remington 788

joey.45

joey.45

Regular
Rating - 100%
182   0   2
Location
Kootenays B.C.
What is with this remington 788 thing. They go for big bucks on the exchange. They are rear lock up designed for cheap manufacturing. Birch stocks ,stamped trigger guards cheap magazines. Yeah by a fluke most of them happen to shoot well but so do lot of really good new guns that are finished nicer. Some one tell me what I'm missing here.
 
joey.45 said:
What is with this remington 788 thing. They go for big bucks on the exchange. They are rear lock up designed for cheap manufacturing. Birch stocks ,stamped trigger guards cheap magazines. Yeah by a fluke most of them happen to shoot well but so do lot of really good new guns that are finished nicer. Some one tell me what I'm missing here.
Click to expand...

If you find out, maybe you could tell me, then we would both know what we are missing.
I remember them as being bought by people that couldn't afford a 700 BDL, or even an ADL, so they got the cheap line, the 788.
 
Yes they can be overpriced second hand. But buyer beware goes for all pre-owned rifles.

Perhaps it is, what-you-see is what-you-get, from the era of blued steel & wooden rifle stocks.
(with a bonus of pretty stellar accuracy for the cash layout)

These rifles are best left IMHO, with little to none expensive changes to the stock/action.

Edit: I've owned one in 222 since 1988, and another in 308 from 1993 or so. Both served me well during the deer season and afterwards.
I had a young & growing family then.
 
I think they shot well because of the long receiver thread, fairly chunky barrels and fast lock time.

They have somewhat of a cult following.

Some guys like to say Remington dropped it because it out shot the 700...pretty general statement. It was dropped because it became cheaper to pull a 700 receiver off the line and give it a quick dip in the blueing tank and put it into a cheap birch stock with a blind mag......hence the Sportsman 78 introduced in 1984 to replace the 788. It is all about profit afterall.

I've owned a couple of them.

http://www.charm.net/~kmarsh/788.html
 
My neighbour's 788/.243 shoots sub MOA with Rem CoreLokts with an older Weaver scope. It's in great shape. I do like the kinda heavier barrel and the simple wooden stock.
The appeal? Great performance from an older model rifle.
 
Since thier introduction in 1967, the 788, as we all know, came with a detachable magazine. Not all detachable magazine bolt actions were successful back then. Parker Hale Mausers, (another budget deer rifle) such as thier Featherweight model, came with a quick detachable magazine, and were prone to releasing them on the recoiling of the rifle. Often the shooter was not aware of this until it was too late.
 
Rembo said:
They have somewhat of a cult following.
Click to expand...

+1 on the cult following thing.

I've had one in .308 Win and one in the fairly rare .30-30 Win chambering before.

My "keeper" Rem 788 is an 18 1/2" factory 'carbine' model in 7mm-08 Rem that I picked up circa 1995 when they were 'very reasonable'. I ditched the beat-up wood stock and put the barreled action into a "drop-in" Ramline synthetic back when they came with a Pachmayr decelerator recoild pad installed. Topped with an econo Tasco World Class Plus 3.5-10x44mm scope. She shoots great, though. Hence, the "keeper status".

2004-08-12_202514_2Rem788TWC.jpg


2004-08-12_202613_2Rem788cu.jpg


That's my .02 on 'em..... :D

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
I wore out the barrel in a 788 / 223 on gophers and coyotes during the 70s and early 80s back in Saskatchewan.
The little rifle now wears a stainless 17 Rem barrel and is still a tackdriver and my favorite varmint gun.... a keeper for sure !
 
in 1978, when i was 16, my dad bought one in 22-250 because the guy at the counter said you could kill anything with that cartridge. (some people will believe anything)
he wasn't all that wrong though as dad took a several moose and deer with it, probably because he nor the moose and deer didn't know a damned thing about terminal ballistics.
I actually campaigned that bone stock little rifle at several local "turkey shoots" and did quite well competing against more expensive rigs and more knowledgeable people.
 
Last edited:
joey.45 said:
What is with this remington 788 thing. They go for big bucks on the exchange. They are rear lock up designed for cheap manufacturing. Birch stocks ,stamped trigger guards cheap magazines. Yeah by a fluke most of them happen to shoot well but so do lot of really good new guns that are finished nicer. Some one tell me what I'm missing here.
Click to expand...

Sometimes they go cheaper. I have seen them for $350-$400, but they don't last long at that price. Anyone that is asking the same price as a new 700 will be holding on to it for a while...
 
even $350-400 seems a little steep in my books. To be fair I don't know what the were selling for new. But if I wanted an economy rifle that shot great, and was butt ugly I could buy a stevens 200 NEW for the same price. I also don't understand how everyone agrees that the model 770 should be avoided like the plague because it has rear locking lugs, yet the 788 with the same lug design is fine?
 
Most of us "cult admirers" are fully aware of the flaw and avoid pushing handloads too far.
I bought my 788s a long time ago, so they have seen many hunting seasons.

too each his own.....

PS: The commonly used word most associated with them is accurate. That's not bad in my books.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom