Rem 788 22-250

F

FTGV

CGN Regular
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southern Ontario
I was gifted one of these and was wondering if it was a decent shooter. Being in average condition what is it's approx. value? The trigger and safety are stuck in the fire position so it will need some disassembly and cleaning.
 
Working EX condition 788 runs $400-$500.
Broken one, half that if someone wants it.
They were basically the Savage Axis of their day, very basic/budget rifle.
 
788s were an entry level rifle, but a decent rifle. I used to have one in 6mm. Still kicking myself for letting it go.
Someday I'll come across another one.
 
Thanks guys. I cleaned the bore and it looks to be in great shape. I will try to free up the trigger,then I will throw a spare scope on it give it a try. If it shoots good then I will put some effort into refinishing the stock.
 
If the stock isn't good enough, of course Boyd's will have one. RamLine used to make one, too, don't know if they still do. Their one for a .308Win should fit the .22-250.
 
The 788 has somewhat of a cult following. Budget rifle but a fantastic shooter. Rear locking lugs on the bolt are reminiscent of Steyr, some saying faster lock time. I have one in 223 and it is amazingly accurate. Hard one to let go.
 
I've had one in 222 for nearly 40 yrs. Haven't shot it much lately. Very accurate but I always thought kind of ugly. Picked one up in 30-30 about 15 yrs ago. Not a common caliber for 788's. I belonged to Cast Bullet Association at that time and it was going to be my postal match star. Never really got around to doing any serious load development. Been sitting in the locker for more than a few years. Should change that.
 
I've had 788's in .223, 7-08 Rem & .44 mag. All bought new and they performed beauty fer me in both competition & hunting use. The 788 had a faster locktime than the model 700 and is a stiffer action too boot. Many fine silhouette rifles have been built on these actions and are still sought after by folks in the know. With today's machining methods, it would be an easy beasty to replicate & could even have the Brewer type barrel fixing & a trigger like the 783's. Fook, I'd scoop one of those!:cool:
 
I removed the safety and the trigger appears to be free but the sear won't budge. I hit it with some break cleaner and will let it soak but I suspect I will have to remove the whole assembly. As for the stock it's in pretty good shape. It has a few small dings and scratches but no cracks. It just needs a bit of a face lift. Yeah it's ugly, if it turns out to be a tack driver maybe at some point I will spring for a nice Boyd's. With all the positive comments I'm looking forward to getting it out to the range.
 
Ed Smurf said:
I have a 788 in 308 left hand model all I could afford in 1972 on a student's budget..and only one I could afford in LH.
Click to expand...

I picked up a lefty 308 last year, been saving up for a lightweight build. Ordered a carbon six barrel through mystic a couple months ago. Hopefully shooting it by early fall. One other thing about the rear locking lugs, is by design the overall length can be shorter with the lugs moved rearwards. Probably part of why steyr went that route.

The only thing I don't love is the bolt and the bolt throw, feels more reminiscent of a lakefield/savage MK II than a rem 700, I might have to modify the bolt.

I have a steyr model M (rear bolt lugs as well) and the 788 is a shorter throw, but the steyr definitely cycles more naturally. Actually, I realize now i have almost only rear locking lug bolt actions, the steyr, a JW-105, a couple enfields, a savage B mag, a lakefield mk ii, mossberg bolt shotgun...
 
I was finally able to get out and shoot it today and I'm disappointed with the results. After a few rounds sighting in at 25yds I moved out to 100yds. While a few shots grouped at about an inch I had several fliers which opened things up to 2" or more with the American Eagle 50gr JHP. Hopefully it's just the cheap ammo. I will try a couple of other loads to see if the groups tighten up. Other than the balky rear lugged bolt I really like the gun. Hopefully I can find the right load to make it the 1MOA or better rifle I've read it should be.
 
Try a basic 55gr softpoint such as Federal blue box, Sierra Gameking.
Another worth a shot that is readily available is Hornady Superformance 50gr Vmax (or Varmint Express 50gr Vmax).
If you can’t get these to shoot 1”, you might not have much to work with.
 
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