Any Remington 788 owners here?

R

Rainbow Six

New member
I just bought a Rem 788 in .308. Anybody here know anything, good or bad, about the 788? I got good feedback from a few knowledgeable gun guys before buying it but since then I have read a few negative comments on this rifle on the 'net.

Any feedback on this rifle?

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Watch your six...

R6
 
OHHHHH Yeeeahhhhhh!!! I love those 788's. They are just fabulous shooters, they WERE cheap, but now, hard to get and sometimes overpriced. I love the nine locking lugs on them. I have one in .243, and it's a tackdriver with factory ammo!!! If you want to get rid of it???????? <G> You won't, they are nice shooting guns, Oh I said that before. BTW did I say they are nice shooting guns??? LOL I really love mine.

Darknight

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G21, the only one.
1911 A1 another one.
AR15 the long one.


[This message has been edited by Darknight (edited March 21, 2000).]
 
I shot it for the first time today. I was pleasantly surprised. Before I could shoot it I had to clean the heck out of it. The barrel was filthy. I figure it must have belonged to a hunter who used it every season and never cleaned it. I got tons of crud out of that poor barrel.

I shot prone using the shortest Harris "BR" bipod up front and my off hand underneath the stock. The shot was kind of awkward and uncomfortable since I wasn't on a flat, level range. I was shooting from an elevated concrete pad and shooting slightly downhill at the target, a plastic bucket lid. Even unextended, the bipod held the muzzle too high so I had to really try and hold the butt up to make the shot. I wish I would have taken one of my sand bags. It was not a comfortable position, but enough excuses since I really don't need them. :)

I used Winchester Supreme 168gr Ballistic Silvertip factory ammo. I fired three rounds from approximately 100 yds under the above conditions and made one oblong approximately 3/4 inch hole. The first two rounds went into a hole that was less than 1/2 inch and the last shot was a called "miss". I knew that I had let the butt move a bit just as the shot broke. Not bad considering the "conditions", I think.

I feel like I got a pretty good deal on it. I gave $350.00 walk out total and it came with a Tasco 3-9X-40 scope and a good base and rings already mounted and sighted. The only thing I had to do to it was clean it and load it for honest 3/4" groups at 100 yds.

I will probably put better glass on it eventually but I'm in no hurry to change anything since it shoots so well. The only mods I have planned for now is a new recoil pad, a nice black w/dark grey spiderweb/spatter finish on the stock and a good sling. :D

BTW, does anybody make a good synthetic stock for this action?



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Watch your six...

R6
 
Oh, I found another one yesterday while "pawn shoppin'". I am trying to trade on it but it's got $425 on the tag and they don't want to budge so far. It is in slightly better shape (better cared for, not really nicer) than the one I bought the other day and has a better scope but I don't want to give that much for a used rifle. Maybe I can get them down a bit and have two of these puppies. :D The other one is also a .308.



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Watch your six...

R6
 
R.S.

My experience with the 788 is with two .308's. The first was a friends, and the second I bought for my brother. The first had the iron sights and the second had a variable scope. Don't know what power or make, as it was a very short lived scope. Tim (my Bro) pulled it off soon after he took possesion of the weapon. He had an idea to try to get the thing to be a 300+ yard tack driver, but that project never really left the ground.

I personally like the following features of the Rem. 788. Detachable magazine, the ease by which the bolt is removed, the handiness or handling, and it's price. I paid approx. $280.00 for it(used). That was about 10 years ago, and I think that for it's price, you couldn't beat it for a good medium range deer/woodchuck gun. Hold on to yours, it should work well for you!

Good luck, Unkel Gilbey
 
Would you like to sell it?!! Seriously, the Remington 788 series is one of the best rifles on the market regardless of price. I had one in .243 that I grew up with (took my fair share of deer and groundhogs with it, to include a hog shot at over 400 yards) and in a fit of utter insanity, sold it to finance an AR-15 (I love the AR, but really wish I had my 788 back). They are great rifles, put a quality scope and sling on it and you will never regret it. Don't sell it, but if you do, I want first bid. Virginian.
 
My first deer rifle when I was a kid was a 788 in .222. Seen a buck about 200 yards out and being a dumb little kid with a 100 ayrd zero on my rifle that didn't know anything about how flat the .222 shoots, I aimed over his back WAY over-compensating and sent the round zinging off over his head. He turned to jump the fence, I cycled the bolt like a dang fool as fast as I could and jerked off another shot jsut as he cleared the fence. I thought he twitched a little funny so dad went to get the truck to go back home while I walked the draw where I seen him jump the fence. About 25 yards over the fence and down the hill laied this same buck, I felt him to make sure he was warm and started to yell for my dad to bring the truck. We got him back but couldn't find the bullet hole. When we dressed him out, we found that the bullet went right up his hole, ruptured the heart and liver but never touched a piece of meat. Now in my years since then, I have had a lot of good shots, but I will never as long as I live ever make another luck shot like that one! Took a lot of deer since then with that rifle and I still have it. Not sure how a rear locking bolt rifle shoots so well, but it does so i don't question the rifle gods. :)
 
I just talked my friend into getting one in 308 at the last gun & knife show for $275. It came with a 3x9 scope and a sling. I didn't have enough coin to pick it up myself. My buddy was looking for a new hunting rifle and a dealer just took it in as a trade and hadn't even wiped it down. We just kinda moseyed over and checked it out and made an offer and dickered a little. The stock had been redone, but it wasn't bad at all. There was a spot on the metal that will need a good cleaning and a touch up with a little cold bluing. I figured that if my friend picked it up, at least it would be in good hands and "accessible".

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Ron

Detroit Area Chapter
Terra-Haute Torque & Recoil Society
 
Had one in .308, a truly great and super accurate rifle, bought it new in '82 for less than $200. if I remember correctly. Regret letting it go. One weak point I found, fired a hot load, and had trouble rotating bolt and then extracting, went at it with a nylon hammer and was surprised to see the bolt handle bending, turns out the bolt handle is not integral with the bolt, but a sleeve over a stud that projects from the bolt. Foolishly sold it because of that one weak point. The 308 had an 18" barrel so it was super handy for carrying in the Arizona desert popping big jacks, and coyotes. Most folks claimed it was the unique 9 lug lock up that accounted for it's accuracy. Others said that since the lugs were at the rear of the bolt, a lot of hot loads would eventually compress the bolt and affect head space. Don't know if that's really true, mostly I shoot moderate reloads. 125gr. hollow points worked well at about 2500 fps at the muzzle. Light recoil, low throat erosion, also shot lots of home made cast 170grain flatpoints from pure wheel weights, about 1100 fps, just subsonic, ok on jacks, but only well placed shots on coyotes.
I'd love to get another one, but cringe at the high prices for used guns.

[This message has been edited by TABING (edited March 22, 2000).]
 
Had one in 6mm Remington,and it was a good'un. Used a Weaver 4X12 on it,and worked up some handloads. Accurate,even with the somewhat less than ideal trigger.

Had Charley Maloney redo the stock, and inset a piece of turquoise into the pistol grip. Pretty gun,and a shooter. Took some chucks with it and had one of those cash flow problems,bye bye 788.

Two things I didn't like, the trigger and the magazine,which was right where the weapon balanced so one hand carry was a pain.

Otherwise, great gun....
 
I have one in .223 and i love it. It cost me $400.00. In about 95% condition. I have yet to see a 788 that is not a shooter. I have 15 other rifles and after shooting three different .223's in 788's I had to have one. After about three years I found what I was looking for and I bought it. Best of luck....Cag
 
The only synthetic stock for a 788 I know of is the Ramline. Had one and it worked fine.

Trigger needs a 'smith to tune up. In '90 I had a guy near Atlanta do mine. Worked fine!

Giz
 
RB6,

Congrats on the 788!

I've had one of the carbine versions, in .308WIN, for many years. Use it with an old-style Weaver 2.5xWideview scope.

It seems to be the best all-around center-fire rifle that I own. I'm sure you'll feel the same about yours.
 
I have one in a 22-250 its a great shooting gun. I got it from my uncle with a straight 12 Leupold target dot scope for $300 ,and that was with 100 new brass. I think I got a prity good deal. enjoy your new gun.
 
USMCGrunt,

Nice shot!! :)

I have already fallen in love with my little 788. I really hope that I can get them down on the price of the other one. Looks like my initial impressions mirror the general census here. Great rifle!! Thanks for the feedback. :)




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Watch your six...

R6
 
Yep, the 788 has been one the best rifle bargains of all time. I have one in 22-250 I bought new around 1967 and it still shoots around 1/2 MOA groups. I hesitate to tell you how much I paid for it ...... ok, that's enough hesitation, it was around $95. :)
 
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