Fellas

I have one of these fairly rare pieces and folks tell me they are hard to find so I searched GA and GB and only found 1 piece on each site. Does some one know where I can find out how many of this caliber were made.
The serial number on my gun is 0269XX

Regards Greg

Good find...

have you thought about just contacting Remington customer service?

Thanks J

Just went to rimfire central and clicked on Remington and there is a post in the stickys called Rem gun history. Takes you to the Rem website and a page that is all about discontinued guns, click on rifles and then the model number and Viola every thing you always wanted to know about the 788.
Looks like mine was made in 1967 as the first model number was 010001, my number being a 02XXXX would have been very early in the production of the 788's. FS

what a nice practical rig...

I'd enjoy one, to set up shooting 110 grain V Maxes, with a 1.5 to 4 power scope on top... for calling coyotes with...

or 110 grain Sierra HPs...

They REALLY shoot cast lead [gas check] like they mean it!!
MP

I'm missing something on 30-30 bolt actions. What niche are they filling? By this I have several thoughts. I realize they can shoot pointed bullets--so what? Why not a .308? I consider having pointed 30-30 bullets around as a hazzard--they could end up in wrong gun. Then again, I don't understand the why's of a bolt action .308. The beauty of a .308 being a short cartridge will work better in actions other than bolt than what a 30-06 does, but if your not using that and using bolt, why not 30-06? 110 grain bullets mentioned, I found them to be right there with 150 grainers in both blast and recoil.

What is it that limits the envelope of your thinking carpet?

They are cheap junky rifles that normally shoot like a house a fire, most incredibly accurate, but I wouldn't waste my time on them as a collectors item..just shoot it and enjoy it, go win some turkeys.

sr4759--My point is I don't see the point.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
sr4759--My point is I don't see the point.

Why the .30-30 when you could have the 308?

Well ----

Why the .22LR when you could have the .22Mag?
Why the .22 Hornet when you can have the .223?
Why the 7mm-08 when you could have the 7x57?
Why the 250 Savage when you could have the .25-06?
Why the 308 when you could have the 300 Win Mag?
Why the 35 Remington when you could have the 35 Whelen?
Why the 45-70 when you could have the .458?

So there you have it.

However, the real reason is that wearing a couple of bandoleers of .30-30s over your shoulders looks really cool and when you try that with the .308 the cartridges just keep slipping out.

well said

Greenadier--You ask several questions and I'll answer some. Why the .22lr when you could have a .22 mag? Easy--.22LR economical to shoot--the mag doesn't compete with a cast bullet in a .22 centerfire and it's cheaper to shoot the cast bullets in the centerfire. why the hornet when you can have a .223? If limited to one, I would take the .223. Why 7mm-08 when you could have a 7x57--I agree take the 7x57. Why the 250 Savage when you could have a 25-06? Why not take a .257 Roberts if you want .25 cal and if you want 25-06 why not get a .270, I think the .270 will better do anything the 25-06 does. Why the .308 when you could have the 300 win mag? Easy lot less blast and recoil and cheaper to shoot. If you want an action other than bolt, the short cartridge .308 works better. If going bolt--get 30-06. If you need more than 30-06 a faster .30 is not the answer--you need a bigger bore. .300 win mag not part of the equation. Why the 35 Rem when you could have the .35 Whelen--no answer go for the Whelen. Why the 45-70 when you could have the .458? I'm not leaving North America, so I don't need bigger than 30-06---those two out of the picture.

Good on you, Mate...some people have ALL the luck...

WHY ask WHY, fer Chrisake? 788's were built for a specific market...no different than todays Savage Axis POS'es...so what if they were "junky"...THEY WORKED. I think the line got dropped because once the accuracy facts were known, the 788 became a threat to the 700 line.

Define "junk"...one man's junk is another man's diamond.

My family has had 3...a 22-250 I shot untill the OEM barrel went south, then I turned that into a 250 AI for my father after he bought a 308 and couldn't handle the recoil because of health reasons. He gave that one back to me a few years before his death and gave the 308 to my brouther. They're still shooting...they've been restocked, rebarreled and refinished several times over...they have their quirks just like ANY OTHER RIFLE and I wouldn't sell or trade ANY of them.

I would like to find a cheap 788 in 30-30, but they ARE scarce and the asking price is much more than what I think they are worth...so THAT in itself makes them "collectors items".

I would like to find ANY cheap 788 just for the receiver. They're stiff as a preachers neck, small cutouts for mag and extraction port and make excellent small to medium caliber, highly accurate, easy to 'smith shooters.

Maybe someday they will ALL be collectors items...people collect match books and bottle caps AND dirt.

It never ceases to amaze me what will cause people to jump up and down and squall like a cat whoes tail just got run over.

You have free choice...if you don't like something you don't have to buy it. WHY badmouth something you have no cares about?

I agree SR4759...!!!! Some folks realy DON'T get it.

Luck

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
sr4759--My point is I don't see the point.

My point is your imagination seems to be limited.
Just because you do not understand something you have not used does not make it unlikely to be fun.
Shooting for many has nothing at all to do with hunting. If you only see through a hunter's eyes you may wind up with a view that shooting for the hell of it is no fun.

My first deer rifle was a 243 in 788. Then one day I drove home from Jacksonville Fla on the back roads, so I could take my time, and stop in the pawn shops and gun shops, to see what they had, and drool. It was an all day event. I liked that route. It passed through Waycross, then either to Valdosta or Tifton, whichever, and then north through the small towns along hwy 41. Lots of places to stop and look.

Anyway, I found a 788 in 30-30, with a pretty walnut stock, and just had to have it. The price was good too. So, I gave the guy a deposit to hold it, and went on home. I sold the 243, and took that money to buy the 30-30, which was my only deer rifle for a long time. I wish I hadn't sold it later. The 30-30 was a fun rifle to shoot, because it was super accurate, and perfect for the places I hunted deer, down on the creek bottoms, piney woods, and hardwoods.

Today, I have more than one 308, so at the price the 788 30-30s are bringing, I doubt I'll get another one. But thinking about some of those hunts with that rifle brings back some good memories.

KB

I ran into my 788 30-30 used in a Western Auto store. It cost $65 way back then.

they made them in 30-30 and 44mag, for the cool but rare ones..

i haven't seen one that wasn't a great shooting rifle... some are exceptionally accurate

i'd have one in 30-30, but i wouldn't spend more than 400 for it.. i'd take a beater for 200 ...

now, a 243 or 308 beatup 788 would get a 358 barrel on it...

I've got one in 30-30, without a bolt. Would sell the gun or buy a bolt whichever comes first. Anone got a 30-30 bolt for one they would let go of?

Jim

One of the few guns i ever owned that I wish everyday that I had not had to sell off was a 788 in 44 rem mag. Bought it new, forget what I paid for it, under $200.00 I believe. just checked on gun broker they have a new unfired one listed for $1200.+. It was a fun gun to shoot and would do a number on deer and coyotes.

Nah my not understanding it does not represent lack of imagination. It represents that I did think about it deeply and it didn't make sense to me. Vast imagination. Obviously someone built it and people bought it so it made sense to someone else. That doesn't mean I'm bad mouthing it--it means I don't understand the reasoning behind it. In this situation, only one reason has been presented. It looks cool to have bandoleers swung across and the 30-30 bullets will stay in better than .308 bullets. Great for some. Wearing a bandoleer doesn't fit the script for any of the movies I have starred in. Guns for hunting only? If that was my view would I reload? How much ammo is actually used just for hunting?
I do have a neighbor with a 788 and I don't recall if .243 or .308 but I think .308 --either way it's missing the bolt. He's odd to deal with and if anyone interested, send me PM and I will check what he's willing to do if anything.

Not knowing anything about your neighbor, other than he's your neighbor, I can understand why you think he's odd to deal with.

KB

Often, if a fellow has a rifle for sale that lacks a bolt, it means the rifle was stolen. I know that getting a replacement bolt for a 788 is gonna cost as much as the rifles is worth.

I knew a guy once upon a time who had several rifles without bolts. After his wife moved out, and the dust settled, and divorce in process, he discovered one of his favorite rifles was mysteriously missing its bolt. After pondering and searching likely places for a few days, it occured to him to check his other rifles. All his bolt action rifles were missing the bolts.

I didn't hear the conclusion to the story, or whether this wife used the bolts as a bargining chip, or ever admitted it, spite alone being enough for her.

That's pretty hard core, IMO.

KB

I have a new extra, 788 LEFT HAND bolt with a 243/308 bolt face.

Now, that should be a rare extra bolt to have!

I do have a RH 788 chambered in .243, mom and i bought it for my dad many years ago, and he shot a lot of nice bucks with it, it's quite accurate.

I now have it back, and one of these days i'm going to shoot a deer with it.

DM

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
what a nice practical rig...

I'd enjoy one, to set up shooting 110 grain V Maxes, with a 1.5 to 4 power scope on top... for calling coyotes with...

or 110 grain Sierra HPs...

Well I loaded up some 110gr Sierra bullets and they shot great at the range at 100 yards, my last group had 2 cutting the same hole. The 110gr sierra is the same size bullet as the 130gr Speer. FS

quote:

Originally posted by Bohica:
They REALLY shoot cast lead [gas check] like they mean it!!
MP

In the early days of the Cast Bullet Association the Rem. 788 30-30 was a consistant winner in factory bench rest matches

Jim