Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing "Overhaulin" a 788 I could never sell...

Need some advice from the experts.

On Christmas 1973 I found a Remington 788 .243 under the tree. I was already a loony thanks to all the gun mags in the Woodbury Central High library.

So had already been tellin' Dad for a year that the .243 was the Grail. Have killed many crows, groundhogs, feral "thangs" and one unlucky WT buck. It got its stock marred by old school rifle racks, being tossed around in trucks and cars vintage '60s through the Oughts. Even dragged throught the Sierra Nevadas when I was a boy airman.

Can't find the original iron sights I removed to make it look sleeker. Prolly shot less than 300 rounds through it in the past 37 years.

It looks pretty scabrous and I want to overhaul, weatherproof and do my best to shoot its barrel out on critters in the next couple years. Don't want to spend a ton o' dough, either.

But I'll never get rid of it.

Currently it has a 'fire bought 6x36 Leupy on it, but that's just for a minute.

Not sure if stock is birch (likely) or walnut. Considering dyeing it like some of the 10/22 loonys do ... some crazy color (faux McSwirly). Then trying to do an epoxy/oil finish on top. Making sure the barrel is freefloated, maybe a Timney trigger and then a big Leupy variable up top.

I need opinions and advice on how best to go about this overhaul. Has anyone turned their accurate sow's ear into a purty silk purse?

Have any metal dings removed, fill sight screw holes, cerakote. Stock's that I've worked on from 788's have been birch which can be stained. I wouldn't do the epoxy thing on a previously finished stock, so go oil.

ColdCase1984;
This is how my wife's much modified .308 carbine has ended up.


While it shot fine with the original stock, she decided a walnut one would suit her better, so I did this one up for her from a semi-inletted blank one winter.

I've bedded the action and barrel so there is contact with the first couple inches on the barrel and floated the remainder.

I ended up sticking her reworked original trigger onto a 788 that I was working on for another fellow this summer and installed a new Timney onto her rifle. The Timney went on without a hitch and although we've only tested it a bit, seems to be a nice improvement.

One of the things I've done on the few 788's that I've worked on is to epoxy on the bases, as I've never been comfortable with the single screw in the rear base.

Hopefully that was some use to you. Good luck on your 788 project whichever way you decide.

Regards,
Dwayne

Dwayne, that is a great looking 788! Karnis, thank you for your insight.

I'd it if appreciate anyone who's overhauled a 788 would post some inspirational pictures.

Considering some art on the stock, like engraving an image of my best whitetail's rack and skull (the one in the picture), maybe some coyote footprints: a la Scenarshooter's fabled .220.

Post some pictures of what it looks like now.

A pawnshop in my area has a Remington M788 243 that
is missing the clip and is pretty beat up, asking price
is 249.

CC, I have a buddy who had his 788 in .243 redone by a friend. He refined the factory stock by simply smoothing up some lines and contours, and dishing out a really nice flute at the nose of the comb for a fella's thumb padding to rest on. That always makes a rifle feel better for me. Then he just took some black crinkle paint, and spray painted it. It looks amazingly good. The bluing was still good on that gun, but if yours needs redoing, I'd suggest reading up on the hot water bluing method and getting some chemicals from Brownell's. I have Stan Lee's browning solution, I believe it is, and have used it with very nice results. Someone correct me if I got the name wrong. Too lazy to go check up on that tonight.

All the 788's I've ever gotten to know by shooting have been really great shooters. Another buddy has two, a .22/.250 and a carbine in .222. He loves them, and few guys with "nicer" guns would want to shoot against his 788's.

Unfortunately, most folks look down on the 788's, and those that DO love them want to get them cheap, so their resale values aren't good. That kinda' means that restocking or otherwise putting much $$$ in them probably isn't going to ever be recouped if you ever decide to sell it. For that reason, I think I'd just keep the factory birch stock, and do the crinkly paint thing. Wish I could post pics of my buddy'a 788, but I know darn well I'll never remember to take any pics of it. My CRS disease is the only thing I've got that's getting stronger these days.

BTW, those triggers aren't hard to take apart and work on, but of course they're not to hard to mess up as well. I don't know if anyone still makes replacement triggers for them, but if you don't know how to do a trigger job on one, take it to someone who does and I think you'll be pleased even more with the gun. Glass bed it, and it ought to shoot the eyes out of whatever's eyes need shootin' out.

Oh, and yes! Be sure to get a couple of spare mags for it. Sooner or later, you WILL lose one or more, and they're very hard to find unless there's been a run of them made, as I think there recently has been. Get 'em while you still can!

Hope this helps a little?

Yep, lost the mag for about 2 years. Gun hoarder. Ain't worried about ever selling this gift to me when I was 14. Just wanna make it look speshul, and kill a bunch of stuff with it after a fairly long period of sloth.

Put it in perspective, putting a 4.5-14X50mm AO w Illuminated Reticle on it. This dog will hunt!

IMHO, it already looks "special", as it got all those character marks through it's life with you.

You might consider an ebony grip cap and forend tip and a bit of checkering after refinishing. If done properly they can add a touch of class to the original stock without much expense.

Are you still in Woodbury?

I am in Spring Hill/Franklin/Murfreesboro/Woodbury all the time.

You know how the stock feels, wherever it lacks, strip reshape and refinish to fit you best.

Birch will stain, but it can be splotchy, you'll need to completely strip/sand it, use a coat of sanding sealer, apply stain until desired color is achieved, then seal over top.

RIT Dye has been used on a number of occasions using a large enough piece of PVC for the stock to submerge into, but any Analine dye would look good as well, look up "Trans-Tint" wood dyes.

Duracoat makes a Durafill to fill pits and nicks in metal, then have it Cerakoted.

You could also order a fresh stock from Stockys or Boyds. Unfinished runs about $89

I wound up putting mine in a synthetic stock only issue I had was mine would not shoot free floated had to have quite a bit of up pressure at the end of the stock as long as that was done it would shoot MOA or better. I love the little 788's killed many many wt deer with the 18.5 inch 308 win. Good luck on your project.

Kinda diggin' the Semi-Weatherby look of BC30cal's wife's .308. Wonder if anyone has those inletted for a 788 but with Weatherby style ingredients.

Savage2005, I split my time between my house in Murfreesboro and our 40 acres minus mule in Shotgun County.

I'm kind of a 788 freak myself. I have 5 of 'em, now. Willing to part with a .243 and a .22-250, though. Here are some examples of what I have done with them.


Rem 788 .243 Carbine. Desert Camo Scheme DuraCoat. Bedded, Floated, Trigger Job.


Rem 788 .22-250AI Coyote Brown and Tactical Black DuraCoat, Bedded, Floated, Trigger Job. A real tack driver, too!

These are for sale:

Rem 788 .22-250


Rem 788 .243

I also have a .308 with a synthetic stock and muzzle brake, DuraCoat Black Oxide, Trigger Job.
My Old Faithful is my 1st 788 in .223. DuraCoated Stripe Camo Scheme, Bedded, Floated, Timney Trigger.

I have a Richards Microfit Stock that will fit your .243. It is Black Walnut with Rosewood tip and cap. Monte Carlo comb and 2-1/4" Varmint Forearm. It's new and unfinished, just waiting to be fitted to a deserving rifle.

Now dat's what I'm talkin' about. Can you post a picture of the walnut stock, please?

I'd be happy to help with any stock finishing you decide to do. I work for a smith in Woodbury on occasion, so I am out that way.

Birch stocks with the Ritz dye treatment can look really good - if you're into that kind of thing. You mentioned the .22 loonies so I assume you've seen some of the stuff on Rimfire Central. Personally I think birch stocks look fine with a good tru-oil finish (or finish of your choice).

Take your time to choose what you want to do and find a picture of a rifle/stock that you want to copy and go for it.

Here's a couple of pics of the Stock. Go to my page for fitting, finishing, bedding prices, etc. www.centralazfirearms.com



Here is the same stock on an old Savage with 3D Thorny Brush DuraCoat Camo.


And the same stock without the wide Forearm on a Savage 110

Dang, saw another M788 22-250 for 299 at another pawnshop,
pretty rough though.

Not a bad price if the bore was good. Mags are still available for 22-250, as well.