Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Remington 788 carbine,comments on this model?

Just curious about this little gun, rem 788 .243 for coyotes....found a cheap one and just wondered if anyone had any thoughts ,good or bad.

A buddy of mine shot a pile of deer and antelope with his but you do lose velocity with the short barrel. Magnum Man

should also clarify,i hunt these critters in DENSE new england forests where 100 yds is a luxury,so reaching out is definitely not an issue and .243 is probably overkill,but i can also use as a deer gun.

They tend to be very accurate rifles

I hunted with a guy that as shot one for longer than I would care to guess. Weaver mounts, cheap 4x scope, and Remington 100g psp have accounted for a ton of deer.

Good rifles but hard to find magazines, parts, etc.
788s are always in demand, so at the right price you can't go wrong.

There are much better rifles around

Years ago I had two identical 788s. Both in .243. Plain jane looking rifles but thay both shot like a laser. If I were looking for an inexpensive .243 today I would go for a Ruger American.

I have two, one a carbine in .3908, the other a rifle in .243. They shoot like a lasers.

Generally very accurate due to fast lock time but cases in the higher intensity cartridges tend to stretch due to rear locking lugs. Hard to find parts for and expensive magazines. Few aftermarket stocks. If cheap enough, they will sell when you get tired of it but do not pay over $350 if you want to get your money out on resale. I have had these in .222 Rem, .223 Rem, 22-250 Rem, .243 Win and .308 Win over the years but have sold them off for various reasons. Many better options out there but they seem to have some type of a cult following.

They're good guns. If the price is decent, I'd certainly consider one. I killed a pile of caribou with my 6mm before I gave it to a friend for his boys. If short barrel "bark" is a problem, you can always load it down just a bit for less harsh pressures.

Brazed on bolt handle + Rear locking lugs + Bob Hagel's reloading data = wish I bought a Savage 110 or Ruger American or Howa or Zastava Mark X

Remington's first bolt action carbines were the models 600 and 660. Next came the 788 in the mid-1970's. Lastly came the model 7 sometime later. All these models appeal to hunters of the forests and foothills where weight is a consideration.

My cousin has a 788 in 22-250 that shoots amazing groups. He has toppled dozens of groundhogs with it at very long distances.

Sherwood

I've got a 788 carbine in 7-08, lightweight or svelte it is not. Chunky is a more apt description. The magazine edges make it a bit uncomfortable to carry in one hand for any length of time. It is very accurate with 130gr HotCor bullets and even more so with 120gr BT's. I've had it for over 30yrs and use it as a back up to nicer guns that I've acquired over the years.

Bought my first new M788 around 1978, in 22-250 (24" bbl) for around $130. Have acquired several others since, the last one a 243 (22" bbl) for $300, about five years ago. Stock was junk, barreled action is mint. Now wears a $69 Ramline.

That's the most I've ever paid for one and wouldn't pay a nickel more for a M788, although the ones in 30-30 and 44 mag command high prices. Forget what year the M788s were introduced, probably in the late 60s? All of mine are very accurate.

Wisner's has most replacement parts, like bolt stop pins, that tend to need replaced. Gun Parts has new repro magazines for around $40 or less.

While I'm fond of my M788s, for the money one would be farther ahead with a new $350 rifle these days, from Ruger, Savage, etc.