The 788 that could not shoot straight!

[Three44s]

Recently, I bought a Remington 788 in .222 Rem that has had little usage .........

....... and after trying some loads ....... I think I see why:


It's not grouping worth beans!

To me, a 788 that does not shoot well is an oxymoron ..........

........... a .222 that groups poorly is one a well ........ BUT a 788 in .222 that could not deliver the goods would be some sort of red herring!

I have found a good portion of the puzzle however:

After some bedding checking, I began to float the barrel ....... (factory wood stock) and as I began to gain some clearance in the barrel channel ...... I could hear metal creaking on wood as it flexed ........ at first, I presumed that the barrel was still rubbing on the channel but found that was not the case.

What was really happening is the the rear action screw was too long for the amount of stock thickness and in fact was bottoming out without tightening up.

So in fact the action was like a rocking horse and pivoted at the front screw .....

At the moment I have a washer under the trigger guard (the 788's have a two piece affair) until I get more sophisticated and either acquire a different stock or bed this one and I have moved onto barrel cleaning.

Meanwhile ........... this rifle is now shooting round groups instead of groups of groups!

I bet the previous owner had some harsh words for his inexplicatively inaccurate rifle!!!!


Three 44s

[Doc_Stihl]

Don't you just love it when you can fix what you once cursed as unexplicable.

[Three44s]

I was pleased and relieved at the same time!! I thought I was saddled with a turkey ...... I have had this rifle for only about a week and thought of a long hard and expensive slog to get a shooter out of it was not looking very palatable .........

....... but for the price of a small washer ....... for the time being .......

I am all happy now!

[Wayne Smith]

So grind the end off of the bolt?

[bruce drake]

Wayne beat me to the text. Shorten that rear bolt.

Bruce

[376Steyr]

Glad to hear you've moved on to barrel cleaning. I'm amazed at the amount of crud I get out of the bores of used rifles I buy. If you haven't already, I recommend hitting the bore with the likes of Sweets 7.62 copper remover. I've gotten "blue" patches for a couple of days as I've cleaned out years' worth of copper fouling from rifles that were otherwise reasonably well maintained by the previous owners.

[Big Ryan]

You may also want to try a crown job if the goups are not what you expect. My boss man has a 788 in 222 and the crown was pretty rounded off due to yrs of sitting muzzle down in his truck. Crown job fixed it immediately and she is back to shooting quarter size holes at 100+ yards. Those 788's by the way are one of my personal favorites, and still to this day hold one of the fastest lock times of any rifle Rem has ever produced, for that matter any rifle any manufacture has ever produced. They were built to last you a lifetime. Good luck your quest for little bitty groups, dont give up, that gun will shoot.

[fatelk]

I wish I could fix my 788 that easy!

I have one in .223 that I've never shot, bought it cheap because it was broken. The bolt handle is broken off and lost. I just need access to a lathe one of these days to make a new bolt handle. A friend of mine is a good welder and we'll do it right (heat sink, etc). It's a someday project and just sits in the corner for now.

[Three44s]

So grind the end off of the bolt?


Actually, the factory screw was not threaded far enough and the bolt shank is bottoming out. As the shank is substantially larger than the threaded section, it will be more practical to replace it.


Three 44s

[Three44s]

Glad to hear you've moved on to barrel cleaning. ...........................................

I recommend hitting the bore with the likes of Sweets 7.62 copper remover............................


Thanks ........ and I have Sweets in my rotation.


Three 44s

[Three44s]

You may also want to try a crown job .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .............................

Those 788's by the way are one of my personal favorites, and still to this day hold one of the fastest lock times of any rifle Rem has ever produced, for that matter any rifle any manufacture has ever produced.......................................... .......


This is my second 788. The first, a .22-250 wears a canjar single set trigger and has killed more coyotes than you can shake a stick at. But a few years ago it suddenly started keyholing at close range. It may well need a new barrel but it would probably be worth trimming the factory one an 1 1/2" or so and re-crowning first.


Though the crown on the .222 that has been having problems looks very good ...... if other treatments fail to get bug sized groups ....... the crown will be attended to.

Thanks

Three 44s

[Dale53]

I have bedded every rifle I own. They have all MUCH improved, as a result.

Dale53

[Three44s]

I wish I could fix my 788 that easy!

I have one in .223 that I've never shot, bought it cheap because it was broken. The bolt handle is broken off and lost. I just need access to a lathe one of these days to make a new bolt handle. A friend of mine is a good welder and we'll do it right (heat sink, etc). It's a someday project and just sits in the corner for now.


Perhaps your 788 will have little usage due to the lost bolt handle from before you acquired it and you will end up with a diamond in the rough.

That's what I'm hoping for in mine.

Best of luck

Three 44s

[Three44s]

I have bedded every rifle I own. They have all MUCH improved, as a result.

Dale53

I have even bought a small bedding kit and let it set on the shelf and get old. My plan is to experiment on a cheap old Western Field .22 rimfire (Mossberg) and then branch out into my CF's ........

I realize that bedding is the best and most reliable path to best accuracy a home gun crank can do for themselves.

Thanks

Three 44s

[fatelk]

Perhaps your 788 will have little usage due to the lost bolt handle from before you acquired it and you will end up with a diamond in the rough.
I'm thinking probably not. My best hope for it is that the slight pitting in the bore is not enough to hamper accuracy. Most of the finish is gone from the stock, but that's easy enough to fix. For $50, though, I figure I didn't get hurt.

[Three44s]

My bad, I mean your rifle saw little usage thus far.

Enjoy changing that trend!


Three 44s

[skeet1]

Three44s,

I'm glad you got your 788 to shoot well like most of them do. It has long been one of my favorite rifles and I have owned several .222s and a .223. All of them shot very well and I can't figure out why I don't own one now.

Skeet1

[Larry Gibson]

My M788 in .308W has shot so well it needs a new barrel.....:-( or maybe :-) because I have shot it a lot and used it as my "loaner" to family and friends. Maybe that 14" twist 26" barrel chambered in my 308CBC cartridge...........

Larry Gibson

[Three44s]

Larry,

That's about where my .22-250 stands right now! That 788 wears a Canjar single set trigger ...... and if this .222 gets to really cookin' ....... I'll be hard pressed to leave it on the laid up .22 - 250!!!

Decisions ........ decisions!

Three 44s

[Three44s]

Three44s,

I'm glad you got your 788 to shoot well like most of them do. It has long been one of my favorite rifles and I have owned several .222s and a .223. All of them shot very well and I can't figure out why I don't own one now.

Skeet1

Thank you, but it's not declared healed just yet. I've got it shooting reasonable round groups instead of lead spray and it's in "solvent therapy" at the moment .....

I do have little doubt the action wobbling about in the tang area was the big trouble.

The bolt on the .222 is tight ........ real tight .......... as opposed to my .22-250 which is loose as a goose ....... the bluing on the .222 bolt also shows it's hardly been fired ...... and as loose as the .22-250 is ..... and as good as it shot prior to the barrel going keyhole ........ I think the triple duece will really set varmints on fire as soon as I get it clean.

Three 44s

[frankenfab]

Do you guys think a .222 model 788 would be a good base to build a .17 Fireball on? I really want one, but it seems a waste to buy a regular 700 short action rifle, as are available now.

[bruce drake]

Actually, the factory screw was not threaded far enough and the bolt shank is bottoming out. As the shank is substantially larger than the threaded section, it will be more practical to replace it.


Three 44s

Or turn it down in a lathe and properly thread it.

[Three44s]

Do you guys think a .222 model 788 would be a good base to build a .17 Fireball on? I really want one, but it seems a waste to buy a regular 700 short action rifle, as are available now.


The 788 has been out of production for sometime and it's also building a cult following. The ones chambered in .222 are some of the more sought after ... not the most but more.

If you want a very light walking rifle ...... I really like the CZ 527 American. Mine is a .223 and it's very light.

The 788 is heavy for it's class ...... that's not bad ........ and on sand bags .... I like the added weight ...... but the CZ is FAR better for walking around.

If you are into DIY ........ think about the Savage short actions. They will probably weigh in with the 788 but cost less to convert. I have a couple of long actions and have been doing my own barrel swaps .......

........ if I can do it ....... anybody can .......... !

Custom pre-fitted barrels are surprisingly inexpensive with several manufacturers getting in on the action so there is also different quality levels to be had.

If you end up with the wrong bolt face ...... don't despair as those change out very easily as well as the magazine hardware.

But if you start with a .223 or .204 chambered rifle ....... you'll have it easy.

There is a web site for us like minded savages ......... member classifieds, vendors you name it!

savageshooters.com

Three 44s

[Three44s]

Or turn it down in a lathe and properly thread it.

Thanks

We have two lathes here on the ranch but they will not chuck up something that small but more importantly, they are not accurate enough.

But I do have a neighbor who's a retired machinist and he might have one that could do it justice.


Three 44s

[bruce drake]

Sounds like a trip off the ranch is in your future. Good Luck!