Author Topic: Remington 788 (Read 4318 times)

holahead · « **on:** August 15, 2009, 08:09:56 PM »

What is about the going price for a Remington 788 in 243 or 6mm in decent shape. Thanks

bighoof · « **Reply #1 on:** August 15, 2009, 09:54:18 PM »

Gunbroker has got some listed from 500-800 dollars.

BBF · « **Reply #2 on:** August 16, 2009, 05:57:41 AM »

another low cost rifle discontinued that shot despite the rear locking lugs so well that it made the more expensive models of that company look bad.

mannyrock · « **Reply #3 on:** August 16, 2009, 07:14:28 AM »

It is not hard to find these at large gunshows for between $450 and $550 in .243. The 6mm seems to command about $100 more.

A great rifle. My only complaint is that they are a tad heavy. But, for a strapping young guy, certainly not a factor.

Regards,

Mannyrock

holahead · « **Reply #4 on:** August 16, 2009, 08:03:14 AM »

Thanks

JW/OK · « **Reply #5 on:** August 16, 2009, 05:49:24 PM »

Seen a friend pick up a 243 at a Tulsa gunshow couple of weeks ago for $400.

BBF · « **Reply #6 on:** August 17, 2009, 05:21:09 AM »

I had one in 308, passed it on to my SiL who put a plastic stock on it. Shot good then, shoots good now. The original owner( not I) had the 18 1/2 inch barrel Magna Ported. She was a bit loud and loaded up with BLC2 powder had a heck of a muzzle flash. Who cares !! The groups were excellent.

mrbigtexan · « **Reply #7 on:** August 17, 2009, 05:42:11 PM »

excellent shooters, i really like mine.

the lone gunman · « **Reply #8 on:** August 18, 2009, 11:04:54 PM »

I had one in 222 ,But as a foolish kid I sold it cause it wasnt as "Fancy" a gun as some friends had. Could kick myself every time I think about it. I had won it on a $10.00 raffle ticket. Im thinking at the time it was around $100.00 brand new. Worth much more now for sure.

holahead · « **Reply #9 on:** August 20, 2009, 07:14:50 AM »

I saw one last year in 6mm almost mint for $325.00. I was buying a gun when I found it I was just wondering around while they called in my info. I could not put it down and I wanted it some kinda bad. I knew my wife would pitch a fit if I come home with two rifles so as bad as I hated to I put it back in the rack. I thought about it all night and all day at work. I finally said she is just going to have to be mad. So when I got of work zoomed over to the store and as my luck would have it was gone. My gun store is really a drug store. The fellow that owns it is like most of us a gun nut. He has a corner of his store with about 15 or 20 guns some ammo hunt clothes scents and the like. Anyway I asked what happen to the 788. He said he took it in on a trade and the more he looked at it the more he liked it so he decided to just keep it himself. I offered him $350.00 for it but he said he wanted to hang on to it. Just my luck.

chucky52 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 20, 2009, 07:44:55 AM »

Got one new in 1976 (.243), my son has taken it and will not give it back. I'm gonna surprise him, it's a college graduation present. He has possession; but, I actually did pay for it; so, it qualifies as a gift. In fact, I found the original receipt. I paid $119 @ J. C. Pennys (on my JCP credit card because I had to pay it off). I now have a gun safe, the boys don't get the combination!

hunt-m-up · « **Reply #11 on:** August 20, 2009, 11:24:59 AM »

Saw a .308 for $450 a few months back @ Cabelas, went back a few weeks later and it was gone...coulda, shoulda, woulda...was in excellent shape. Also had one in 6mm 15 years ago and sold it for a prettier rifle, wish I had it back.

JW/OK · « **Reply #12 on:** August 28, 2009, 04:50:03 PM »

Found a 788 in 30/30 last week at another Tulsa gunshow. Has the finest walnut stock that I have seen on a model 788. Original blue probably about 95% overall. Bought it for $475, seemed to good to pass up. Like I told the little woman, I need a couple of good guns to leave the grandsons someday! She just smiled and shook her head.

vdubluv · « **Reply #13 on:** September 05, 2009, 05:05:09 AM »

I just traded a scoped NEF Handi-rifle for an early 788 in 308. It's got heavily figured wood (beech?sycamore?) like I've never seen, crisp light trigger and one piece scope base installed. Metal is at least 85-90%. Even the safety is tight. I then found an old Westernfield 3X9-33, japanese made scope at the pawn shop ($23) and mounted it on with Burris rings. 4 shots of Lake city ball later, 2 to sight in, last two touching in the black at 40 yards offhand. Got about $280 in the whole thing.

poncaguy · « **Reply #14 on:** September 26, 2009, 04:33:48 PM »

I got a 788 6mm for $350 from a pawn shop 2years ago. Was about to sell it because it was shooting 3" groups, then I remembered it had been a year ago since I shot it and didn't clean the barrel after a lot of shooting, kinda forgot about it. So I gave the barrel a good cleaning and, presto, 3/4"groups now.

I had 2 new ones, 22-250 and 6mm Rem when they first came out, very accurate rifles, better than my Rem 700, but broke the bolt handle off the 22-250 trying to eject a handload and so I sold them. Regretted it ever since................only dislike are they are kinda heavy, like to find a synthetic stock for my 6mm............

slayer · « **Reply #15 on:** October 31, 2009, 02:13:41 AM »

What do they look like? I like heavy rifles.

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #16 on:** November 04, 2009, 08:57:41 AM »

Most are about as ugly as a mud fence! Plain hardwood, blueing ain't all that and that clip hangin' down just digs in your back when it's slung on your shoulder. Terrible! I'M TELLIN' YA!!!

I'd buy another one in a heart beat just so ya'll wouldn't have to be seen with one! Particularly in 243! I've gotta hunt a-way back in the woods so nobody sees my ole 308 and would do the same with a 243 if one of ya'll wants to let it go cheap.

I saw a lefty 222 a couple of months back. Thought long and thought wrong! It was gone the next day when I showed up with money in hand!

HWD

OH yeah! For the unknowing of ya...DON'T LOSE YOUR CLIP! They bring premium prices!

John R. · « **Reply #17 on:** November 27, 2009, 03:45:36 AM »

I bought one in 7mm/08 in 1983. I couldn't telll you how many deer I killed with it. I finally retired it for a Rem 700 LSS in 7mm/08.

TLARbb · « **Reply #18 on:** November 29, 2009, 02:59:01 PM »

Quote from: slayer on October 31, 2009, 02:13:41 AM

What do they look like? I like heavy rifles.

I like the description Jim Carmichael used for the Remington 722/721. "Plain as a picked chicken." "Trigger guard is a piece of crooked strap iron." Plain walnut on the earlier guns and beech/birch on the later ones.

That said, pretty is as pretty does and these rifles will shoot with the best.

Remington went that same route with the economy "Sportsman's" series Models 74 (semi-auto), 76 (pump), and 78 (bolt).

EJ

Fasteel · « **Reply #19 on:** December 15, 2009, 07:15:14 PM »

I have 2 of these, one in 222 an early model with a walnut stock, and the other with a fine piece of walnut as well in 30-30. Both great shooters, and fairly collectable. FS

hunter4life71 · « **Reply #20 on:** December 20, 2009, 11:34:56 AM »

I bought a 788 243 for $400.00 a couple of months ago. I have never had a rifle with a trigger pull that felt this good. My dad owned several 788s in his younger years and still kicks himself for not keeping his 6mm. He says it was the most accurate rifle he ever owned. I loaded up some handloads for 243 using sierra 85 grain HPBT over 43 grains of 4350 and gettin 1 inch groups. Gonna experiment with some more loads because I think it can do better, but if not thats plenty good for hunting. Mainly bought the rifle because they do not make them anymore, and for the kids to have a rifle to deer hunt with when they are old enough.Personally i like the way they look not fancy or pretty but like a huntin rifle. Shot a spike with it in November to try out my load and he did not care for it at all. Dropped him in his tracks and turned his heart and lungs into complete jelly.

DennyRoark · « **Reply #21 on:** December 22, 2009, 08:24:18 AM »

A couple of years ago, my dad finally let me have the .308 he bought when I was in high school. $99 at GI Joe's in Portland in 1974. The .243 (mine) got lifted from his truck while I was in the army. He also got a free new Leupold VX-II from an older neighbor lady who worked for them, for some handyman work. What a combo, what a price! It will shoot 1 1/8" groups all day long with 150gr Winchester PP's. It gag's on Silvertips, tho. If I could get rid of most of the trigger creep, I'm sure I could get it under 1".

bomtek44 · « **Reply #22 on:** January 02, 2010, 04:17:55 PM »

Bought my 788 in 1980 for $167.00......it is a 6mm, with a 22 inch barrel.

Here she is, still looking pretty!

And here is a three shot group at 100 yards with 85 grain Sierra HPBT Gamekings!

This ugly old girl ain't for sale......for any price!

bomtek44

bubbinator · « **Reply #23 on:** February 03, 2010, 08:13:22 PM »

I found my .222 in a AL gun/Bait shop several years ago for $300. It shot about 1" nice round groups with PMC 50gr.(222B) ammo. Didn't like Rem .222 much. I JB'd the barrel, glass bedded the action and free-floated the barrel. now with a 50gr. moly Nosler SB, Win 748 load it will shoot 5 into a dime @ 100 yds. A feral dog bothering my chickens didn't muck like it either when it stopped to look bad at me across the pasture at 325 yds +/-(laser-ranged later). It is not for sale. It has a T/C Hunter 3X9X40 scope.

Three44s · « **Reply #24 on:** February 07, 2010, 06:02:35 PM »

My 788 is in .22-250 rem.

I bought it used from a gunshop on consignment for 175.

The owner was in there and I got to talk to him. When I asked him how it shot ...... he cussed it!

A good friend of his was with him and he told me that gentleman was a huge SAKO fan and never liked anything but the Finn guns.

The story was that every group they shot was about four shots under an inch but with one flier out of five ...... opening up to just over one inch.

I wanted a 'ote gun and had been searching far and wide for a good used .22-250 so I took a chance.

Now at 175 bucks I figured the worst I could do was have a decent tractor gun.

I had that even with factory ammo but as I handloaded for it over the next several months I found what bullets dropped 'otes and what didn't.

Along the way I had my gunsmith work over the trigger. After a while it started shooting through the safety. I had him install a Canjar single set trigger.

Now the 175 dollar rifle had 160 more bucks attached to it ...... it became a 335 dollar rifle with one HELL OF A TRIGGER!

My load testing became more productive and in fairly short order ..... I had a rain or shine .......... five shots into .420" rifle ....... When the barrel go dirty .... those groups opened upto ...... .520" for five shots.

That rifle and I killed on boat load of dogs!

One day, the accuracy went south ...... big time!

And it's never been back.

I'm looking for another barrel ........ me thinks that a custom is in order .....

........... does a Canjar set trigger on a 788 deserve anything less?

(I know the coyotes would disagree)

Three 44s

Dances with Geoducks · « **Reply #25 on:** February 07, 2010, 07:36:12 PM »

My Nabe has one in 22-250 with dies for $550

No one has taken him up on it yet

ourway77 · « **Reply #26 on:** February 25, 2010, 06:28:20 AM »

I've seen them for 3-5 hundred at 3 hundred a steal.Years ago when Remington introduced the 788 it wasn't long for hunters to realize they were fantastic shooters and thier sales of 700 went south, so to get the 700 selling again they discontinued the 788. I had a 223 that would shoot 5 shots at 200 yards under a dime., but like all that i've owned I found a rifle i liked better. Sako 223, a really nice rifle but doesn't shoot any better than the 788. Every one I have come in contact with who owns one all have nothing but praise. lou