Correct on low-end of the line.
The Remington 788 has a rear-locking bolt that employs 9 locking lugs, giving a short 60* bolt lift. This makes the rifle slightly faster to operate than 2-lug designs with a 90* bolt lift. More room for scope clearance and a substantially stronger lock up, AND because the locking lugs are located behind the magazine well, the bolt travel is shortened, all resulting in a stiffer action Equipped with a clip rather than an internal magazine, many hunters prefer carrying extra loaded clips to stuffing singles into a small loading port. Try doing this with gloves on.
From Wikipedia:
The second distinguishing feature is the receiver. It has a smaller ejection port than similar bolt-action rifles, and no bolt lug raceways. The single stack magazine design yields a smaller feed opening in the bottom of the receiver compared to rifles using a double stack magazine well. When machining of these smaller ports is complete there is more steel remaining in the receiver between the ejection port and adjacent feed port, and significantly more steel overall where all receivers have the least strength. These characteristics combined to make the Remington 788 receiver more rigid and stronger than most, if not all, competing designs, including the Remington 700 which shares the same outside receiver diameter. A rifle's accuracy tends to increase slightly as the rigidity of the receiver increases, as this slightly reduces barrel deflection during firing. Thus the Remington 788 has the structural foundation to be a very accurate rifle.
Less expensive, perhaps. Low end, hardly! Many savvy riflemen have known for years the 788 out-performs the 700 in almost every category, including accuracy. (it's just not "prettier")
DMc : )
