Remington 788 .308

[TexasPatriot.308]

as ya'll can tell by my handle, I am a huge .308 fan. I was cleaning out one of my safes and pulled out a Remington 788 in .308 I hadn't fired in years. It has a 1:10 twist and was wondering what bullet performs the best in this particular rifle. I have a Ruger Precision rifle that shoots dime groups with 150 grain ammo, and older Ruger M77 that shoots 180 grain well. I tried both in the 788 (got a Leupold VX III 4.5 x 14 x 40 on it).....after boresighting, the 180 grain was all over the place, 150 didn't do much better...next try will be 165-168 factory loads....any input ??

 

[SwampWolf]

after boresighting, the 180 grain was all over the place, 150 didn't do much better...next try will be 165-168 factory loads....any input ??

I like the 165 grain bullets best in my .308 (and 30-06) rifles best in terms of the general ballistics. But if 150 and 180 grain bullets are landing "all over the place" from your Model 788, I don't think switching to a different weight bullet is going to make your rifle much more accurate. I'm guessing that either your shooting technique or something with the rifle and/or scope setup needs changed. And I'd look first at the scope and the scope mounting platform.

 

[LoonWulf]

What kinda groups are we talking about 2-3 4-6 larger? If they are larger than 2-3" Id suspect something more than just not liking the loads used..
All screws tight on both gun and scope/mounts etc?
Scope known to be fully functional?
Is their wierd pressure on the action or barrel anywhere?

If your screws are tight, the scopes good, and you can't find any other issues, I'd try shoving a business card under the barrel right at the front.
If that tightens up groups, you probably want to look at the rifles bedding and barrel channel inlet. Unless it suddenly makes it shoot REALLY well, I'd suggest bedding the action and floating the barrel.

 

[Poper]

My 788 carbine in .308W did exactly the same thing. It previously shot just about everything well and some a little better some days. Usually about 1"-1.5". Then after an extended period in the back of the safe I brought it out and it's accuracy was not at all what it had been. Discovered the action screws had come loose. The rear screw wasn't even finger snug. I can't explain it, but it did happen. I removed them and reinstalled 'em with some blue lock-tite at the correct torque and all is as it should be. I hope your issue is just as simple.

Oh, BTW, my 788 has a marked preference for 130 gr. bullets driven with IMR4064.

 

[jmr40]

A 1:10 twist should be fine with any weight from 150-220. Probably closer to ideal with bullets 165 and up. I have rifles with 10, 11, and 12 twists. They all shoot any bullet weight I've tried in them equally well, it is only when you get to extremes on both ends that you run into problems. I wouldn't be as worried about the bullet weight as much as which bullet. If it didn't shoot well with one brand of 180 gr bullet, then try another brand. Or more likely the problem is elsewhere.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I shoot daily with anything from a .17hmr to a variety of .308s including AR10 frames, Ruger No. 1s and bolt action .308s. My pastures are infested with feral hogs so just a daily chore for me. Like I said this old rifle hadn't seen daylight till couple weeks ago. I guess a trip to gunsmith is called for.

 

[LoonWulf]

Might wanna just check the easy stuff first, could just be a change in the action screw tension.

 

[Dr T]

And...My M788 in 6mm Rem started shooting a lot better after I floated the barrel. All over the place to me implies that there is uneven pressure on the barrel after it starts heating up. But, check your screw tension first.

 

[SamT1]

Make sure the barrel is still floated. Sometimes sitting a while can warp some stuff. That tends to push shots around bad.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

did some minor adjustments, shot Hornady White Tail 150 grain, a whole lot better....think I'll still take to gunsmith let him shoot it see what he thinks, I think I will make this my 2nd go to rifle behind my old trusty Ruger M77 .257 Roberts...

 

[LoonWulf]

I actually really like those 788s, ive only seen a few here, and they were all beat up and rusty.

 

[SwampWolf]

I think I will make this my 2nd go to rifle behind my old trusty Ruger M77 .257 Roberts...

I bought mine in 1975-still one of my favorite rifles.

 

[Slamfire]

I tried both in the 788 (got a Leupold VX III 4.5 x 14 x 40 on it).....after boresighting, the 180 grain was all over the place, 150 didn't do much better...next try will be 165-168 factory loads....any input ??

It is my opinion, the bedding is shot.




My Rem 700's the stock had a deliberate pressure point at the fore end tip.

Relieved pressure point at fore end



I drilled big holes in the stock, poured bisonite down the holes, which once cured, act as pillars.



Poured epoxy down to threaded nut



routed wood around pillars and filled it up with bisonite. Final bedding job is so sloppy looking, I do not want to show it.




Before at 100 yards, the action slide in the stock and had a wide left to right shot movement





Glassbedded 100 yards


glassbedded 300 yards



If you are like most people, you want a simple fix. You want to go to the Auto store and buy a can that has on its label "Miracle" , pour it in the crankcase, and because it is miraculous, expect that it will fix the worn bearings and low engine compression. I am going to say, there is no Miracle can of anything that will fix poor bedding. Every Remington wood stocked rifle I have owned, the bedding was poor and it did not improve with age. With every Remington rifle that I bedded, and free floated the barrel, group consistency improved.

 

[Scooter22]

I have to agree that it's the scope or bedding. The 788 barreled/action has always been a tack driver even in the factory stock. Everyone believes it was discontinued because it out shot the M700 at a 1/3 of the price. I have a factory 1974 .223 that puts 5, 50-62 grn bullets in a nickle at 100yds. The factory stock does touch firmly the left side of the barrel. But I'll leave it alone. Also have a factory 7mm-08 18" carbine. That puts 5 shots of 140-150 grn in a quarter at 100yds. Simple, plain guns that out shoot most of the best offered.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I bought mine when I was a senior in high school for about $125 seems like at Gibsons (another chain store that Walmart killed off), I see 788s at gun shows and they seem to go from $400 to $600. Great rifles, I just neglected mine for the last few years. Too bad my very experienced gunsmith died a couple years ago, that man was a wealth of knowledge.

 

[WVRJ]

The 788 stocks are not the best.The early guns had walnut stocks,the later ones were birch.Either wood can "settle" over time,causing the action screws to loosen.Also,they had pressure points in the forend and a little stock warpage goes a long way.I got tired of my 788 22-250 shifting its zero every couple months and went with a synthetic stock.Sadly nobody makes a high quality synthetic stock for the 788,so I took an old HS Precision that I took off a 700 long action and reworked it to fit the 788.My groups shrank to .5 to 1 MOA and it stays put as far as the zero is concerned.They are incredibly accurate rifles,especially if they are in good tune.

 

[darkcloud]

Had a 788 in 7mm-08. It was the most accurate sporting rifle I have ever shot. #1 check the scope mounts and make sure the scope is good. I have had both those issues on other rifles. Next I would free float the barrel. It is possible the stock could be affecting the shots. After that tighten the stock screw and us some loctite on them. For a 308 I would use 165 for general accuracy and performance.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I would love to buy a couple more 788s...one in 7mm 08 and another in .22 250.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I would love to buy a couple more 788s...one in 7mm 08 and another in .22 250.

If you are looking for another 788, make a trip to Tulsa for the next Wanenmacher gun show.

The last one, a few months ago, was positively infested with 788's. I bet I saw 3 dozen.
Probably 10 in 22-250, a half dozen 308, some 222 Rem., some 7mm-08 too.

I came home with one in .30-30. A first year production, with a walnut stock and a Japanese Tasco 4x.

 

[Yhunter]

as ya'll can tell by my handle, I am a huge .308 fan. I was cleaning out one of my safes and pulled out a Remington 788 in .308 I hadn't fired in years. It has a 1:10 twist and was wondering what bullet performs the best in this particular rifle. I have a Ruger Precision rifle that shoots dime groups with 150 grain ammo, and older Ruger M77 that shoots 180 grain well. I tried both in the 788 (got a Leupold VX III 4.5 x 14 x 40 on it).....after boresighting, the 180 grain was all over the place, 150 didn't do much better...next try will be 165-168 factory loads....any input ??

37.5 gr of varget under a 175 gr sierra match king gives me excellent results out of my remington 788 308, 21" barrel. 6 shots with one flyer, very pleased