Author Topic: rem788.share your stories (Read 1913 times)

spispeza · « **on:** September 07, 2004, 02:05:09 PM »

i bought one in 6mm.with a ring in the barrel but still shots 1in.to 2in. 3 shot groups or less.also a 308,but havent shot it yet.always loaded speer 90gr.bullets.with h414.gun fits me pretty good.it has killed alot of muleys,whitetailand anteope.i have this gun as a loaner.people who have used it always got their game.it mustve killed 50 or more big game animals

mjbgalt · « **Reply #1 on:** September 07, 2004, 02:17:53 PM »

my uncle has one in .22-250 and it shoots like a $10,000 gun.

He has just a cheap tasco 4x32 scope on it and I watched my dad put 3 shots at 50 yards that we covered on the target with a dime.

George Foster · « **Reply #2 on:** September 08, 2004, 01:58:48 AM »

I have two 788s, one in 6mm that I bought new in 1976 and a 22-250 that I bought used last year. The 6mm has a custom barrel and stock on it now and the 22-250 is factory. Both rifles will shoot 3 shot groups of less than .5 as long as I do my part. For a good many years the 6mm was my combination woodchuck and deer rifle and I have killed over 20 deer with it. Now both of my 788s wear 4-12x scopes and are used only for woodchucks.

Chuck White · « **Reply #3 on:** September 08, 2004, 04:04:24 AM »

I bought a 788 in .223 Remington, back in 1976!

I put a Bushnell Banner 3-9X32 scope on it and used it for prairrie dogs and target shooting when I was stationed in South Dakota!
That rifle really shot nice, and still does! 400 yard prairrie dogs were no problem, off of a Harris Bi-Pod! Also, I used to shoot aspirins off of the target barricads at 100 yards!
I sold it to my brother about 20 years ago to use for his truck gun! A lot of varmints and deer have fallen to that rifle!

NOTE: I still get to shoot it once in a while!

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #4 on:** September 11, 2004, 07:14:23 PM »

Bought a used one in the late 70's chambered for the .22-250
It would stretch the cases and I had to do a bit of shim work to it.
Know what though? It would hit a 300yd crow ten out of ten times. Not to mention one of those large targets like a yote.

oso45-70 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 12, 2004, 01:01:24 PM »

Spispeza,
I have owned a number of 788rem.s and all i can say, The worlds uglyest
Best shooting gun going. They are almost bullet proof, Like the timex, Take a lick and keep on ticking. I took a lot of coyotes to their happy hunting ground with a 243 win in 788 rem rifle. Best of luck to all.....Joe........

cfmpilot · « **Reply #6 on:** September 12, 2004, 03:11:36 PM »

I bought a .222 Rem and a .22-250 Rem back in the late 70's. Both are deadly accurate. I installed aftermarket triggers on both. The .22-250 had to be re-barrelled; I literally shot out the throat using it in prairie dog towns
in the midwestern U.S. Great rifles!!

John R. · « **Reply #7 on:** September 16, 2004, 09:56:14 AM »

I bought a 788 in 7mm/08 in 1982. I killed many deer with it and won a few bets before retiring it when I bought a M700 mtn. rifle in 7mm/08. I took it out the other day to blow the dust out of the bbl, three shots, 100 yds., 7/8ths of an inch. can't wait till my daughter is ready to shoot it. :-)

njanear · « **Reply #8 on:** September 18, 2004, 03:03:40 PM »

I "bought" my 788 .308 carbine for $219 back in 1981, complete with a Tasco 4x scope (I was 14 at the time - Dad got it for me with my saved money) - now it wears one of those little Bushnell 1.75-4.5x scopes. That little rifle has been with me since and has harvested a few deer. It is very accurate with Coreloct 150s and always has been; I keep saying that I am going to try other brands when I get done shooting the last bit of ammo but I still have a box left from way back when (I never get to the range and only rarely hunt anymore).

The last opportunity I got to hunt with it was a few years back and with it, I scored on two Georgia does with 3 shots within seconds. My Dad and a fellow hunting partner didn't believe it was me at first because they said it sounded like someone had used a semi-auto but I was the one with two deer to their 0; that little short action is pretty darn quick when you are motivated. Now, I am sure you are asking, why 3 shots? Short version - 3rd shot was to be for the 3rd deer but the 2nd didn't know she was dead and I didn't want to risk losing her so I fired a security shot and the 3rd one didn't stay around to find the last chambered round I had for her.

Do I love this little rifle? Yep. She isn't going anywhere soon.

riddleofsteel · « **Reply #9 on:** October 24, 2004, 02:53:20 PM »

I noticed a 788 Remington in 6mm Rem on the table at a gun show in 1984. I worked up a quick deal with the dealer and walked away with my prize. Two booths down I noticed it had no magazine. I went back thinking he had it under the table. You guessed it, no mag. To add insult to injury he told me it was bought "AS IS" and he was not interested in refunding my money. He and several rather unsavory characters sitting with him were still laughing when I walked off. A check of EVERY dealer at the show revealed that 6mm Remm 788 mags were rarer than hen's teeth! I went home a bit dejected and called Remington. They gave me the address of a gunsmith in Pennsylvania that modifies 788 mags. Almost $100.00 later I had two 6mm Rem mags.
However, the joke was on the dealer. This little gem shot consistent sub MOA groups with almost every load I fed it. I finally settled on the 90 grain Nosler partition for deer. It would shot four of them into one ragged hole so often I grew to expect it. This is all with a cheap Burris scope in Weaver mounts and zero bedding. As a matter of fact I never even removed it from its ugly wooden stock for fear of distirbing its MOJO.

ajj · « **Reply #10 on:** October 27, 2004, 03:26:36 AM »

Mine is a 30-30, found at a gun show about eight years ago. The accuracy is almost unbelievable. I've used it some for cast bullet postal matches but mostly as a "trainer" for high power silhouette. Lots of rounds down the barrel. It gets a lot of attention at the range. Knowledgeable shooters can spot it a mile away and just nod and smile when they see the groups.

armory414 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 28, 2004, 11:35:35 AM »

I have a .30-30 that is like new, so haven't shot it much, but it's a shooter. So's my .243!!!

james · « **Reply #12 on:** November 04, 2004, 08:48:17 AM »

I bought my first 788 (.308) at the 2nd ever Walmart store in Rogers, AR in 1971 for about $80 including tax. I took untold Arkansas whitetails with it and a few coyotes. One yote was on the opposite side of a square 40 acre field. (440 yards). I didn't realize how good it was until I saw other folks shooting all over targets with their high dollar magnum rifles. They learned quickly not to bet against the kid with the ugly rifle. I have taken a few antelope and bear with it, rather than use my more expensive Browning, Rem BDLs, or Tikka. I have confidence in the gun built up over a life time. I wish I had another just like it. I found a 6mm in a gun shop in Cheyenne Wy a couple of years ago for $325. After putting a scope on it, my brother and nephew both took an antelope with it. It seems to be as accurate as my 308.
James

gewehrfreund · « **Reply #13 on:** November 05, 2004, 02:25:47 AM »

I had a 30-30 back in the late 70's/early 80's that had very nice wood and shot very well. Wish I were smart enough to have kept it, but there's always something new to try for us rifle loonies.

Bart Solo · « **Reply #14 on:** November 28, 2004, 05:01:24 PM »

My first wife and her father bought me my remington 788 in 6 mm back in the early 70's. I have used it to hunt deer and antelope. Butt ugly, but it just flat shoots. Two stories. Back in '85 I took it on an antelope hunt in Wyoming. My four buddies and I spent hundreds each on the hunt. Our plan was to spend a week. First 5 minutes of the first day we encounter the game warden for that area. He checks our rifles and our paperwork, and then he turned and pointed up the hill from which he had come. He said, matter of factly, "over that hill is the largest antelope herd in the whole world. Good luck." My buddies and I looked at him and at each other. We grabbed our rifles and walked up the trail. Over the ridge was the largest antelope herd in the world. Within 5 minutes we all shot our antelope. Mine went down like it had been struck by the hammer of thor. It didn't take a step and was dead before it hit the ground.

Second story, ten years go by. For whatever reason I haven't done any hunting. Heck I haven't done any shooting. A buddy says that he wants help with his brother's 270 Remington 700. Needs somebody to help him bore sight the thing. I put the 788 in the back of the truck and we drive to the rifle range. My buddy is right, the 270 was way off. We finally got it sighted in. He looked at my old 788 and asked if it could shoot. I took it out of the case. Aim (from a bench) at the target 100 yards down range. After 10 years I figure I'll be lucky to hit the paper, but I didn't tell him that. I pulled the trigger. My pal peers into the spotting scope and calls dead center. Without saying a word I put the gun back in its case. Damn thing can shoot. I still have the target and he is still in awe of that rifle.

Several years ago my son started deer hunting. He got bucks every year but this year. This year I decided I wanted to go hunting again. I spent a weekday in his stand. Unfortunately, the old Universal Scope that came with the gun isn't waterproof, and I am going to be buying a new scope before next season. Any suggestions.

Don't worry about taking the action out of the stock. Sometimes you just need to do that to properly clean a rifle. You can always go back out to the range and check the sighting.

Oh, I have just bought my son a Savage 110 in 30.06. If you are going to own one gun, a 30.06 is a good choice.

d-man · « **Reply #15 on:** April 22, 2005, 04:01:57 PM »

Hi guys

I have collected every caliber in the 788 almost twice over now and a few of the calibers 3 or 4 times. I manage a decent sized sporting goods store and could buy any new gun at cost and have seen many nice rifles over the years (also have tried a lot of different ones).

The remington 788 keeps me coming back and I will probably always stay with them! Many of my good friends and customers spend thousands of dollars on custom built rifles. Many of these don't shoot one lick better than the 788's.

Right now I have 788's in 221 fireball, 223, 243, and 308. This group of rifles are all TACK DRIVERS! I refinish the stocks and I really don't mind the looks all that much. The .243 has a synthetic stock on it and a shepard scope. This combo has been my favorite coyote unit over the last 9 or so years.

Anyway I love the 788!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

D-man

Coalminer7 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 23, 2005, 04:44:12 PM »

d-man,
Want to sell any??

Coalminer7

d-man · « **Reply #17 on:** April 30, 2005, 05:15:13 PM »

Sorry Coalminer

At this time I don't really want to sell any.

I am looking at a little piece of ground to buy and if I go after it I will then have a lot of guns to sell LOL.

If I do i will let you know.

Thanks
D-man

jro45 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 26, 2005, 07:18:26 AM »

I had a model 788 in 22-250 I bought at K-Marts for $85.00 shot many ground hogs then one day I got a loaded shell stuck in the chamber so I took a piece of wood and taped on the bolt to get it to come down. Well it came down and the handle was broke off the bolt. So I called Rem about this and the women I talked to said send it back and we'll send you a new model 700. Well it ended up costing me $300.00 thats not bad cause a new rifle at that time in the 700 model was costing around $600.00.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #19 on:** June 27, 2005, 07:17:36 AM »

Sounds like a sad story JRO (somewhat).

james · « **Reply #20 on:** June 27, 2005, 11:00:18 AM »

I found another one! :-D My daugher and I had been turkey hunting this spring and on the way home we stopped by a small gun shop. I immediately spotted a 788 in .223 among 20 to 30 other long guns. The bluing was near perfect and the stock had only minor indentations. The Tasco scope and sling were nothing special but I couldn't resist at $300. I already had a 700 BDL in .223 so I told my 12 yr. old daughter to tell her mother this gun was hers. So far, daughter hasn't shot her gun but I have it shooting one hole groups of five -(in case she ever wants to). I'm going to glass bed the stock on the 700 because its bullets hardly ever touch and often are about an inch apart. I love those 788s.
james

260 AAR · « **Reply #21 on:** June 30, 2005, 06:34:03 AM »

I have several of the 788s but my all around favorite is the 44 Mag! I love to go out and shoot against guys with their "accurate" rifles. Free lunches are a good thing. One of my 44 Mags is the short carbine model and a pleasure to carry and use for the short shots at the little Blacktail deer hereabouts. My 30-30 is incredible too. All of them seem to shoot better than I can shoot most of the time.

Aloha, Mark

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #22 on:** June 30, 2005, 05:54:05 PM »

Sounds like ya got some good guns (you're kidding, right?)

:-D