Now here's a post the recent rag writers will not like! Over the years there were rifles and ammo put on the market that died.
Some just did not fit in with the BS of the day. One fine example was the Remington 788. By no means a pretty item, but believe me they will shoot! A few months ago I picked up a late issue 788 in .308 Win in a gun trade. The rifle had been in storage for years and is about like new. After doing some checking with Alliant, I found their accuracy load was 45.5 grs of Re12 with a 150 gr. bullet. My friends in South Florida doing crop damage control are pushing the new Hornady SST bullets. After checking over the rifle, cleaning the bore, using some red rouge on the barrel and action......I made up some rounds. The rifle will shoot sub !" - three shot groups all day at 100 yards...hot or cold. Maybe you should check one out, but understand the custom rifle boys are starting to pick them up for their actions. Which, by the way, is larger in diameter than the Rem. 700!........James

Indeed, they are accurate rifles. Back when they came out, Remington advertised them as the perfect "Pickup Gun" if I recall correctly, with a photograph of a 788 hanging in the gun-rack of a pickup.

Those rifles proved to be some of the most accurate out-of-the-box bolt guns for the bone-stock rifle class shooters of metallic silhouettes at the time.

I had two over the years that I put in the keeper pile.... at least for a time, a .223 Remington and a 7mm-08 when that cartridge was an infant, introduced that year. Both guns were as you have said, sub-MOA right out of the box, with any reasonably developed handload.

I still see them at gunshows around here for $250-$325 depending upon condition and caliber. They indeed were/are great guns for the money.

My only objection with them is that they were fairly heavy for what they were, the action is heavy and the birch stocks are heavy, seems both my guns were around nine pounds plus with scopes and slings.

A trip to times past!

I concur. I bought a 788 in .223 and it Kicks butt!! i put five in a nickle at a hundred yards and 3 in a dime at 200. of course it has a kick butt douglas XX barrel, monster free float and sweet bedding. not too mention a 6-24x50 swift scope!

Can a 700 stock be retrofitted for a 788

True the 788 was an excellent rifle out of the box. Ive owned several over the years and Ive never seen one that wouldnt drive tacks. But the down fall of the 788 came from the bolt handle it was the weakest part of that gun. Our local gunsmith told me that when the 788's were out on the market and popular that 8 out of 10 that came in for repaire was for broken bolt handles and they had to send them back to Remington to be replaced. In his records he still has some of the old corespondance from Remington stateing that due to the large number of 788s they have on repaire for bolt handles there would be a three to four month delay in repaireing these rifles. And according to him it was long after this problem arose that they dropped the 788. So if you get a tight case or stuck case be easy on that bolt.

While there have been problems on the bolt handles, if I remember correctly it was one the two-piece bolts???????
Any good gunsmith that puts bolt handles on custom rifles could replace the handle or install another.
I did note that Ram-Line has black stocks for 788's......James

The problem with the 788 bolt is that where the handle is made on the bolt the wall of the bolt is very thin and its threaded inside. When the bolt handle breaks off it takes part of the bolt with it along with the threads for the shroud. When one goes it usally means you need a new bolt.

Man, that could ruin your whole day! I guess the moral to this saga is to keep pressures conservative and cases well sized to insure minimum bolt handle stress.

Just curious, but how much would a replacement bolt be? and would it have the same problems as the original with the handle?
-9r

The problem with a Ramline is that it is plastic, i would like a Laminate stock, i have found some, but they are hard to come buy and usually have a long lead time. If i could get a boyds stock and retrofit it, that would be slick

Just curious, but how much would a replacement bolt be? and would it have the same problems as the original with the handle?
-9r
Numrich gun parts list the bolts for the 788, they have a list price of $72. They will be just like the original. Dont get me wrong its a good rifle, its perfectly safe. I was just trying to make a point that I beleive it was a design flaw and it was the reason they dropped it. I know theres alot of hand loaders here I was just trying to give them a heads up on it. You really should do full length resizing instead of just neck sizing. and you should watch the extream chamber pressures. Not because of the safety of the gun but because you dont want to stick a round in that chamber. You could end up destorying a very fine rifle getting it out.

ShootnNut.......I think your comments on the 788 bolt are well taken.......I sure think so!
Your comments on sizing are also correct.
As for design flaws, we have seen more than should have ever gotten out!
I pulled the bolt out of my 788 and I see what you are speaking of about how thin it is where the bolt goes on the bolt body. I do wonder though if some of the problems did come from a extra tight fired case? I plan to watch mine now.Maybe we will get someone here that has had it happen?????
Best Regards, James

I have had a few stuck cases from rust in the chamber and haven't broken the bolt... ...yet. I know it is a possiblity so when possible, i try fire the round(if i haven't already) and remove the case by lifting the bolt handle and pushing/tapping the case out

I have to agree with the accuracy of the 788's I've had several and still have 3. I did have one 223 that just wouldn't shoot!!!! only 788 I have ever seen that didn't shoot sub-MOA. So far I have not broken a bolt handle. I heard Remington discontinued it because it out shot the more expensive 700. Probably not true but I would say my 788;s have out shot most 700's I have owned, regarding sporter weight guns anyway, so who knows. It sure was a fine inexpensive rifle and will be missed by me.