Rem 788 - 260 question

[Kylis-dad]

Hey Guys,
I'm a new-be with a question regarding my 260. I built this rifle 7 or 8 years ago and am just now getting to the point I have the time an inclination to work with it. It is a tuned 788 Remington action with a 24 inch Shilen select match 1-8 barrel. I pillar bedded it in the original stock, and the barrel is free floated.
The problem is, from day 1 this rifle has strung shots horizontally. Factory loads, hand loads, 140 gr, 129 gr bullets, everything I have put through it. We re talking 1/2 shot to shot, stringing to the left. ( generally, if it's me, I pull to the right)
I have disassembled and reassembled the rifle, checked everything. I even bedded the scope bases with Acura glass.
The only thing I have not done is swap out the scope.
Any thoughts?

 

[280man]

Swap the scope and see what happens. All you can do in a situation like this is change one thing and test again.

 

[Hal]

Are you using wind flags ?

 

[Lightload]

At what range are you shooting? At longer ranges, canting the rifle left or right can move the point of impact a considerable distance. A level mounted on your scope will solve that problem.

 

[Kylis-dad]

At what range are you shooting? At longer ranges, canting the rifle left or right can move the point of impact a considerable distance. A level mounted on your scope will solve that problem.

Right now I'm just trying to get it to shoot at 100 yards. The range I use has flags.. I am going to swap out the scope, I will install a level when I install the new scope.
Thanks for the input!

 

[Kylis-dad]

Swap the scope and see what happens. All you can do in a situation like this is change one thing and test again.

I am going to swap out the scope. The only thing that gets me is the cold bore shot is dead on, every time. It seems to me if it was the scope once the point of aim shifted it would stay shifted?

 

[Ggmac]

How many of the 9 lugs are seated ? Bolt handle hitting stock ? Trigger hitting stock ? Bolt face not 90 to bore center line , top scope base screws too long and touching barrel threads , front receiver screw hitting barrel threads . The original barrel had relief cut on the ten non for receiver screw clearance . Not enough clearance around cartridge base .
I use to shoot a few 788 in silhouette . Too many LUGS !

 

[Kylis-dad]

How many of the 9 lugs are seated ? Bolt handle hitting stock ? Trigger hitting stock ? Bolt face not 90 to bore center line , top scope base screws too long and touching barrel threads , front receiver screw hitting barrel threads . The original barrel had relief cut on the ten non for receiver screw clearance . Not enough clearance around cartridge base .
I use to shoot a few 788 in silhouette . Too many LUGS !

Wow, It sounds like you have a lot of experience with the 788. All of the lugs are seated. I know, it took weeks to lap them in. To the best of my knowledge it is square and parallel with the universe. I machined the factory relief into the Shilen barrel, however, I did not verify that the screw was not bottoming out, and I did not check the scope base screws. That's all good stuff I never thought to check. I will get to work and verify all those points.
Thanks a million Ggmac! I appreciate the help!

 

[msinc]

All this and not a mention one regarding the trigger????? What exactly is the trigger pull in measured weight of your rifle???? I ask this because I have been there and done that with the 788 too...and I know that the factory trigger is not very good and also not adjustable. Timney makes a replacement trigger and it is a nice addition to the 788. I string shots horizontally when I try to shoot with a less than stellar trigger. To me a good trigger is like dope to a junkie...the better it is the more I gotta have.

 

[Ggmac]

Timney had a trigger for them and there was a "how to install screws to make it adjustable " and last there was the 540x trigger that should fit .
Good point but I'm hoping with all the work he did a trig was a priority .

 

[Tommie]

I've never owned or shot a 788 that wouldn't shoot half-inch at 100 yards. That includes 30-30's. Something's amiss here.

 

[msinc]

Timney had a trigger for them and there was a "how to install screws to make it adjustable " and last there was the 540x trigger that should fit .
Good point but I'm hoping with all the work he did a trig was a priority .

Good info there sir...I never realized any other triggers would work in the 788. I also never heard about the added screws either. I have a brother-in-law that has one I will be trying that out on though, now that you brought it up.
The 788 typically does shoot very well, and I have heard quite a lot of folks say that "it was a mistake for Remington to have made one of their economy rifles shoot so good." Or that they "never meant for it to be so accurate..." but the fact is that some people can shoot very well with a not so great trigger and others, like me, need the trigger to perform...so I can. Curious to see what's been done, if anything, to the trigger on this one.

 

[Ggmac]

Good info there sir...I never realized any other triggers would work in the 788. I also never heard about the added screws either. I have a brother-in-law that has one I will be trying that out on though, now that you brought it up.
The 788 typically does shoot very well, and I have heard quite a lot of folks say that "it was a mistake for Remington to have made one of their economy rifles shoot so good." Or that they "never meant for it to be so accurate..." but the fact is that some people can shoot very well with a not so great trigger and others, like me, need the trigger to perform...so I can. Curious to see what's been done, if anything, to the trigger on this one.

It just so happens there's a pic of the NRA trigger mod on the forum now under the rimfire section , either the 541 or 580 . I forgot what post # but if you scroll you'll see it .

 

[Kylis-dad]

All this and not a mention one regarding the trigger????? What exactly is the trigger pull in measured weight of your rifle???? I ask this because I have been there and done that with the 788 too...and I know that the factory trigger is not very good and also not adjustable. Timney makes a replacement trigger and it is a nice addition to the 788. I string shots horizontally when I try to shoot with a less than stellar trigger. To me a good trigger is like dope to a junkie...the better it is the more I gotta have.

Unfortunately, I have not put a good trigger on the rifle. I don't have a pull gauge, but I'm guessing the factory pull is in the 4.5 pound neighborhood. I will add a good trigger along with the new scope.. Thanks so much for the input!

 

[Will Henry]

when I worked with my 788 (late seventies) I recut the threads and bored the receiver ring deeper so I could use a close fitting counterbore to control lateral deflection of the bolt head. I also installed agjustment screws and separated the sear spring from the trigger lever. I was able to set this trigger at ten ounces. I barreled this in 219 Wasp using 225 Winchester brass and it was a decent light varminter for the time. Later, I re-barrelled to 6PPC and it was even better. Always had a slight tendency to shoot vertical groups ( still 1/4 moa but vertical nonetheless) and shot better at 200 than at 100. Loaded hot, cases would stretch a bit.
Anyway, lateral stringing is often a scope problem but may also be an indicator of a bedding problem. WH

 

[BoydAllen]

The floor plate of the 788 sits on the surface of the stock, and if, in the course of the rifle being bedded and or refinished the distance between the floor plate and the receiver is reduced slightly the shoulder at the end of the threads of the rear action screw will bottom on the end of the threaded extension that it threads into, with the result that even though the screw is apparently quite tight, it does not properly secure the tang end of the action to the stock, due to a lack of clamping force between action and floor plate on the stock. The other issue is the need for bedding clearance around the tang's threaded extension. It should not touch the bedding on its sides or end. Another issue, that can come up at the front of the action is scope base screws bottoming in their holes. This is another instance where a screw will feel tight but because it is bottomed, it will not have the proper amount of clamping force on the base.

 

[Kylis-dad]

The floor plate of the 788 sits on the surface of the stock, and if, in the course of the rifle being bedded and or refinished the distance between the floor plate and the receiver is reduced slightly the shoulder at the end of the threads of the rear action screw will bottom on the end of the threaded extension that it threads into, with the result that even though the screw is apparently quite tight, it does not properly secure the tang end of the action to the stock, due to a lack of clamping force between action and floor plate on the stock. The other issue is the need for bedding clearance around the tang's threaded extension. It should not touch the bedding on its sides or end. Another issue, that can come up at the front of the action is scope base screws bottoming in their holes. This is another instance where a screw will feel tight but because it is bottomed, it will not have the proper amount of clamping force on the base.

BoydAllen,
I know exactly what you mean, When I did all this work I refinished and re shaped the factory stock. I inletted the factory floor plate, don't ask me why. I did have to shorten the screws, and I actually machined a thread relief on them. I do need to verify they are not bottoming out. I did check the trigger as Ggmac suggested and it IS making contact with the stock. I thought at first I had it bedded crooked, but it is not, it is the stock.
As far as the scope base screws, I ordered a new scope base, to install with the new scope and rings, and Timney trigger.
Thanks so much for the input. You guys are a fountain of information!

 

[Kylis-dad]

when I worked with my 788 (late seventies) I recut the threads and bored the receiver ring deeper so I could use a close fitting counterbore to control lateral deflection of the bolt head. I also installed agjustment screws and separated the sear spring from the trigger lever. I was able to set this trigger at ten ounces. I barreled this in 219 Wasp using 225 Winchester brass and it was a decent light varminter for the time. Later, I re-barrelled to 6PPC and it was even better. Always had a slight tendency to shoot vertical groups ( still 1/4 moa but vertical nonetheless) and shot better at 200 than at 100. Loaded hot, cases would stretch a bit.
Anyway, lateral stringing is often a scope problem but may also be an indicator of a bedding problem. WH

Thanks for the reply Will, When I was machining the barrel, it never occurred to me to machine a counterbore for the bolt, I assume you mean like on the 700 action? That's A great idea that never occurred to me!

 

[BoydAllen]

Another thing that has occurred to me (It has been a long time since I owned a 788) is to check the front action screw to see if it is bottoming against the barrel tenon. I am not sure, because it has been so long, but this may be an issue.

On the issue of checking screws for bottoming, this is how I do it. With the base off of the action, or the action out of the stock, I start the screw and then carefully back it up, listening for a click as the first threads (male and female) pass each other and the screw drops one thread. At that point I stop and note the wrench or screw drivers position as far as point of rotation relative to the action CL. Then I slowly start turning the screw in a half turn at a time, counting as I go, half, one, half, two, half, three and so on. When the screw bottoms I write down the exact number of full and partial turns, which may be something like 4 1/4, what ever it is and then reassemble the base to the action or the action to the stock and do the same thing. If the turn count is the same, the screw is bottomed and is not clamping the base or action even though the screw is tight.

 

[AckleymanII]

screws are huge issue, trigger housing touching is huge issue.

Now, one thing that you have to live with is the short magazine. Std Sierra bullet design will be much better than a vld bulled design when it comes to grouping. The 140g Sierra BTSP seems to be very forgiving, so is the 120g Sierra spt flat base.

If/when you have investigated all issues, then go to the bullets that I have listed.

God help you if you are shooting at a rifle range with a wind blowing in your face at you, and in a quartering fashion.

I have owned MANY very, very accurate 788's, 222,223, 22/250, and 243 with one 7/08 in the bunch. I cut an ink pen spring (.068) to replace the factory trigger spring, then honed the pin holes and hole in the trigger, trigger pull ended up being in the 1-1.5 lb area.

Good luck!