Would it be practical and/or a good idea to use a Remington 788 as a platform on which to build a custom rig? More specifically, I have a 22-250 that I bought from Snowcat (Thanks Snowcat) and I was wondering if this would be a good project rifle for a custom 22-250 or 250 Ackley?

This is the first 788 that I have ever owned. I would love to hear some of your opinions on its worth as a custom rifle action.

Thanks,
X

I'd get rid of it myself. Remington's 788 was a short lived venture in a "cheap" bolt action. The bolt handle was electro-welded into the bolt body with a brass/copper compound. It breaks. I've had three 788's in for repair with a broken off bolt handle. The last was in for a scope job and the handle broke off while I was chambering a round for bore site confirmation.

The action design is real slick and a solid design. That bolt handle problem though is just too much to accept. My two cents.

Eric

x-caliber
If you follow Eric's advice, let me know I may want it. Fine stiff action. Some folks even say the reason they quit making them is because they were so much more accurate than the 700.
By the way any gunsmith worth his salt can reweld the bolt handle while it's in to be barreled, for $40 or $50 bucks extra. Maybe less if you haggle.
Also I just finished a m700 in 250 AI. that would be my vote for chambering.
Good Luck
Shawn

x-caliber,
The 788 is an interesting firearm to customize and it has its good points and its bad points.

Biggest problem in my estimation is the trigger. But than can be remedied with a CanJar aftermarket trigger. If you wish to keep it with the clip, best you stay with the 22-250 cartridge or a standard 250 Savage. To go to an Ackley version is going to require modification to the clip and is usually unsucessful.

You stated "custom rifle...." Just what did you want this custom rifle to accomplish?? Varminter? What? And---how much do you want to SPEND? If you are happy with 3-shot groups of around 0.75 to 1.25", this can usually be accomplished with minimum expense. Tell us more about what you want to achieve.

Ol' John

Thanks for the replies guys.

Hondo John, you said:

quote:

---

If you wish to keep it with the clip, best you stay with the 22-250 cartridge or a standard 250 Savage.

---

Can you modify the gun to use it without the clip? In other words, can a floor plate or a blind magazine be used?

To answer your question as to the primary use of the rifle...I mainly want to use it as a varminter but I would like for it to be able to serve double duty as a backup deer cartridge. My caliber of choice would be .243 Win, but since I'm limited on length due to the magazine, I thought that a .250 Savage or AI version would be better.

Thanks for your insights.

X

WAIT A FRICKIN MINUTE!!!!

The 788 is THE most accurate version of the 700 series, prior to the PSS, and excluding the xb40.

It is simply THE SINGLE FASTEST LOCK TIME of ANY mechcanical ignition bolt rifle, PERIOD

Now, if you want, you can certainly modifiy it for no clip... simply order your stock with a blind bottom, and you can "make" your clip short enough to work... that's EXACTLY the tack that savage takes.... it's a lot more to it than that, but that's the direction.

It feeds like berries through a goose...

It's lightening when you have the sight picture and the trigger breaks over...

and it SHOULD shoot in the .5s or less, from the factory.

I don't like the clip myself... but some do..

It's a FINE platform to do a semicustom on, yourself...

jeffe

I own a blevy of 788's and they're good rifles. Accurate to a fault, and about as well built as any assembly line firearm out there. Clips can be lengthened, clip shoulders can be widened/moved, the rifle can be fitted with a blind magazine. There is also an adjustable trigger available from Timney for a lot less then Canjar's. The Canjar is a better trigger, but it also costs two to two and a half times as much as the Timney (depending on options). - Dan

I have two 788's that I have used for years. One a 308 that is going to rebarreled for the third time. The action has in excess of 10,000 rounds through it. The other one was a 222 that I shot the barrel out of and had it rebarreled in 223. Both rifles shoot sub .5 MOA. I never had a bolt handle break off. There is not a lot of after market bells and whistles available for them but they are good solid platforms to build a rifle on. I have 3 long range guns built on 700 actions but my 788's are my every day shooters.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Straight.....RiverRat

O.K.

Thanks for the replies guys. I feel comfortable using the 788 as a custom platform.

Nuther question:

Can this particular rifle, presently chambered for 22-250 be modified to work without the clip and chambered for the .243 Winchester? If so, I would like to buy a McMillan stock for the project. Then what would my options be? Would I have to have a blind magazine like the "ADL" or could I install a "BDL" type floorplate? I just don't know if I could order a stock from McMillan for the 788 that would work with a floorplate.

I'm confused!!

Thanks again guys!!
X

It would be a snap to build a filler block to turn it into a single shot .243 if that's what you have in mind. A slew of benchrest rifles have been built on the 788 action that did that.

There have been folks who shortened the factory mag to two shots and built stocks in which the mag fit flush.

Trying to build a blind magazine that could be loaded from the top is not a job I would touch. My fingers are too big. Just for giggles, try loading a cartridge into the clip with the clip in place. That'll give you an idea of what you are up against.

[ 07-29-2003, 20:22: Message edited by: Leftoverdj ]

As far as the bolt breaking problem goes, the factory used low temp solder to attach the bolt. I broke my handle off when I fell on mine and just got it repaired at Wisner's. LeeRoy re-attached it with 90,000 PSI silver solder and it looks great. The other options are MIG and TIG welding if the welder is real good. Do not let anyone get near it with an arc welder. The rear lugs of the bolt are located too close to the bolthandle for arc welding and you'll soften them with too much heat, (that's why the factory used low temp solder).
BTW, LeeRoy has on his website that he will be making new 788 bolts in both right and left handed for anyone who's worried about theirs and the first ones should be available this year.

[ 07-29-2003, 23:56: Message edited by: Fjold ]

The magazine is a little to short for the 250 Sav. However in the past we have cut the front of the magazine, and welded it longer for the 250 Sav.

If you are going to use it as a single shot no problem then.

There are two sizes of bolt plug threads. The old one is 5/8 x 24, while the new style is 9/16 x 24.The smaller dia added some metal to support the root of the handle.

The replacement bolts are coming along, we have 150 bodies to take to the heattreater later this week. Once they come back then the handles are attached and the bolt plug threads milled. It looks like about another 3 weeks before we have all the parts to put them together.

Jim Wisner VP
Wisner's Inc

as far as accuracy goes I don't think in all my reading I have every heard a negative comment about the 788. Saw a guy with an old 788 at the range a while back he said the barrel was pitted I looked at his targets 1/2" groups all day long

You might want to get some Varget and Ballistic tips and shoot that rifle before you change anything. A Timney trigger (should be available this month) would help tremendously.
Guys spend 10 times what you paid for that rifle to get the kind of accuracy it routinely produces, seems a shame to mess with it. Hell, it hasn't even been bedded yet! Just do some shooting before you decide finally on tearing it down into something else. Enjoy!

Hi Snowcat,

John Ricks is a gunsmith that posts on this site and is the guy who built a 788 that I have now. It has a McMillan stock that has been converted to a single shot. It was also converted into a switch barrel. I am very impressed with the looks and quality of this rifle. It shoots like a dream. This gun has a home and is never going to leave. In other words, It's a keeper. His web site is web page[/URL=http://home.earthlink.net~rifles/

Ask John about your project. He can design and build just about anything you want. I hope this helps some, Ed Coffey, The Big Dog

I have never heard of or seen a broken bolt on a Remington 788! I guess one person breaking three is... puzzling!
I have owned quite a number of them and usually just traded them for "mad gun money" profit! I had one once that I wish I had back! It was a 30/30 Carbine. Yeah never sell a gun - only buy! But alas I bought a 243 Model 788 5 weeks ago at a garage sale here in SW Montana. I got it for a bargain price with a 4X scope. Metal mint wood slightly marred in a few places. Not wood gouged but finish marring. Bolt face showed very little use. Word of mouth spread about my Rifle and many people that know me began "feeling" me out about selling it. I had promised it to a friend with 4 daughters that are Hunters and he ran on hard times and could not complete the purchase. I sold it last week to another acquaintance making $100.00 on it.
I attended the Wisdom, Montana Gusnshow yesterday and saw a 788 in 223 (no scope) for $375.00 and a 30/30 Rifle for $575.00. A 44 Magnum 788 sold but I did not get the selling price on it.
The 788's reputation is solid out west here and the Rifles seem to stand up to typical "Montana Rancher - bounce around in the pickup and 4 wheeler use" amazingly well. Countless 788's I have seen in calibers 222 and 223 banging along year round as a Coyote getter in pickups, tractors, snowmobiles and quads - never heard of the broken bolt syndrome! Again I have never heard of this broken bolt problem with the 788's before but I will use due caution in the future. Lesson taken in!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

X-caliber,

I had a .243 Win, 18" bbl 788 which was nicely accurate but produced no where near .243 velocity. 100 grain Winchesters @~2500 fps. It is now a 22/250 AI.

In this incarnation the 788 has a canjar trigger, a stock magazine (22/250 AI cartridges feed fine from 243 and 308 magazines with no modification.

This combination will shoot sub .75" groups at 100 with factory 22/250 loads fire forming and shaves a couple of tenths off that if I manage the gun and read the wind correctly.

Just don't get too carried away with the custom work, and you will have a nicely accurate, low cost accurate rifle.

Slow 788's? I wonder if it's that common. I've chronographed my 788 in 308 Win a lot over multiple choronos over 20 years and it typically runs 100-150fps slower that all of the reloading manuals say.

My 788 is in 7-08 and is accurate even with a 18 1/2" barrel and slow to. But I've not seen anyone address the rear lock-up bolt. I thought those were a lot weaker than the front lock-up. BM