Hi mabe you can help me. i have a mod 788 in 308 the problem i have is the fireing pin hits the primers light it does fire all standard ammo and reloads . it will not fire the millitary ammo . i have taken the bolt apart cleaned inspected the spring and pin and reassembled . still does not fire millitary ammo could the spring need to be replaced or am i missing somthing . thanks Bob

Bob, I would suspect that either the spring has weakened over the last 20-30 years or if the spring checks out well check the interior of the bolt itself. Right up in front where the firing pin goes through the bolt face, crud accumulates and acts as a cushion when hit by the firing pin which weakens and shortens the strike.
I have a M788 in 308Win (Lefty) and just had the firing spring changed out of it about 6 months ago. When I compared the old spring and the new spring I was surprised to find out that it hadn't changed tension all that much. I know that one time the bolt stayed cocked for over 5 years.

thanks i will take the bolt apart again and check one more time .Bob

Bob;

To take the bolt apart, close the bolt (cocked)and insert a paper clip, or something similar in the hole near the back of the bolt and open/remove the bolt! Make sure that the pin goes all the way through! At that point, you can unscrew the bolt itself and out comes the firing pin and spring!

Another interesting note is that on the left hand guns, the threads inside the bolt are left handed too.

Something else that should be noted... doesn't all of the mil-surplus ammo have harder or thicker primers to prevent slam fires?

thanks for the good information.and yes the primers are harder but the gun should be able to ignite them? i did take the bolt apart again just to check if i missed anything. did not find and dirt or foreign objects no excessive grease or oil either also cleaned again and only used silicone spray .the only thing i did notice is the spring does rub the sides of the bolt when removing it or inserting into the bolt .could this be a problem or is this normal . thanks Bob

That's normal on an older 788, at least all mine do the same thing. Also check your pin tip while you have it out, I've seen that cause problems as well. FWIW - Dan

I have a Mod 700 that won't fire the Wolf machine gun ammo but about every 4th round. Primers are hard for machine gun use. Its in 223 of course, so its not just isolated to your 788