Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters remington 788 trigger

I have a remington 788 in 6mm rem the trigger is very stiff and apears to fire randomly is there anything i can do if not a option for a replacement trigger Thanks for any help

Well, that it "appears to fire randomly" is pretty damn scary.

You may want to contact Remington and have them look at it. But if the trigger has been modified in any way, I'm pretty sure Remington won't have anything to do with it.

Steve

Clean the crud out of the trigger. Always keep the barrel pointed at something you intend to destroy.

azelkhuntr;
Remembering my manners, I'll extend a welcome to you from a wee bit north of the medicine line.

Over the years I've had a few 788 triggers apart and I have one in the shop, but I'm going off of memory as I type this.

As I recall now, there are two pins which are drifted out to remove it. Once the trigger is removed, the sear portion and the spring that keeps tension on it can be accessed. That spring can be replaced with a lighter one to improve the pull substantially.

I'd start with cleaning the trigger out with something like brake cleaner and compressed air, then reapplying a good lube like Breakfree CLP, perhaps replacing the spring and then reassembling it. Please make sure you test for accidental discharges when replacing any components in a trigger - or doing any adjustments on one for that matter.

One of the downsides of the 788 trigger design is the bolt release is a pin that rises out of the front portion of the trigger housing. This pin is sometimes prone to breaking, so when you have the trigger out, do a thorough inspection of that pin. If it shows any wear or cracks, then I'd recommend replacing it.

I'm not sure who all makes replacement triggers now for 788's. We installed a Timney into my wife's 788 last summer and were very pleased with the quality of the unit.

Hopefully that was some use to you and again welcome to the 'Fire from the south Okanagan.

Regards,
Dwayne

Thank you Dwayne that was what i was looking for im going to check trigger later today if i cant see anything wrong i will look to replace it with a timney or equal. Also i just purchased gun yesterday so i am not going to shoot it again till i work out trigger issues.

Thanks again
Will

By "fire randomly" do you mean that the trigger fires at different weights of pull? Or do you mean that it may fire when closing the bolt or something along those lines?

If you wish to replace it I believe that Timney is still making a replacement trigger for them. Take a look at Midwayusa.com or Brownells.com to see if they carry them.

drover

Yes on both so i am assuming someone has played with trigger before so i think i will just replace it

Tinmney does make a 788 trigger, and it is a BIG improvement over the factory trigger.

azelkhuntr;
You are most welcome sir.

I should have added that there is really no mechanism for adjustment on the stock trigger, or at least none on any that I've worked on. That being the case, if the random firing issue can't be rectified by a thorough cleaning, then it does indeed need to be replaced.

I'm happy to hear JB has found the Timney replacement triggers to be an improvement as well. As I noted, we put a new Timney unit into my wife's 788 last summer and were very pleased with that one, but its good to hear others have had good luck with other units as well. I'm often reluctant to recommend a product when I've only played with one or two samples.

Again, welcome to the 'Fire.

Regards,
Dwayne

Thanks guys i am happy to have found this site been on it all day reading and learning

Anything is a big improvement over the factory trigger. Great rifles, just lousy, unajustable triggers.

There is a mod that can be performed to improve the factory 788 trigger. I did one and Brian Voelker in Iowa did another for me.
If you want me to send you the mod procedure, PM me and give me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you.
The mod amounts to changing the main spring, and drilling and tapping a second hole for a second spring for weight of pull.
Brian's fix is better than mine as mine was my first attempt, and I would do better the next time. Brian charged $65 PP to return it to you. He used the same procedure I have and used also.
But, given Timney now makes and aftermarket 788 trigger, I'd go that route next time.
The 788 and the 580 series triggers are the same design.

Don

I 2nd Mule Deer, I put the Timney on mine. Well worth the money. Also installed a bushing into the bolt face and installed a sako extractor, also well worth it.

I am going to renovate my ol' 788 .243 as a spring project. Guess I need to get a trigger pull gauge. Mine has a bit of creep but seems light and fairly crisp when it breaks. Nearly bought a Timney at SHOT a few years back when they came out. Prolly shoulda.

I just got my first 788 for my youngest daughter to deer hunt with. It is a 30-30 from the first year of production (1967). It has a walnut stock and 24 inch barrel. It would really benefit from a new Timney trigger.

The part about firing whenever... I have 2 or 3 of them, one did that once.. found it was some pin backed out of the trigger assembly.. its probably 30 years ago so I have no clue what pin, but it was obvious when I took it out of the stock even to a teenager...

Back in the '70's, I used to do a conversion on the 788 trigger wherein I installed adjustment screws for sear engagement, weight of pull, and overtravel. It worked out fine but I suspect the Timney replacement would be a better option.
With just a few changes, the 788 could have been a much better rifle. As it was, it was a cheap rifle which worked surprisingly well. The action for rimmed cartridges was unique for the time. GD