New Rifle - Remington 788 .308 for $100!

spaceweasel · February 21, 2019, 05:05 AM

I just ran across a Remington 788 .308, in excellent condition, with a flawless walnut stock, and a like new finish, for $100. What luck!

It has been in a case, and looks like it was never shot. Has the original Tasco Japanese scope on it.

I am very pleased

DnPRK · February 21, 2019, 06:20 AM

Never beat on the bolt handle because it will break off.

sparkyv · February 21, 2019, 07:41 AM

Score!

dgludwig · February 21, 2019, 11:48 AM

Quote:

I am very pleased

You should be. What a steal! However, I don't think the stock is made from real walnut (walnut finish applied to birch I think but I could be wrong); not that it should matter much to most if that's the case.

Wyosmith · February 21, 2019, 11:53 AM

CHECK THE BOLT FACE AND EXTRACTOR!!!
They were a bit prone to break out. If you have a bad bolt face you can't repair it so the rifle is only an incomplete set of parts.

If the bolt face is OK the rest of the gun can be repaired if anything were wrong and they were super accurate rifle.

jmr40 · February 21, 2019, 02:35 PM

It ain't walnut unless it is aftermarket.

I'm a bit leery. Anytime something seems too good to be true it usually is. Magazines for those are prone to break and are next too impossible to find, make sure it works. And when they do they are expensive. I'd proceed with caution if buying. Of course the seller may not know what they have either.

Old scopes are rarely a bargain. Even the best of scopes will have the rubber seals dry rot after about 30 years and unless the manufacturer will repair them are not a bargain. And a $200 scope today is a better scope than a $500 scope from 30 years ago.

RC20 · February 21, 2019, 02:41 PM

Well that is just rude, getting the bargain of all time and rubbing it in our faces.

I hope you just really really enjoy that gun.

T. O'Heir · February 21, 2019, 02:46 PM

Like jmr40 says, no walnut on a 788. Stained birch.
No "original Tasco scopes" either. Had a 4X Tasco I paid $40 for that I could watch through a bore sighter the reticle bounce back and forth when I open and closed the action.
Still for $100, you did well.

Chaparral · February 21, 2019, 03:05 PM

I love my 788s. Some of the most accurate rifles I have shot. I have one in 308, 222, & 6mm. Great rifles! You found a dandy.

rural12 · February 21, 2019, 03:08 PM

I like the 788...HEAVY...but a great shooter.

I would suggest that you be careful with the safety...some of them can be easily moved to the "fire" position.

wild willy · February 21, 2019, 04:22 PM

I'am pretty sure the first couple years had walnut stocks The 44 mags and 30-30 did.

kraigwy · February 21, 2019, 05:42 PM

Congrats; When we first started Matelic Shil Shooting, I bought on (all I could aford at the time, to shoot in matches. I was going to rebarrel it, do something about the trigger, or get a better rifle.

That is until I started shooting it, darn accurate rifle. At the time I was shooting for the guard and had a ton of Ball ammo. It shot the ball better then my match M1A.

Like a real dummy I traded it about 25 years ago for a Saddle. I had one of the Remington Accu Range scopes like the one used on the Marines M24s.

Again, congrats on the find.

wild willy · February 21, 2019, 08:40 PM

Did a little more searching from what I found walnut stocks first two years.So it could be.

bamaranger · February 21, 2019, 10:12 PM

The 788's were known as shooters and I hope yours is too. They were the price point rifles of their day, brought into production to eliminate the Mossberg 800/810 series, or so I read. They also would compete with the Savage 110, which sold initially for $110!! The Savage 110 persisted, but the Mossberg 800 did not survive. I've not checked the years of production, but the 788 did not stay around long once Mossberg's centerfire went away.

The .22 centerfire versions of the rifle were thought of as especially accurate,and the short barreled .308' s, ( I'thinking they were 18.5") were well thought of too.

Good luck with yours.

kenny53 · February 21, 2019, 10:15 PM

Sounds like a great deal. Congratulations.

Mobuck · February 22, 2019, 08:47 AM

"It ain't walnut unless it is aftermarket."

I concur. Never saw a walnut factory stocked 788. All were birch, elm, or ???.
$99 was the advertised price about 40 years ago. Sometime in the early 80's a local general store was going out of business. I bought four 788 rifles @ $75 each.

kilotanker22 · February 22, 2019, 08:31 PM

Ones in good shape are $450 around here. You got a hell of a deal if yours is I'm good condition.

briandg · February 24, 2019, 07:14 AM

Nice! If it looks like walnut it is probably walnut. There is a complication to that, however, the .308 was introduced in 1969 and according to the others here the walnut may not have been available for that introduction.

the tasco scope may be trash. You can probably buy a far better scope at this point for less than you paid for your rifle. My scopes from those years are just junk. poor optics, uncoated glass, blocky crosshairs, etc.

They are nice guns. When you can buy one for less than a worn out nagant you have a score. I would have bought it without hesitation if it passed my inspection. If nothing else I might have given it away to someone who wanted or needed it.

reynolds357 · February 24, 2019, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Like jmr40 says, no walnut on a 788. Stained birch.
No "original Tasco scopes" either. Had a 4X Tasco I paid $40 for that I could watch through a bore sighter the reticle bounce back and forth when I open and closed the action.
Still for $100, you did well.

Does not matter if the reticle bounces, only matters that they cone back to zero after the bounce. Most reticles bounce. The only ones I know of that don't are the accutrack weavers and the Posi lock Burris. I think both of those are discontinued due to durability issues.

I would pay $100 for a decent 788 any day.

Drm50 · February 24, 2019, 09:53 PM

I have never been a Remington fan. I also use to sell guns. I sold many 788s most in Varmit
calibers. Anyway I have never herd so many complaints on 788s as in these posts. I don't think I ever had one returned. One guy did break off a bolt handle beating a 22/250 open
from a hot load. Everybody I know with one is happy with them and don't turn loose of them. Had more trouble with 700s than 788s. The ones I sold had birch stocks but I thought the early ones were walnut. I think they were a lot of rifle for the money and $100 for a nice one is a killer deal.

BWM · February 25, 2019, 04:35 PM

My old 788 in a 243 out shoot there 700 that replaced it it has 7 locking luge that is one of the very best gun built.

**44 AMP** · February 25, 2019, 11:51 PM

I wouldn't give you $100 for one, but then I have always hated the 788. They generally shoot great, but they are fugly, clunky, have all the style of a mud fence and aren't quite as pretty.

Of course, my dislike is caused by the fact that Remington replaced the Model 600 series, which I dearly loved, with the 788. I understand why they canceled the 600, but never thought the 788 was a worthy replacement.

My one hands on experience was a friend's .308 he brought to me because he couldn't sight it in. With all the adjustment cranked on the scope, it was still hitting 2 feet right at 100yds. Barrel, seemed straight, stock wasn't touching the barrel, couldn't find any reason, but that's what it did. Wound up shimming the scope mount to get it on target. It grouped well, but the stock didn't fit me well, and so recoil seemed excessive.

If you like them, fine. Don't ever lose or break the magazine though...

Sure Shot Mc Gee · February 26, 2019, 01:00 AM

"I Happen to run across 100 $ rifle" _fine and dandy~~ if you bought it?

To be honest. I never had a want for a 788. ~~

briandg · February 26, 2019, 12:58 PM

I don't know why you guys are all dog piling on the guy's purchase. If he spent $100 on a nagant or some other surplus relic, or even a used harrington SA .22 it wouldn't get this sort of reaction.

Jim Watson · February 26, 2019, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Of course, my dislike is caused by the fact that Remington replaced the Model 600 series, which I dearly loved, with the 788.

Actually, Remington replaced the Model 600 and its ugly plastic vent rib with the 660 which was only hampered by its still warp prone plastic floorplate/trigger guard and odd cranked bolt handle.

I had a 600 .35 Rem that was a dandy hunting rifle but mine was not as accurate as Dean Grennell's, so I traded it for a .308.
I looked hard at a scarce 600 .222 but was put off by the already badly warped guard.

February 21, 2019, 05:05 AM	#1
spaceweasel Junior Member Join Date: May 20, 2015 Posts: 1	New Rifle - Remington 788 .308 for $100! I just ran across a Remington 788 .308, in excellent condition, with a flawless walnut stock, and a like new finish, for $100. What luck! It has been in a case, and looks like it was never shot. Has the original Tasco Japanese scope on it. I am very pleased

February 21, 2019, 07:41 AM	#3
sparkyv Senior Member Join Date: May 2, 2015 Location: Deepinnaheartta,Texas Posts: 326	Score! __________________ μολὼν λαβέ NRA Life Member

February 21, 2019, 02:35 PM	#6
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,976	It ain't walnut unless it is aftermarket. I'm a bit leery. Anytime something seems too good to be true it usually is. Magazines for those are prone to break and are next too impossible to find, make sure it works. And when they do they are expensive. I'd proceed with caution if buying. Of course the seller may not know what they have either. Old scopes are rarely a bargain. Even the best of scopes will have the rubber seals dry rot after about 30 years and unless the manufacturer will repair them are not a bargain. And a $200 scope today is a better scope than a $500 scope from 30 years ago. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

February 21, 2019, 02:41 PM	#7
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,334	Well that is just rude, getting the bargain of all time and rubbing it in our faces. I hope you just really really enjoy that gun. __________________ Science and Facts are True whether you believe it or not

February 21, 2019, 10:12 PM	#14
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,800	shooters The 788's were known as shooters and I hope yours is too. They were the price point rifles of their day, brought into production to eliminate the Mossberg 800/810 series, or so I read. They also would compete with the Savage 110, which sold initially for $110!! The Savage 110 persisted, but the Mossberg 800 did not survive. I've not checked the years of production, but the 788 did not stay around long once Mossberg's centerfire went away. The .22 centerfire versions of the rifle were thought of as especially accurate,and the short barreled .308' s, ( I'thinking they were 18.5") were well thought of too. Good luck with yours.

February 21, 2019, 06:20 AM	#2
DnPRK Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2001 Location: LC, Ca Posts: 1,917	Never beat on the bolt handle because it will break off.

February 21, 2019, 11:53 AM	#5
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	CHECK THE BOLT FACE AND EXTRACTOR!!! They were a bit prone to break out. If you have a bad bolt face you can't repair it so the rifle is only an incomplete set of parts. If the bolt face is OK the rest of the gun can be repaired if anything were wrong and they were super accurate rifle.

February 21, 2019, 02:46 PM	#8
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	Like jmr40 says, no walnut on a 788. Stained birch. No "original Tasco scopes" either. Had a 4X Tasco I paid $40 for that I could watch through a bore sighter the reticle bounce back and forth when I open and closed the action. Still for $100, you did well.

February 21, 2019, 03:05 PM	#9
Chaparral Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2018 Posts: 264	I love my 788s. Some of the most accurate rifles I have shot. I have one in 308, 222, & 6mm. Great rifles! You found a dandy.

February 21, 2019, 03:08 PM	#10
rural12 Member Join Date: November 1, 2005 Location: Vidalia Ga Posts: 50	I like the 788...HEAVY...but a great shooter. I would suggest that you be careful with the safety...some of them can be easily moved to the "fire" position.

February 21, 2019, 04:22 PM	#11
wild willy Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2006 Posts: 404	I'am pretty sure the first couple years had walnut stocks The 44 mags and 30-30 did.

February 21, 2019, 05:42 PM	#12
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,060	Congrats; When we first started Matelic Shil Shooting, I bought on (all I could aford at the time, to shoot in matches. I was going to rebarrel it, do something about the trigger, or get a better rifle. That is until I started shooting it, darn accurate rifle. At the time I was shooting for the guard and had a ton of Ball ammo. It shot the ball better then my match M1A. Like a real dummy I traded it about 25 years ago for a Saddle. I had one of the Remington Accu Range scopes like the one used on the Marines M24s. Again, congrats on the find.

February 21, 2019, 08:40 PM	#13
wild willy Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2006 Posts: 404	Did a little more searching from what I found walnut stocks first two years.So it could be.

February 21, 2019, 10:15 PM	#15
kenny53 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2015 Location: My back yard Posts: 971	Sounds like a great deal. Congratulations.

February 22, 2019, 08:47 AM	#16
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	"It ain't walnut unless it is aftermarket." I concur. Never saw a walnut factory stocked 788. All were birch, elm, or ???. $99 was the advertised price about 40 years ago. Sometime in the early 80's a local general store was going out of business. I bought four 788 rifles @ $75 each.

February 22, 2019, 08:31 PM	#17
kilotanker22 Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2012 Location: North Central, PA Posts: 2,127	Ones in good shape are $450 around here. You got a hell of a deal if yours is I'm good condition. __________________ “We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace. – St. Augustine

February 24, 2019, 07:14 AM	#18
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	Nice! If it looks like walnut it is probably walnut. There is a complication to that, however, the .308 was introduced in 1969 and according to the others here the walnut may not have been available for that introduction. the tasco scope may be trash. You can probably buy a far better scope at this point for less than you paid for your rifle. My scopes from those years are just junk. poor optics, uncoated glass, blocky crosshairs, etc. They are nice guns. When you can buy one for less than a worn out nagant you have a score. I would have bought it without hesitation if it passed my inspection. If nothing else I might have given it away to someone who wanted or needed it.

February 24, 2019, 09:53 PM	#20
Drm50 Senior Member Join Date: November 10, 2014 Posts: 1,499	I have never been a Remington fan. I also use to sell guns. I sold many 788s most in Varmit calibers. Anyway I have never herd so many complaints on 788s as in these posts. I don't think I ever had one returned. One guy did break off a bolt handle beating a 22/250 open from a hot load. Everybody I know with one is happy with them and don't turn loose of them. Had more trouble with 700s than 788s. The ones I sold had birch stocks but I thought the early ones were walnut. I think they were a lot of rifle for the money and $100 for a nice one is a killer deal.

February 25, 2019, 04:35 PM	#21
BWM Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2013 Location: SW IN Posts: 438	My old 788 in a 243 out shoot there 700 that replaced it it has 7 locking luge that is one of the very best gun built.

February 25, 2019, 11:51 PM	#22
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 30,487	I wouldn't give you $100 for one, but then I have always hated the 788. They generally shoot great, but they are fugly, clunky, have all the style of a mud fence and aren't quite as pretty. Of course, my dislike is caused by the fact that Remington replaced the Model 600 series, which I dearly loved, with the 788. I understand why they canceled the 600, but never thought the 788 was a worthy replacement. My one hands on experience was a friend's .308 he brought to me because he couldn't sight it in. With all the adjustment cranked on the scope, it was still hitting 2 feet right at 100yds. Barrel, seemed straight, stock wasn't touching the barrel, couldn't find any reason, but that's what it did. Wound up shimming the scope mount to get it on target. It grouped well, but the stock didn't fit me well, and so recoil seemed excessive. If you like them, fine. Don't ever lose or break the magazine though... __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

February 26, 2019, 01:00 AM	#23
Sure Shot Mc Gee Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,876	"I Happen to run across 100 $ rifle" _fine and dandy~~ if you bought it? To be honest. I never had a want for a 788. ~~

February 26, 2019, 12:58 PM	#24
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	I don't know why you guys are all dog piling on the guy's purchase. If he spent $100 on a nagant or some other surplus relic, or even a used harrington SA .22 it wouldn't get this sort of reaction.