Worked out to be a really good combination.

Of course, the 222 Rem is well noted for exceptional accuracy with the right combo of bullets and powder.

 

[Scorch]

788s were famous for accuracy. They were used as the basis for benchrest rifle builds for many years. The main complaints about them are the trigger is awful (Timney makes a replacement), and with heavy handloads they can seize up.

 

[peggysue]

There is a lot on the 788's on Google. I am glad i have a blond one in my collection.

 

[Mobuck]

In the 788 line, the 222, 6mm, 30/30, and 44 mag were the "oddballs". Not very many .222 made and many were converted to.223 so the rifle has some non-shooting value.
I had and used 788's in 243, 308, and 22/250 and Brother had a 6mm. The 788 started life as a price point model though the rear locking multi-lug design was unique. In heavy use there was a wee bit of case stretching. The bigger problem was the ATROCIOUS trigger. This is what caused me to switch to a Model 700. I found I could trade my 22/250 788 for a NIB 22/250 700 for about $25 more than it would cost to install a Timney in the 788 and I've never looked back.
I had a couple of the later model 788 "carbines" in.308 after the model was discontinued and sold those for a good markup to deer hunters who wanted the short barrel.
Bottom line, I think you can buy a NIB HOWA in .223 for about the same $$ and be far better off both rifle and ammo (availability) wise.

 

[kraigwy]

During a period I didn't have. a lot of money, and our club started shooting Metallic Silhouette shooting, I bought a Rem 788 in 308.

It was an extremely accurate rifle and never gave me any problems.

I was shooing an M14 for the guard then, and for some reason I found that the 788 shot the 7.62 ball ammo much better then my heavy match M14.

It didn't like the M118 Match ammo, but it shoot the ball and made a good rifle for taking down the heavy rams using the military ball.

I did replace the trigger.

Ended up giving it to a neighbor kid so he could have a deer rifle.

 

[KodaBear]

Many years ago a couple of my good friends bought 788's, both in varmint calibers. One a 222 Remington and the other a 22-250. Both rifles are still in use and still accurate. I did have the opportunity to shoot another fellows 788 in 308, and it was a very fine shooting rifle. $450 seems rather steep, but I'd have to look in a current Blue Book to see what the market is.

 

[cmb3366]

I owned a 788 in 243 for a few years. I think their reputation in the current day is more myth than reality. The rear locking lug design can lead to headspace growth in higher intensity chamberings. The magazine box, at least on mine, had a tendency to misfeed the last round. The triggers are nothing special, and the stock is a clunky design that did not feel good in my hands and was made out of birch. Mine was accurate, but no more so that any other decent deer rifle in my experience.

In terms of the benchrest nonsense that is often spouted about 788's, none ever survived their bolt compression issues long enough with the high intensity loads used in short range benchrest to really be competitive. The sleeved 40x or 700 dominated the line when factory actions were competitive, and today, most of the custom actions that dominate are derivatives of the 700.

When they were introduced they were a good deal because there were no real competitors at the price point. Today, with options like the american rifle, axis, and compass, they are outclassed.