788 Remington

[.45Cole]

45-70bpcr &reloader06
Looking for a 788 in 7mm/08 too. I've read that beings the cartridge came out late (1980) that the 788 was only being produced in carbine legnth barrels.
Shotman and 45-70bpcr-- how do the carbines shoot? Thinkin' 'bout one to keep my other company.
PS loads are always appreciated!

[Marine Sgt 2111]

I loaded up some GB 311466, sized to .308, no GC over 7.5grs of AA#5 and let my canuk girlfriend (who had never shot a rifle prior to last Saturday) blaze away with my 788 in .30-30. It had a scope, 3 x 9, set at 3x.

The results? With her shooting prone, 5 shots into an inch at 35 yards. Bear in mind it was 17 degrees with a 15mph cross wind. She had the biggest grin on her face and I knew she was hooked...

[Reloader06]

Good job Sgt! Always a good thing when we recruit another one!

[afish4570]

Even though I have one and think it's a good gun isn't it funny that once something you wouldn't have looked twice at when available becomes unavailable you just have to have it? Human nature I guess. If Savage had any sense they'd bring out one of the lower grade 110s in 30-30 but if they did the things would probably sit on the shelves.

A limited run cause the cult worshippers like us know the 35's and how great they are with cast bullets. Love my 356 Win. 94, RCBS 200 gr FP cast easy and shoot good too.afish4570

[EDG]

I paid $69 for my 788 but that was used and nearly 40 years ago.

[waco]

i have a 788 in .308
it was bought from my local gun shop 9 years ago
sako extractor, trigger job, and bedded action
tack driver
5 shot groups all day long into .75 @100yrds with 165 condom bullets and 46gr varget
have not played with boolits too much with this gun yet, but think it would be good
have a lee 168gr rn with gascheck
love the 788!

[Cherokee Mike]

For many reasons, 788's have always been among my favorite rifles. My first was a .22-250. I let it get away from me on a foolish trade years ago. I'm still kicking myself over that. Right now I have four 788's sitting patiently in my safe:

- Unfired .30-30 (I plan on breaking it in with cast bullets one of these days).
- .44 Magnum (I thank my lucky stars I discovered it at a local gun show).
- Left handed .308.
- Left handed 6mm.

If I knew then what I know now, I should have bought or traded for all the calibers and variations of the 788's. They weren't that expensive years ago, and gun shows had a bunch for sale. (coulda, shoulda, woulda, yea, I know!)

[9.3X62AL]

I have two Rem 788s currently, one each in 22-250 and 243. Both are WONDERFULLY accurate, even though the 22-250 has what appeared to be a "shot-out" throat.

That figured into its price several years ago, so I wasn't expecting much from it. I planned a re-tube, or even a caliber upgrade to 250 Savage. Of course, with components on hand--what could it hurt to shoot it "as is"?

I'm still planning on a re-tube, but as long as that barrel will place 8 of 10 shots into 3/4" at 100 yards, and throw 1 or 2 fliers out of 10 into 1"--it gets left alone. The 60 grain Sierra HP reaches right out there, and at 200 yards the bullets seem to have 'settled down'--none of several 10-shot groups I fired while prepping for a recent varmint hunt exceeded 2". Castings don't work for me in this rifle--at all.

The 243 has been a labor of love since Day 1. I bought it a few weeks prior to buying the 22-250, and it instantly impressed me. It is a tackdriver with 95-100 grain j-word deer bullets, and shoots just as well with the RCBS 95 grain spitzer-like castings. I'm talking at or a little over 1" at 100 yards, very reliably and repeatably. 12.0 grains of 2400 prompts things along with the castings, and I should add that Lyman #245496 does almost as well. More recently, I gave Hornady V-Max 75 grainers a try as varmint bullets, and they shot VERY well--both on paper prior to the hunt and on rats.

Yeah, I like Remington 788s--a LOT.

[StarMetal]

788's are real sleepers. Makes me wonder why Remington doesn't start making them again. I swear they don't want to make any money.

Joe

[Four Fingers of Death]

I hadn't seen and 788s on the market here for ages. Suddenly about 18 months ago, I spotter a 22/250 and a 222. I picked up both. I have seen a half dozen or so since but always in 22/250 or 222.

I always fancied a 30/30 with a 35 cal Bbl, liek the one on the cover of Col Harrison's Cast Bullets book. I don't think they ever sold any 30/30s here, but I noticed an advertisment for 788 magazines recently at a guunshop in Queensland and they included 30/30 mags. I was half tempted to buy a couple and build up a junker 788 (if I ever find one) around them.

Bolt head probably needs a lot of work though.

What was I thinking? I can burn money easily enough without going out of my way looking for expensive projects

Four Fingers.

[9.3X62AL]

788's are real sleepers. Makes me wonder why Remington doesn't start making them again. I swear they don't want to make any money.

Joe

Joe, I read somewhere that Remington's rationale for dropping the 788 series had to do with the 788 eating into the profit margin and market share for their flagship 700-series rifles. THAT is the sort of question that gets answered by the bean counters that wear propeller hats and work weekends while everyone else at the factory is off work having fun and spending time with their families.

[oneokie]

Joe, I read somewhere that Remington's rationale for dropping the 788 series had to do with the 788 eating into the profit margin and market share for their flagship 700-series rifles. THAT is the sort of question that gets answered by the bean counters that wear propeller hats and work weekends while everyone else at the factory is off work having fun and spending time with their families.

+1 And the 788's were more accurate than same chamberings in the 700.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I remember at the time reading that Remington felt that it was more economical to only build one type of action.

Sort of makes sense (business wise and their job is to make a profit for the shareholders), having two actions being produced would be a lot more expensive than having just one and the 788 was aimed at the bottom end of the market, so there woudln't have been big profit margins in it.

Usin gthe same thinking if we were running a business mowing lawns and spraying weeds and we were making good money on mowing and there was a backlog of work and the weed spraying was not cutting it profit wise and it was interfering with us mowing lawns, the weed spraying would be soon forgotten.

My mate used to sell a lot of Remingtons (still does) he reckoned that the 788 sold ok, but they didn't walk out the door like the 700s, they pretty much sold themselves. Most shooters here turned their nose up at them because of the rear locking action. It was only much later that they become almost a cult gun.

[doubs43]

The 788 may have been Remington's all-time sleeper! Many of them have been converted to benchrest rifles because of the very fast lock time.

I've owned two: a .222 Remington and a .243 Winchester. The .222 was extremely accurate and I put many thousands of rounds through it. I modified the trigger to make it adjustable, following instructions published in a "RIFLE" magazine. I sold it a few years back and wish I hadn't.

The .243 was one of the biggest disappointments of my life. I shot different bullet weights and powders until I was blue in the face and NOTHING was accurate! I sent it to E.R. Shaw to have a new barrel installed and it would only shoot 60 grain bullets with any degree of accuracy so I sold it and have had no use for .243 since. I should have bought the 6mm Remington instead.

That was before I began casting bullets BTW.

I may be wrong but I've often thought that the 788 - cheapest centerfire rifle Remington made - was usually so accurate that it was stealing sales from the 700.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Doubs, every one I know has had a great run with the 243, I've had two and never did any good with them. I'll have to keep trying, I have about 1000 JWords, 500 cases, two sets of dies and several moulds for it.

Alternately, if I sold all of the stuff, I could probably buy another rifle.

Four Fingers.

[watkibe]

Here is a note to remember I said I have 2 one in 308 and a 223 . When I bought the 223 I was thinking about the ammo. All that military stuff. Dont use it in the 788 , I shot 2 rounds and had a tight bolt both rounds. I didnt break it but I did go to reg 223 ammo. I have used the brass as reloads and never had problem. I dont have any military 308 so wont be using that. rick

I have had 3 788s, one in 223 and 2 in 308. I must have used milsurp ammo, because I ended up with the brass, but I don't remember how it shot. I do remember that I eventually gave up reloading mil brass because even starting loads of H322, H335, and BC-2 all gave me excessive pressure. I called Hodgdon and talked to Bruce Hodgdon (that dates me a little, eh ?) about it. He said it was just the fact that the mil brass was thicker and had a reduced capacity; he doubted it had anything to do with the model of rifle. Commercial brass was great with Accurate powders 2230, 2460 and 2520. Unfortunately, I only have one 308 anymore, a carbine. All of them were more accurate than me.

[rrob692326]

If anybody wants to trade, I have a Rem 788 in 30/30 win. Good condition been sitting in my safe since 1984 last time I shot it was 1983 probably less than 100 rounds through it. I think I have the base and rings. Looking for a bolt action 458 win or Lott or a 375 h&h.