The 788 was designed as an economy rifle to sell for less than the 700. The cost cutting areas are obvious - sheet metal, plastic. Turned out that the 788 receiver was somewhat more expensive to make than the 700's, this ultimately lead to its cancellation, along with the rather crude styling features. If the trigger is light, some one has worked on it. It is not adjustable, so maybe the sintered sear and/or trigger have been stoned. Primary extraction is not good, compared with other designs. Under load, bolt compression occurs, a result of the rear lugs. This causes case stretching; trimming and shoulder bumping will be necessary sooner than with other designs. They tend to lock up with hot loads. The bolt stop is a weak design, prone to shearing.
The major design defect is the attachment of the bolt handle. It is a butt joined peg, induction brazed to the bolt body. The bolt was redesigned to reduce the failure rate; it is still inferior to most any other design. You can spot this variation because the bolt handle is back swept slightly. The trigger guard assembly is inletted, instead of being surface mounted. I have re-attached at least 18 handles by silver brazing. Sometimes part of the body is torn out when the handle separates, making the bolt non-repairable. Stocks are sycamore or birch.
The action is stiff, the barrel a bit heavier than a 700's, and the lock time is excellent. The rifles have a well deserved reputation for accuracy. Bolt cycling tends to be clunky.
Getting parts is a sometime thing. Forget replacement bolts. Magazines are not easy to get. I have lots of trigger parts, except for bolt stops, having scrapped a number of 788s over the years.
Personally, I think $400 - $500 is way too much for one of these rifles. They shoot well, but there are lots of warts in the design.
