I have a 788 in 222 that serves me well for what I need it for.
I keep reading about bolt handle issues with this gun and wonder if I would be best served to have someone TIG it on before it fails or wait and see if I keel over dead first?

I don't shoot it a whole lot and if I need more juice, I'll get a 223 so I don't hot rod the duece either.

I'm not concerned enough to do this to any rifles that I own, but if I were concerned I'd do the modification where it is just drilled and tapped and has some cap screws installed.

Louis,
I'd say just use your rifle as is...
Sure, some have broken, but far more (99%?) are still plugging along after - what - 60 years?
The bolt handle attachment on a 788 is, well, interesting. They are not conducive to the screw fix some do with the 700. And, there are some really hard surfaces involved, that may not respond well to the tig process. Don't go borrowing trouble. Use it, don't abuse it, and you should be fine. JMHO,,,,,,,,,Bug.

"It it's not broken don't fix it". They are not hard to fix if they do break but the vast majority do not break.

The one that I did see break took part of the bolt with it, so tigging won't help. Like was said before, just use it and don't abuse it and you'll be fine.

If you need an unfinished factory straight handle I got a bag full a long time ago from sarco they were a little too short to do much with.

I'll follow the general consensus . . .
I will leave well enough alone.
Thanx all.
lb

TC

Over a span of a number of years I have had quite a few Rem 788's in my shop with the bolt handle broken out. All of them that I remember was traced back to one cause. They shot a round with too high of pressure, locked the bolt up, then beat on the bolt handle or forced it in some manner to get it open.

I had only one customer who was smart enough not to force the bolt when it was stuck and brought it to me. I removed the barrel, then the stuck case and reinstalled the barrel.

When I repaired the ones whose owners werent quite as smart I thoroughly cleaned everything and re attached with low temp solder like Brownells force 44. There are quite a few out there that have never came back.

It is easier to stick a 788 bolt because of the rear locking lugs. When a high pressure load is fired the bolt flexes leaving the cartridge case bearing extremely hard on the bolt. Sometimes when someone would not size the case sufficiently it would exacerbate the problem.

If you stick to factory loads or if you handload keep the pressures at a sensible level you should not have anything to be concerned about.

quote:

All of them that I remember was traced back to one cause. They shot a round with too high of pressure, locked the bolt up, then beat on the bolt handle or forced it in some manner to get it open.

Exactly the same case in my shop.