Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 788 in 308 thouhhts

Think I might be able to get one for the money is it worth the buy or get a Mohawk? Would do a tikka but no short barrels
Thanks

I'd rather have a 600 Mohawk than a 788, but I'd do so knowing that I would need to buy the CVMW bottom metal from Willie Manning. What can I say? Tinkers gotta tinker.

I've had several 788s in 308, even had one that was set up as an unauthorized sniper rifle when I was in the Army. They do tend to be accurate, but I don't love the detachable magazine protruding below the bottom of the stock.

I have owned more than a few 600/660 308’s. Most were Mohawks. I really like them. My friends usually pry them out of my hands. The one I have now will either be on my estate sale or one of the kids will get it. I prefer the bottom metal that 260 wrote about, but this one is the one that came with it.
788’s are OK. I have two. But the 600 Mohawk is much better in my opinion.

in my opinion, 308 is the easiest caliber in the 788 to find. I would prefer an early 700 carbine in 308 myself, but they are not cheap or easy to find

True. I grabbed the first one I had seen locally laying on a table and it happened to be in good condition and at a good price. Fall of 2022 I paid $450. This is how it came, now wears different rings and scope. I also got a very good condition 7mm-08 carbine, but I believe I paid $600 or $625 for it about a yr earlier.

I have a soft spot for the 788 because my first centerfire rifle was the 788 in 30-30. I traded a 788 in .308 to a friend since I have several .308s in other models. The “problem” for the 788 and the detachable magazine is how limited you are with COAL. The magazine, especially in the 30-30 is pretty constrained. Even 150gr spitzers are generally too long to be used in the 788 magazine. I’ve had excellent accuracy with it and it is not finicky in regards to various bullets and weights. As a kid I had several boxes of Accelerators and surprisingly they were actually pretty damn accurate too, accurate enough for a 11 year old boy to hit jackrabbits and cottontails on the run and a scaled quail at 78 paces. That rifle and I became 1….it’s currently upstairs resting but she’ll always reside with me.

I picked up a Remington 788 chambered in .308 couple of weeks ago and it has been refreshing to shoot. Can't wait to hunt with it.

Like Aces above, my very first Deer rifle was a 788 in .308 Win. My Mom actually had to buy it because I was too young yet. My Dad won 6 boxes of Remington 180 RN Cor Lokt's at an estate sale and that rifle loved them! Honest .5 MOA rifle with them. For quite q few years that rifle and I kept the family in Venison.

Still have it. In fact, I found one of the magazines a few days ago and it still had 3 rounds of the old 180 RN cartridges in it!

Frog----OUT!

788s are shooters, especially with a little bedding.
The slightly extended magazine does not really cause any problems.
Second mag allows for quick reload if you find it necessary.
My 2 cents from working with 4 or 5 of them

I cut the barrel on a Tikka 308 to 19"and recrowned the muzzle. Did it at home at ZERO cost to me. I figured I had nothing to lose and if it didn't shoot well I could always pay someone to cut another 1/4" off and redo it. It shoots just as good as before.

IMO the 788 was a good rifle for the money when introduced. There are better rifles today and I won't pay what they want for 788's. Magazines can be hard to find too.

They will out shoot most rifles but need trigger work to be really good.

The 788 is A decent reasonably priced gun that will last a lifetime and do most anything you need

They’re cheap rifles that often shoot very well. Even at 18, I decided the 600 was a bit nicer, so ponied up the extra $15 or so for one of those, useless plastic vent rib and all. Many have an attachment for both models based on nostalgia and also their performance, but current budget rifles are better choices from a practicality standpoint, with lots of aftermarket support, and equal or better performance, plus modern cartridge choices and barrel twists.

No way would I choose either over a Tikka. Barrels can be cut.

I’m another with a soft spot for the 788. Mine, in .222, bought in spring of 1967, was my first really accurate rifle with which, it seemed, I could hit anything at any distance. I still have it.

Today, I would grab one in .30-30 (just because I’m currently jonesing for a.30-30) but probably no other caliber.

IA fog;
Top of the morning to you, I hope the weather is seasonally appropriate and survivable for you all out east and you're well.

With apologies to those who've read and seen these previously from me, I'll say this about that.

Over the years I've tuned 3 different 788 .308's in my shop and when I was shooting a wee bit of hunting rifle bullseye competition lost money to a few more, one in 6mm and one in .7-08 that I recall not wanting to shoot against.

My competition rifle back then was the most consistently accurate rifle in the safe, my wife's 788 carbine in .308 that I'd restocked, bedded and tuned the trigger.



Shooting 130gr Speer HP with a max load of WW748, with a few different shooters it would hold to ½" groups with a 6X scope, which was the maximum magnification for the match.

It used to rankle a few of the other competitors that I'd bring it out as a "club rifle" with a box of 50 handloads so others could borrow it. Of course that meant I lost to the rifle I'd brought to the match fairly regularly.

Years later this one came into the shop in a trade, with a broken trigger which is the weak spot with them in that the bolt stop is a pin in the front of the trigger assembly. When it shears off, unless one can remake the pin from scratch, one is looking at a new trigger. We installed the one from my wife's rifle in this one, put a Timney in hers which was a nice improvement and it shot 3 test rounds into an inch as seen.



An old friend wanted it for his step father who was left handed, so it went to a good home after I'd finished the stock with a walnut grip cap and a brown Decelerator.

Besides the rear lugs which some folks can't get past, it's a reasonably stiff receiver because of the single stack mag and not too large ejection port. They had a fast lock time too as I recall.

Back when as well I recall reading about the odd one that the bolt handle would come out on, it's silver brazed in so surely that could take place if it's not a great job, but I also suspect that hot loads and beating on the bolt handle in some cases were contributing factors.

As to whether it's better or worse than a Mohawk however would be down to a personal call.

They're fine for what they are or were at the time, but they were the Ruger American of the day more or less as I remember them.

Hope that was useful to you or someone out there.

Good luck on your rifle quest whichever way you decide.

Dwayne

My 788 308 is one of the few I'd really like to have back. Cast or jacketed, it performed well.

I am unfamiliar with this. Did Remington market it as a Carbine? What length barrel did it come with originally? What date range was it?

The picture Shade Tree posted looks like a generic stocked oldy but goody, quality barreled action Remington was known for in the 70’s.

Why not a Remington 673?

Dwayne, that lighter colored stock left hand 788 is a beautiful rifle. Thanks for sharing!!! I am down to one 788, a rifle I purchased last year when I got lucky and found it at a small mom and pop shop. It's chambered in 30-30, which is what I'd look for, instead of a common 308win. I like it because it's unusual. While not nearly as cool as the Winchester 54 30-30, it's still pretty cool. The last left hand 788 I had was a 6mm rem, and that rifle was a shooting machine. Scarry accurate with just about any bullet you put in it.