Info on Rem. 788

[runshort]

Hey guys I've got an older Rem.788 in 6mm thats been setting in the gun vault for quite sometime.
Rifle was bought in the early 70's if I remember correctly.
I have a nephew with a young son that is wanting to start hunting and thought this setup would be a good starter for varmint/whitetail hunting. I handload and picked up a set of 6mm dies the other day and am looking for a bullet powder combination that would be adequate for both varmint and whitetail. Was thinking someone here might be familar with this rifle and caliber and would give me an idea of what they have been using. Not sure but think the barrel is a 1/9 twist. Anyway thanks for sharing any info.

 

[RT2506]

I shot a number of 788s back in the day when I used to do sight-in work for a gun shop. Most were very good shooters. Triggers were a little heavy though. They make after market triggers for them now, Brownells has them I think. For deer the 90 gr Nosler ballistic tip or most any 100 gr bullet is what you want. If deer will be more of a priority with an occasional varmint like ground hogs the 90 gr ballistic tip would be a good one bullet choice. One of the 4350s would be a good powder. For a dedicated varmint and occasional deer you really need two loads. NO VARMINT BULLET should be used for deer because the 6 Rem really moves them and they really come apart on impact.

Does your rifle have the long barrel or the short 18"? I can't remember if they made the 6 Rem in the short barrel or not since it would really hamper it.

 

[mightyman]

I had for a long time, sold last year a Left Hand Model 788 in 6mm. It was a great rifle, and shot 1/2 inch groups with the 100 grain Nosler partitions, factory federal.

It was a rare gun, (being left hand in the 6mm) and i hated to get rid of it, but it funded my new project.
The action is very good, strong, and I think it had 9 locking lugs, 60 degree bolt, which mad for a strong fast action. One of the problems I read about is that the bolt was weak, and broke on some actions, but mine never did...

It was the inexpensive Remington at the time, and actually some say better than the 700 action.

From what I have read/been told it makes for a great custom action for a custom rebuild.
It is perfect for a kid starting out, or for that matter anyone. It truly was a great shooting gun, and a true deer slayer...enjoy,
Mighty Man

 

[runshort]

Thanks for the reply RT2506. This 788 has the 22" barrel.
Maybe the 95-100 grain pills would be a better choice as deer would be the primary target with a chance of feral hogs also.
Reloading componets in this area are pretty hard to come by but we found 100 Nosler 95 gr. BT that may have to work for now. We do have a couple cans of imr 4350 so that may be a good combo.
I guess the Nosler BT could also double for a varmint load. Thanks for info!

 

[Trickymissfit]

try H450 and H414. Both worked well for me.
gary

 

[hh4whiskey]

I was very impressed with the factory 243 fusion bullet performance on a whitetail at 267 yards today. I think the speer 90gr deep curl is the closest component to the 95gr fusion. Speer Bullets - DeepCurl

Some feedback here:
Speer Deep Curl Loading Data - 24hourcampfire

Measured 24 " of penetration, on rib, exited on off shoulder.

 

[runshort]

Loaded some of the Nosler BT last night and will try them
for now until we can find other componets. Thanks for the powder and bullet info.

 

[sambo3006]

The 788 is a very stiff action and has the reputation for impressive accuracy. I've owned several and most shot extremely well. I currently have a 788 in 6mm but I've only done limited loading for it. I have read that the rear locking lugs of the 788 bolt allow more bolt flex than front locking lug actions which leads to case stretching. The 6mm Rem has a fair amount of case taper which lends itself to case stretching as well. This might mean fewer firings per case but that is not a major consideration for a deer hunting rifle.

The 95 gr Nosler partition would be an excellent bullet for deer.

Sounds like a perfect rig for your nephew's son to slay some critters with!

 

[upacreek]

My first reloading assignment as a kid was brass inspection. My dad shot around 300 rounds a year out of his 788 in 243. The most incredible running deer and coyote shots I have ever witnessed was with him shooting his favorite gun. I sorted brass cause he never sorted by reload life, just by the stretch ring before they crack near the head. Something that I am still obsessed with. It was a great gun and he figures about 3000 rounds took out the barrel. Years before LRH he could impress most anyone we hunted with by hitting a #10 can at 500yrds. My brother isn't as oriented towards guns as I am, but someone allowed him to reload his own bullets. He has an identicle gun that my grandfather bought at the same time as my dad. Anyway my brother was loading 52 gr varmit loads with fast powder. Out shooting my 7RM with him one day whistle piggin his gun fired a shot 3 times louder than any gun around us. After using a hammer to open the bolt we found the bolt face was broken at the extractor. But it held together. Later we figured he could have double charged one so we pulled all his bullets apart. 2 more were double charged. As D. Trump would say......He's fired! That was the last time anyone let him touch the reloading table.
My point is the 788 is a good gun. I have always been on the look out for another one for myself. All I ever find is 22-250, 6mm, or 18" barrels. Hope this helps.

Oh ya, the 3 round clips were awesome to have a few of for quick reloads whistle piggin.

 

[coyotekiller82]

Awesome guns the 788, my dad had one in 308 that my brother "inherited" it shoots pretty much anything less than an inch @ 100yds!

Let us know how load development goes!

I'm always on the lookout for 788's that are for sale around here, especially in 6mm, 22-250, and 308!!

 

[crazyhorse]

I load the 85gr Barnes TSX using IMR4007ssc in my 6mm. It absolutely electrocutes the deer and would be a solid bullet for hogs as well due to the rigid construction.

 

[500yd]

6mm 95gr NBTs will perform very well for anything he might point it at up to brown bear. I didn't work up MVs for the powders mentioned, but with A-4350 or Ramshot Hunter you should attain 3100 fps pretty easily from the standard 22" barrel. That will yield trajectory of +1.5/-2.6" from 0-250 yards with a 200yd zero. That's 1285 ft-lbs at 250 yds, plenty for any game in the CXP2 class.

I've had my .308/788 for 28 years, since '86. It was manufactured in '69, the only year the 308/788 was produced in right hand. I don't know how many rounds have been through it but it shot 1" 100 yard groups the day I got it, and still does. I've put less than 200rds through it. I put the complete production history in a table on the Wikipedia Remington 788 page. In fact I did most of the work on the page. The bolt pictured on the Wiki page is the one in my rifle, pictured below. Remington 788 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have nothing but praise for this rifle, and the Nosler Ballistic Tips. I've killed over 50 Missouri whitetails with it including one at 400 and one at 500 yards both with 150gr NBTs. I've never had trouble with the bolt handle. I found two magazines on the cheap 20 years ago so I now have three. I nearly always shoot prone from my bipod. Standard rifle stocks don't work well for this as it kinks the wrist horribly. Thumbhole and pistol grip stocks are much better for prone/bipod shooting. I found an unfinished Boyds laminate thumbhole on the cheap in '09, floated, inletted, finished, and installed it. Not only does it look decent, but it performs perfectly. I'd have much rather had the purple heart or blue but they'd already sold out of those. The purple heart was really neat looking.