788 Remington 7-08

[JudgeBAC]

I have a 788 Remington 7-08 laying around with no scope. I stole the scope and mounted it on my Marlin 336 CS 30-30. I'm contemplating mounting an XS ghost ring and front sight and going cast. What do you think? I have no cast experience with this caliber but with an 18.5" bbl, I figured this might be a good combination.

[jhalcott]

Will this be a "hunting" gun or just a plinker??

[NVcurmudgeon]

Excellent rifle, I had a 788 in .223. It was one of the most accurate rifles I ever had. The only question mark is the trigger, IMO. The factory front sight is a square blade and usable for decent accuracy with a good aperture rear sight. You might consider a Lyman or Willams rear. You could always use a small screw-in aperture for target shooting, and simply take it out for hunting. Voila! Instant ghost ring.

[Bret4207]

My 788 22-250 with Weaver K-10 Micro Trak is scary accurate! The 7-08 should be more of the same.

On the trigger- I have an article from Rifle years back that showed how to make it adjustable. It worked, but my recommendation is DON"T try it. The casting the trigger housing is made of is a soft zinc/aluminum alloy and the slightest bit too much pressure tightening things up will result in a broken assy. GPC still had the 788 triggers a few years back so I was saved, but not without cost.

A better idea is to write or call Canjar trigger and see about obtaining one of his triggers if you want match quality. I understand he's in semi-retirement now, or so the rumor goes, but he may have a few laying around.

[jhalcott]

I have one of those 18" barreled 7-08 788"s. It is quite accurate with either cast or j-word bullets. I had a bLR in 7-08 at one time also. The 788 can be finicky with cast. I have about 8 different molds in different weights from 112 to 175 grains. The 135 "soupcan" shoots well in the 788 while the 150 grain doesn't. The 175 must be seated far below the shoulder and has NOT been tried. The 112 grain bullet cast of linotype is good for ground hogs to about 100+ yards. Pass thrus and little expansion is to be expected.

[hollow-point]

my 788 is a 7mm-08 carbine. the mold ihope to obtain is a saeco #281 140gn. g/c.has anyone been successful with this rifle or had any luck with other cast boolits?