Northern Rancher said:
Those 788's are a real plain rifle but they outshoot most 700 Remington's so they quit making them-all I need to do is find one in .308 and I'll be set already have one in .222.
The 788's are very good guns in the smaller calibers but generally lacking strength in the larger calibers.
A few negatives about 788's:
Bolt compression leads to case stretch and eventually excessive headspace, especially on the .473" head, high pressure models (.308Win, 7mm-08Rem, .22-250Rem, .244Rem). Not a rifle for maxed-out handloads. Better suited to the small-head cartridges like the 45K CUP pressure .222Rem cartridge.
Brazed-on straight, hollowed (ugly) bolt handle tends to break off. Can be fixed by a real gunsmith with proper heat sinks, heat control paste and a MIG or TIG welder. Don't let an animal with an arc welder ruin your bolt.
High ejection angle interferes with scope knobs. The only fixes are a 90 degree rotated scope or very high scope rings.
Small ejection port makes it hard to clear when jammed. Combined with the ejection angle's tendency to bounce empty shells off the scope and back into the action, this can be a serous problem when an urgent second shot is required.
The magazine tends to rattle, a problem for hunters.
The trigger is not adjustable, but a pro can do a bit of a trigger job on it. It can be lightened and cleaned up, but only to a point. The only aftermarket trigger is Canjar, very nice but insanely expensive.
The receiver, while rigid, is overly heavy for a short action rifle. The result is a light-barreled, short action rifle that weighs as much (ore more) as most standard rifles.
Not much meat on the barrel, which makes it hard to set-back a turn to correct an excessive headspace condition. Setting back the barrel a quarter turn leaves the sights and marking unusable.
Spaces around the receiver lug hid bluing crystals, the guns were poorly rinsed at the factory, so many 788's have rust, or no bluing left.
Beech stock and stamped metal make for an over-all cheap appearance. It looks like a nice rifle from afar, but a close look reveals it's a cheapie.
The stamped bottom metal is particularly plain. The plain white-wood stock is very light. There are no caps on the pistol grip or forend. There is no checkering of any kind available. Sling holders are not quick-detachable.
Magazines are getting scarcer and scarcer but still can be found, but can also be lost.
Single stack magazine limits capacity and spoils lines.
Unsupported bolt has a sloppy feel after unlocking, compared to the piston-like feel of Classics like the Model 70 and Model 700.
Positives:
They are sometimes accurate (if you get one that has not been abused) and can be had cheap.
The Rem 700 and the pre '64 Winchester's are far superior rifles as far as reliability and strength. With a minimum of machine work and a new barrel they can be competitive to the custom rifles for much less money.
The barrel on a rifle is usually the key to it being accurate. Custom barrelmakers would usually discard the barrels used on most "off the shelf" rifles.
Mike Walker, the designer and engineeer who worked for Remington that concocted the Model 700 has consistently done well at the "Super Shoot" with tricked up 700's in 6mm PPC and 6mm BR's in the past. He shot a .019" group sitting next to me one year. At 70 years old.