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Post by bteague on Dec 2, 2014 18:22:20 GMT -5
I picked up a couple of Remington 788's last week. 243 and 223. The .243 is as beat up a rifle that I have ever had. Someone did a real hack job on the bolt handle repair. It has a 4X32 Weaver scope that looks older than the rifle. But what a shooter. It shoots under an inch at 100yds. Using Winchester soft point 100grn bullets. I was really surprised. I have not shot the .223 yet. But it is a much nicer rifle. I am thinking of barreling this one. Chamber will be .357 maximum rimless. Now if I can find one in 30-30.
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Post by jims on Dec 3, 2014 16:16:04 GMT -5
I have always heard they were excellent shooters. I would like to find one myself but I do not see them often.
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Post by dannoboone on Dec 3, 2014 17:47:50 GMT -5
I have always heard they were excellent shooters. I would like to find one myself but I do not see them often. A lot of 788 owners accused Remington of discontinuing them only because they matched or outshot the 700's of the day. I inherited my Dad's in .22-250. It accounted for hundreds of prairie dogs, a few coyotes, and scores of deer. It will do 1/2MOA with its favorite round, but has to be shot as a single shot because the magazine isn't long enough for that round. They are very good rifles, but usually way overpriced by those wanting to sell.
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Post by bteague on Dec 3, 2014 17:53:44 GMT -5
Some people do want a premium price for sure. But I have been patient. I picked up the 243 for $250. And I traded for the 223.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Dec 3, 2014 18:57:32 GMT -5
At camp, between all the guys, there are 3 of these old guns. A 22-250, 6mm and a 308. All ugly Betty's and all beat up and well worn. All of them are great shooters. Hate the stubby bolt but can deal with it I guess. As for value? I would pay a lot for a great shooting ugly Betty than a new POS plastic stock garbage gun at Walmart. Sorry.
On the 22-250 it must have a slow twist. 55 gr bullets will not shoot. Put a 40 gr noslet BT in there and it's a Herman one holer.
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Post by 7mmfreak on Dec 3, 2014 20:23:00 GMT -5
My dad bought one for his first rifle after he married my mom. Having grown up with a carpenter grandfather, and woodworking father, he re-finished and checkered it in a multi-point, skip-line pattern. It has a similar look to osage or mesquite and until I started working in a gun shop and saw a few more I thought that is just what a 788 looked like. It always shot well but I eventually put a Leupold VariX-III 2.5-8x36mm in Redfield mounts to replace the el cheapo Bushnell scope in Weaver mounts, a Timney trigger in it to get rid of the factory unit which was heavy and mushy, and pillar bedded it for him and now it is a rock solid, repeatable shooter. A couple of years later it got a Pachmayr Decelerator to replace the plastic butt-plate. The only thing left to fix really (and there is no real solution) is the cheap stamped bottom metal. In a way I guess it is like polishing a turd but it was his first deer gun and I killed my first deer with it so it isn't going anywhere. The actions aren't particularly smooth but the lock time is REALLY fast and they tend to shoot well.
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Post by bteague on Dec 3, 2014 20:24:45 GMT -5
I think the 788 in 22-250 had a 1in14 twist. 223 was 1in12. 243 was 1in9
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Post by dannoboone on Dec 4, 2014 0:07:58 GMT -5
Yes, the .22-250 is a slow (1:14) twist. This one will shoot Hornady 55gr SP's just over and just under MOA. Where this one shines is 50gr Blitz Kings with RL15, and gets down to 1/2MOA when seated too long for the magazine. Wish I could get it to shoot that well with bullets seated deeper, but they then group a little over one inch.
My Dad believed in heavily oiling the outside of the barrel and action. There was not a speck of rust anywhere, but over the years that practice ruined the stock. Oil had seeped through the wood grain clear down to the butt and I tried every trick to get it out to no avail. So now it wears a Boyd's Classic, but looks very impressive. Also put a Timney in it.....agreed, the factory trigger was poor, but it surely drew a lot of blood even at that.
Billy, that was a good price, and the ol' girl could be made to look very good, I'm sure.
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Post by bteague on Dec 4, 2014 0:17:55 GMT -5
Danno. Can you post a picture with the Boyds stock?
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Post by dannoboone on Dec 4, 2014 23:19:13 GMT -5
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Post by dannoboone on Dec 4, 2014 23:23:54 GMT -5
Afraid I'm a little rusty both with the camera and posting pics. At the time I got the stock from Boyds, there were just limited productions for the 788 and they came unfinished. Sanding wasn't bad, though.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Dec 5, 2014 5:54:00 GMT -5
That's d**n sexy Danno. d**n sexy.
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Post by bteague on Dec 5, 2014 17:31:16 GMT -5
Very nice. Whats the model name of that stock?
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Post by dannoboone on Dec 5, 2014 18:02:15 GMT -5
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Post by rossman40 on Dec 14, 2014 23:47:21 GMT -5
If you find one in 30-30 at a reasonable price and willing to re-barrel the .375 Winchester is an option. Pretty much just a barrel switch and your should still able to use the same magazine. I gave a qoute on doing one back in the spring when guys were exploring the options for the Buckeye PCRs. If you went with a rimmed 357 Max on a 30-30 or .44 Mag bolt you may have to make a new extractor.
The 788 was a sleeper. With the rear locking lugs it elminated the bolt raceways in the laoding/ejection port area. The single stack mag allowed for a narrower magwell cut. Since it was mag fed the loading/ejection port is smaller. The barrel tenon was much longer then the 700 with slightly smaller 1" thread. All of that made for a stiffer action then the 700. Trigger was simple and the safety sucked, stamped metal floor plate and trigger guard and later models had some pretty cheap wood, like the Express shotguns, I seen better wood used to make pallets. Still a few were used by the early benchrest/target crowd in the 70s.
I do not think it was SA or LA but more like two different action screw spacings, 6 3/4" and 7". The 788 was never chambered for LA rounds like the 30-06 family.
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Post by bteague on Dec 15, 2014 17:23:08 GMT -5
I will measure the actions when I get home.I do know the .223 bolt is shorter than the .243 bolt.
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Post by mrbuck on Dec 15, 2014 18:30:46 GMT -5
That is one very snappy looking Remington 788 !!
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Post by DHinMN on Dec 15, 2014 18:54:09 GMT -5
I've been a fan of the 788 for a long time. They just seem to get it done. I have a couple and in the last year or so i put on EGW one piece Picatinny rail bases on them. Makes a nice improvement for scope mounting. Brass seems to eject just fine.
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Post by bteague on Dec 15, 2014 18:57:39 GMT -5
the .243 is 5/16" longer than the .233. I believe that the .44 mag is even shorter.
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Post by dannoboone on Dec 15, 2014 19:05:09 GMT -5
That's d**n sexy Danno. d**n sexy. That is one very snappy looking Remington 788 !! Thanks, guys. I liked the way it turned out. It was pretty easy to do the final sanding and finishing. I was mistaken above when saying it was a Boyd's Classic. It was actually a total copy of the original stock. It was nice to be able to keep the same profile as the original.
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