Remington 788

[pacecars]

I made the mistake of looking on Reeder’s sight and he had a Remington 788 7mm-08 carbine at a great price and I started remembering reading the Remington catalog announcing the new redone 788 and the new 7mm-08 when I was 14 and I was smitten with it. Well 44 years later I will finally have one. Now to find a 4X scope to put on it

[Encore64]

I totally get this. I've been blessed with a few really nice rifles.

But, one of my favorites is my 788 in 30-30. What a wonderful gun Remington had.

Congratulations on grabbing that one...

[bigbrowndog]

Had two, a 308 carbine and a 223 rifle. Both very accurate and made great beater rifles.

Trapr

[pacecars]

I spent most of the time in those days wearing out the catalogs from Steyr-Daimler-Puch, Weatherby, Ruger and Colt but I realized there was no way we could afford those and the 788 was at a price that could be reached so I think that had a lot to do with it. I ended up with a Marlin 336 .35 Rem under the Christmas tree and forgot about the others for a few years. I would love to have a .30-30 but finding one at the price of this one would be a miracle.

[sharps4590]

My first varmint rifle was a 788 Remington in 222 Rem., one of the very few Remingtons I've owned. Back then, late 70's - early 80's, I didn't know spit about the 788. As is often the case with me I bought the cartridge and not the rifle. I've pretty much always been able to make a rifle shoot so that didn't concern me. Brother, did I get a surprise when I loaded 19.7 grs. of IMR-4198 under a Hornady 50 gr., flat base, spire point bullet.

I no longer own it and all these years later it remains one of the 3 or 4 most accurate rifles I've owned. I'd still like to have another Triple Deuce but, tastes and finances have changed and I'd prefer a lot classier girl to take to the dance. No offense intended, I still have nothing but admiration and respect for the 788 but they ain't much to look at and, I spend a lot more time lookin' than shootin'.

[pacecars]

Can’t argue there, they ain’t pretty. Every time I see one in 7mm-08 they want $800 plus for them and the stocks usually look like crap. This one was $350 and the stock only has a few marks on it so I had to buy it. It will be a good truck gun or I can always flip it. Most of my hunting is with a handgun so it may never be shot at game but who knows. My tastes these days are like yours and I tend to turn to nice wood and good looking rifles and Shiloh Sharps rifles in particular, but I do have a soft spot for utilitarian guns.

[Encore64]

Yeah, don't let that stop you...

My 30-30 also came from Reeder well below half of what they go for.

I stripped the stock and found a beautifully grained wood. I stained with water based Walnut Stain and oiled it. Made a really nice carry rifle.

Most guns can be fixed up nice with a little TLC...

[bradshaw]

For whatever reason, the Remington Model 788 turned out to be a super shooter. Got my attention where the Model 788----in a variety of chamberings, including .22-250 Rem, .222 Rem, .30-30 Win, .308 Win----got adopted by farmers. A farmer-turned-game warden I knew had two M-788’s in 6mm Reimington, which he used for everything including moose. These rifles were a true, rear-locking-lug sleeper.
David Bradshaw

[pacecars]

I guess I have an affinity for the rear lockers. I have had a lot of the Steyr-Mannlicher rifles, usually in the Model M Professionals but a few wood stocked ones and everyone of them would shoot 5 shots well under an inch at 100 yds. My go to gun is a Professional in .30-06 that shoots under a 1/2” consistently with several different factory loads. I don’t know if they flex but I do know they shoot extremely well for hunting rifles

[Encore64]

Suggest finding a few extra magazines. I found the 30-30 ones still in the original packaging. Bought three spares for $50...

[earl54]

Back when bean field rifles were a thing, I lucked into a modified 788 that I bought from a small town gunsmith.Stock except for a Douglas "medium varmint barrel", 24 inches long with a nice blue job.The action was in a stock looking piece of black walnut. When received it was sighted in with Remington 100 grain core lock ammo. It would shoot so well it made me look good. My brother in law owned an Ace Hardware store and I bought 2 cases of factory "Corelocks", about 500 rounds have been fired,and on a good day (for me) it will still shoot a 1 inch group at 200 yards. Best 200 dollars I ever spent on a rifle. I have 6 factory magazines that came with the gun and a Weaver Wide field 3x9 power scope mounted on the gun.

[contender]

Like many here,, I too used to own a few Rem 788 rifles. And yes,, they were scary accurate. A fun story about my first one. It was in .222 Rem.

Our town police chief had it,, and apparently it didn't quite shoot accurately. His deputy was big into guns, and discovered it had a few places on the barrel channel that pressed upon the barrel when it heated up,, even a little. The chief, using a pocket knife,, whittled out slivers of wood until it stopped doing this.
Next,, he got the deputy to reload some ammo for him.
Once the ammo was loaded,, they went to a place in town,, where they were safely able to shoot. About 200-250 yds away was a metal sign that said; "No Parking." the chief,, using a coat rest across his Blazer hood,, fired at the "o" in the word NO. The deputy drove to the sign, radioed the chief saying; "Shoot at the "O" again. The chief did,, and the deputy went to check the sign again. He drove back to where the chief was,, and handed him a copper penny. The penny had a hole in it, near the edge,, but a complete hole. The deputy had taped the penny over the first hole.
The chief later on, sold the gun to a different deputy,, and I got it in a trade. The chief & I were good friends,, and he related that story to me,, and then gave me the penny. He also said; "I would bet my house on a single shot with that rifle." Sadly,, in a weak moment,, I traded off the 788, but I still have the penny.

I also have a good friend who collects the 788's. He has about 15-20 of them.

[Lee Martin]

I have a 788 in 6mm Remington. My dad has another in .30-30 Winchester. Both are fine shooters. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, cast bullet benchrest shooters bought every 788 action they could find. That's when they were predominantly using factory actions. They preferred 788's over 700's. I can't say which is better, but the cast bullet guys liked the former.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

[lassiter]

I had one in .308 that was a tack driver... wish I had it back 

[Encore64]

Aug 8, 2024 8:38:55 GMT -5 Lee Martin said:

I have a 788 in 6mm Remington. My dad has another in .30-30 Winchester. Both are fine shooters. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, cast bullet benchrest shooters bought every 788 action they could find. That's when they were predominantly using factory actions. They preferred 788's over 700's. I can't say which is better, but the cast bullet guys liked the former.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

I've always been told they preferred the 788 due to an extremely fast lock time...