I have the opportunity to buy one in 222. Do you think 1/2 MOA is possible with some good bullets and load development?
Remington 788 fans: Step out of the shadows
- Thread starter Tommie
- Start date
There is Score Shooter from NE Pa, Frank McKee, who earned a Silver Precision Rifleman Jacket with 70 points of which many of those were accrued using a Remington 788 action in both IBS Hunter Class and Varmint Hunter- both 6 power classes. He still holds 2 records , one of which was before custom actions were made legal. For those of you who may remember he always wore Hawiian shirts and a Panama hat.
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You priced it spot on
Easy
NZ_Fclass
Silver $$ Contributor
An aquaintance has a left handed 222. I have never seen another
Adam in WI
Practically lives here
Would've loved to help you out, but the timing just ain't right for me.
urbanrifleman
Site $$ Sponsor
It is summer. My sales of stocks and barrels used to drop severely in the summer. Not this year!
The only documented left-hand 788’s made by Remington were in .308 Winchester and 6mm Remington so if that one is a factory 222 it’s a major collector’s item
joshb
Gold $$ Contributor
Your price is fine on that one. I sold the exact gun a year or so ago at your price. I’m downsizing, so I had to choose some things to go. I’m keeping my Bats, Bordens and Stiller’s.
urbanrifleman
Site $$ Sponsor
“Grandpa, that’s the ugliest rifle I’ve ever seen.”
*grandson uncases his $4,000 chassis rifle.
*grandpa and the 788 outshoots grandson*
I have a memory from the early 80’s when a mentor took me out shooting - his voice almost apologizing for sticking me with the inexpensive 788 in 6mm while he shot a fancy new varmint weight Ruger m77 25-06 for the first time. That day I learned looks aren‘t everything. Heck, it’s probably the gun that hooked me on accurate rifles.
It would be fun to rebarrel one with a match grade barrel in 6br, finished to look like an old rifle with half the bluing gone and a little surface rust here and there - like a sleeper hot rod.
As a kid with more enthusiasm than money, the light rifle silhouette matches looked like fun, but I didn’t know anyone with a decent rifle. There was a Remington 581 at Ace Hardware that I snatched up along with a bottom of the barrel Bushnell Banner 4x12 and four bricks of Winchester Wildcat ammo. Consistently, 8 or 9 shots at 2MOA and a couple fliers opening it up to twice that - amazing accuracy, I thought, compared to the Glenfield model 60. Standard velocity stuff didn’t have that flier, but also didn’t group well - heck nothing grouped as well as those dirt cheap Wildcats
I showed up at the state championship match with smiles from ear to ear and by far the cheapest setup on the rack. Nobody had ever signed up as a new shooter in class c at the state championship, but they had room so I was allowed.
No idea how to hold a rifle competition style, factory trigger, the cardboard 50 round ammo box, no spotter and poor penmanship on the cardboard elevation ring with nothing but “C” “P” “T” “R”. As a kid it was puzzling why some of the guys grumbled when my ammo made so much noise, but now I can appreciate a top shooter might be distracted by an extra loud pop. I was also an avid plinker and naturally shot quickly - kind of sounded rapid fire next to the rest of them. In future matches they put me off to the side kind of by myself.
The group running the match (mostly wives of the shooters) were nice enough to make up a plaque that declared me the the state champion in class c, but there’s a good chance it was “unofficial” and paid for by a fellow from across the state who took me under his wing.
Sorry to ramble - it almost brought a tear to my eye remembering those two rifles from 40 years ago.
*grandson uncases his $4,000 chassis rifle.
*grandpa and the 788 outshoots grandson*
I have a memory from the early 80’s when a mentor took me out shooting - his voice almost apologizing for sticking me with the inexpensive 788 in 6mm while he shot a fancy new varmint weight Ruger m77 25-06 for the first time. That day I learned looks aren‘t everything. Heck, it’s probably the gun that hooked me on accurate rifles.
It would be fun to rebarrel one with a match grade barrel in 6br, finished to look like an old rifle with half the bluing gone and a little surface rust here and there - like a sleeper hot rod.
As a kid with more enthusiasm than money, the light rifle silhouette matches looked like fun, but I didn’t know anyone with a decent rifle. There was a Remington 581 at Ace Hardware that I snatched up along with a bottom of the barrel Bushnell Banner 4x12 and four bricks of Winchester Wildcat ammo. Consistently, 8 or 9 shots at 2MOA and a couple fliers opening it up to twice that - amazing accuracy, I thought, compared to the Glenfield model 60. Standard velocity stuff didn’t have that flier, but also didn’t group well - heck nothing grouped as well as those dirt cheap Wildcats
I showed up at the state championship match with smiles from ear to ear and by far the cheapest setup on the rack. Nobody had ever signed up as a new shooter in class c at the state championship, but they had room so I was allowed.
No idea how to hold a rifle competition style, factory trigger, the cardboard 50 round ammo box, no spotter and poor penmanship on the cardboard elevation ring with nothing but “C” “P” “T” “R”. As a kid it was puzzling why some of the guys grumbled when my ammo made so much noise, but now I can appreciate a top shooter might be distracted by an extra loud pop. I was also an avid plinker and naturally shot quickly - kind of sounded rapid fire next to the rest of them. In future matches they put me off to the side kind of by myself.
The group running the match (mostly wives of the shooters) were nice enough to make up a plaque that declared me the the state champion in class c, but there’s a good chance it was “unofficial” and paid for by a fellow from across the state who took me under his wing.
Sorry to ramble - it almost brought a tear to my eye remembering those two rifles from 40 years ago.
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I have had the original Rem. triggers in both my 6mm 788 and Rem 581 22LR, they both break at 36oz with no creep and very crisp. A little polishing and lighter spring was all I needed to do on them.
Mr. McKee (left) shot 250-18++ X Hunter scores when such scores turned heads - during my initial season as TcL American Conference administrator, only one individual besides Frank posted a 250 score . . . Frank recorded FOUR of them!
Yes. ALL via his Dale Madera built, 30 Aardvark chambered, 788 Rem. Frank McKee was among the BEST EVER Hunter Rifle shooters. 
BTW, the TcL was a postal Hunter Rifle league - 10.0 Lb rifles and 6X scopes, minimumm case capacity 45.0 Gr. H2O). Keep 'em ON the X! RG
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nakneker
Gold $$ Contributor
There ya go.Mr McKee (left) shot 250-18++ X Hunter scores when such score turned heads - during my initial season as TcL American Conference administrator, only one individual besides Frank posted a 250 score . . . Frank recorded FOUR of them!
View attachment 1469555
nakneker
Gold $$ Contributor
Under appreciated rifles imo, I’ve had several including the 30-30 and the 44 mag. Never had one that wouldn’t shoot.
Urbanrifleman, your rifle is priced right. There is someone out there that wants that rifle, they just haven’t seen the add.
I just built a 788 6mm-223, or I should say Zack at ODCR built me that rifle. So fun to shoot, the hole just gets bigger with every shot.
Urbanrifleman, your rifle is priced right. There is someone out there that wants that rifle, they just haven’t seen the add.
I just built a 788 6mm-223, or I should say Zack at ODCR built me that rifle. So fun to shoot, the hole just gets bigger with every shot.
NZ_Fclass
Silver $$ Contributor
I believe that it is. Certainly has a left 222 bolt, of course it may have been altered from another. I will contact him and enquire.
Please do!
Do you have more pictures of your restock job.
From what I can see, that might be the nicest 788 I've ever seen.
HAL
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